Date:	Monday 4 September 1939
Time:	18:15
Type:	Vickers Wellington Mk I
Owner/operator:	9 Sqn RAF
Registration:	L4268
MSN:	KA-J
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 5
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Kiel Canal, Brunsbüttel, Schleswig-Holstein -   Germany
Phase:	Combat
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Honington, Suffolk
Destination airport:	RAF Honington, Suffolk
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
On 4th September 1939, fourteen Wellington aircraft from Nos. 9 and 149 Squadrons attacked the entrance to the Kiel Canal at Brunsbüttel, Schleswig-Holstein, in the first raid of the war. Two of the aircraft of No.9 Squadron were lost with all crew members. These were L4268 'KA-J' and L4275 'KA-H', the first aircraft shot down on the western front. All five crew were killed

Crew:
Flight Sgt (365199) Ian Edward Maitland Borley RAF (aged 30) killed.
Sgt (580160) George Miller RAF (aged 27) killed.
Corporal (524855) George William Park RAF (aged 23) killed.
LAC (531093) Harry Dore RAF (aged 19) killed.
AC.2 (618765) Robert Henderson RAF (aged 25) killed.

The Luftwaffe shot down two Vickers Wellingtons of RAF 9 Squadron on the same raid (L4268 and L4275). The time for both planes going down was 18:15 hrs. Feldwebel Alfred Held and Feldwebel Hans Troitzsch claimed the two Wellington Bombers. The Luftwaffe credited Feldwebel Held with their first victory of the war in air to air combat.

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft L1000-L9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1978 p 25)
2. Wimpy: A Detailed History of the Vickers Wellington in service, 1938-1953 By Steve Bond (p.34)
3. National Archives (PRO Kew) AIR 81/4: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14141983
4. http://www.rafcommands.com/archives/air-81-raf-casualty-packs-1939-45-part-1/
5. http://www.planetrace.co.uk/1930-1939_35.html
6. http://www.oldhaltonians.co.uk/pages/rememb/ROH/10.htm
7. https://wartimeni.com/person/ian-edward-maitland-borley/
8. https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-vickers-290-wellington-i-brunsbuttel-5-killed
9. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1530120/borley,-ian-edward-maitland/
10. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1076836/miller,-george/
11. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1803826/park,-george-william/
12. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/232368/dore,-harry/
13. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1799919/henderson,-robert/

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
17-Mar-2008 22:51	JINX	Added
09-Jan-2012 07:19	Nepa	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Departure airport, Narrative]
09-Mar-2013 18:17	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
14-Aug-2013 16:11	JINX	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport]
27-Apr-2015 18:51	ABBA	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Narrative]
08-Nov-2015 17:55	JINX	Updated [Operator]
17-Jan-2016 11:25	ABBA	Updated [Operator, Narrative]
14-Jan-2017 22:06	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Location, Source, Narrative]
01-Jun-2019 16:12	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Cn, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
01-Jun-2019 16:15	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Source, Narrative]
01-Jun-2019 16:17	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
03-Jun-2019 09:40	stehlik49	Updated [Operator]