Whitley P4974 damaged by flak, returned safely to Dishforth airfield.
On the night of 8th / 9th July 1940 the crew of this 51 Squadron aircraft were tasked with bombing Kiel Docks and Evere airfield when the aircraft was struck by flak.
The pilot was able to make the return leg of the flight to land back at Dishforth safely at 04.00hrs.
Pilot - F/O Albert John Oettle RAF (40133), of Brighton.
P/O T.-Aylmer
Sgt Brisbane
Sgt Wood
Sgt McKenzie
Albert Oettle's birth was registered in the Kingston area of Surrey in 1916, he was educated at Brighton College and joined the RAF in 1937 and
received his commission in the same year. He was promoted to F/O on 12th May 1940, and to F/Lt on 12th May 1941. He was also posted to Special Duties
work probably after completing his Tour with 51 Squadron for which he was awarded the DFC (Gazetted on 22nd October 1940) though no citation for this
has been found. After 51 Squadron he was firstly posted to 1419 Flight where he sustained injuries in an accident on 11th April 1941 in Whitley T4165,
this accident saw two of the crew being killed and four injured. After recovering from these injuries 138 Squadron had been formed out of 1419 Flight
and he was posted there. He returned to flying duties less than two days before his death on 30th October 1941; he was the pilot of Whitley Z9223 and
the aircraft crashed while landing at Stradishall. F/Lt Albert J Oettle DFC is buried in Hove Churchyard, Sussex but has a special memorial as his
grave position is lost. He was twenty five years old.
Whitley P4974 was built to contract 75147/38 by Armstrong Whitworth at Baginton and was delivered directly to 51 Squadron at Dishforth on
3rd May 1940. Following the flak incident detailed above in July 1940 Cat.M/FB damage was recorded and it was repaired on site and returned
to the unit. On 17th August 1940 on ops to bomb Bohlen power station its crew on
this occasion were forced to land at Nuneaton airfield but the aircraft was undamaged and it was refuelled and flown back
to Dishforth. On 12th September 1940 it sustained flak damage on Ops to Berlin but its crew were able to return safely to
Dishforth. Cat.M/FB damage was recorded and again it was repaired on site and returned to the unit. On 8th October 1940
on Ops to Berlin again it ran short of fuel on return and made forced landing at Shipton by
Beningborough relief landing ground, a few miles north of York. Again it was undamaged and after it was re-fuelled it was
flown back to Dishforth. On 12th February 1941 its then crew were undertaking Ops to Bremen when. On their return it was
abandoned out of fuel in bad weather over the North of England. Cat.W/FB damage recorded on the airframe.