Gloster Gladiator claims in the Norwegian Campaign 1940


”To the memory of the British air forces who fought here in 1940” - Bardufoss.
Image kindly provided by Morten Kasbergsen.


Left: Gloster Gladiator at Bardufoss during the spring of 1940.
Image kindly provided by Morten Kasbergsen.
Klick on the image to see it in full size.
Right: Gloster Gladiator Mk.II of 263 Squadron at Setnesmoen, Åndalsnes.
The picture is taken in a south-east direction and the mountain in the right background is Vengetindene.
The picture is most probably taken in May 1940.
Image from The War in the Air - Gene Curney, 1964 kindly via Yuriy Svoyskiy.

Known Gloster Gladiator claims in the Norwegian Campaign:
Kill no. Date Number Type Result Pilot Plane type Serial no. Locality Unit
1 09/04/40 1 He 111 (a) Destroyed Dag Krohn Gladiator 423 SW Oslo/Fornebu Jagevingen
2 09/04/40 1 Do 17 (b) Destroyed Dag Krohn Gladiator 423 Nesodden Jagevingen
  09/04/40 1 Enemy bomber Damaged Dag Krohn Gladiator 423   Jagevingen
3 09/04/40 1 Do 17 (c) Destroyed Kristian Fredrik Schye Gladiator 427 Kolsås-Vøyen Jagevingen
4 09/04/40 1 Ju 52/3m (d) Destroyed Finn Thorsager Gladiator 433   Jagevingen
5 09/04/40 1 Ju 52/3m (e) Destroyed Rolf Thorbjørn Tradin Gladiator 429 Torgskjær Jagevingen
6 09/04/40 1 He 111 (f) Destroyed Per Waaler Gladiator 425 Oslo/Fornebu Jagevingen
  09/04/40 1 Enemy bomber Damaged Arve Braathen Gladiator 413 Høvik Jagevingen
7 25/04/40 1 He115 (g) Shared destroyed ? Gladiator   Dombås 263 Squadron
8 25/04/40 1 He 111 (h) Destroyed Randolph Stuart Mills Gladiator   Lake Lesjaskog 263 Squadron
9 25/04/40 1 He 111 (i) Destroyed Sidney Robert McNamara Gladiator N5579 Lake Lesjaskog 263 Squadron
10 25/04/40 ½ He 111 (j) Shared destroyed John William Donaldson Gladiator N5633 S Vinstra 263 Squadron
10 25/04/40 ½ He 111 (j) Shared destroyed Randolph Stuart Mills Gladiator   S Vinstra 263 Squadron
  25/04/40 ½ He 111 (k) Shared damaged John William Donaldson Gladiator N5633   263 Squadron
  25/04/40 ½ He 111 (k) Shared damaged Randolph Stuart Mills Gladiator     263 Squadron
11 25/04/40 1 He 111 (l) Destroyed John William Donaldson Gladiator   Setnesmoen area 263 Squadron
  26/04/40 1 He 111 Damaged ? Gladiator   Setnessmoen 263 Squadron
  27/04/40 1 He 111 (m) Shared damaged Richard Smeeton Sea Gladiator N2275 off Åndalsnes 804 Squadron
  27/04/40 1 He 111 (m) Shared damaged Roderick Russell Lamb Sea Gladiator   off Åndalsnes 804 Squadron
  27/04/40 1 He 111 (m) Shared damaged ? Sea Gladiator   off Åndalsnes 804 Squadron
  27/04/40 1 He 111 (m) Shared damaged ? Sea Gladiator   off Åndalsnes 802 Squadron
  01/05/40 1 Do 17 (n) Shared damaged ? Sea Gladiator   W Namsos 804 Squadron
12 01/05/40 ½ Ju 87 (o) Shared destroyed John Filmer Marmont Sea Gladiator   W Namsos 802 Squadron
12 01/05/40 ½ Ju 87 (o) Shared destroyed ? Sea Gladiator   W Namsos 802 Squadron
  01/05/40 1 Ju 87 Damaged John Cockburn Sea Gladiator N2276 W Namsos 804 Squadron
  01/05/40 1 Do 17 (p) Damaged ? Sea Gladiator   W Namsos  
13 22/05/40 1 He 111 (q) Destroyed Michael Alexander Craig-Adams Gladiator II N5719 Sjøvegan area 263 Squadron
14 23/05/40 1 Do 17 (r) Destroyed Basil Whall Gladiator II   W Harstadt 263 Squadron
  24/05/40 1 Bf 110 (s) Damaged H. F. Grant Ede Gladiator II   near Bardufoss 263 Squadron
15 24/05/40 1/3 He 111 (t) Shared Destroyed William Riley Gladiator II   Fjordbotneidet 263 Squadron
15 24/05/40 1/3 He 111 (t) Shared Destroyed Caesar Hull Gladiator II   Fjordbotneidet 263 Squadron
15 24/05/40 1/3 He 111 (t) Shared Destroyed H. F. Grant Ede Gladiator II   Fjordbotneidet 263 Squadron
16 25/05/40 1 Ju90 (u) Destroyed H. F. Grant Ede Gladiator II N5705 Dyrøy Island 263 Squadron
17 25/05/40 1 Ju90 (v) Destroyed H. F. Grant Ede Gladiator II   S E Harstad 263 Squadron
18 25/05/40 ½ Ju90 (w) Shared destroyed Phillip Hannah Purdy Gladiator II   near Harstad 263 Squadron
18 25/05/40 ½ Ju90 (w) Shared destroyed Herbert Horatio Kitchener Gladiator II   near Harstad 263 Squadron
19 26/05/40 ½ Ju 88 (x) Shared Destroyed Alvin Williams Gladiator II   Skaanland 263 Squadron
19 26/05/40 ½ Ju 88 (x) Shared Destroyed George Stanley Milligan Gladiator II   Skaanland 263 Squadron
20 26/05/40 ½ Do 17 (y) Shared destroyed Phillip Hannah Purdy Gladiator II   S E Harstad 263 Squadron
20 26/05/40 ½ Do 17 (y) Shared destroyed Michael Amor Bentley Gladiator II   S E Harstad 263 Squadron
21 26/05/40 1 Do 17 (z) Destroyed Phillip Hannah Purdy Gladiator II   S W Harstad 263 Squadron
22 26/05/40 1 He 111 (aa) Destroyed Parnall Gladiator II   Harstad 263 Squadron
23 26/05/40 1 He 111 (aa) Destroyed William Riley Gladiator II   Harstad 263 Squadron
24 26/05/40 1 He 111 (bb) Destroyed Caesar Hull Gladiator II   Saltdalen 263 Squadron
25 26/05/40 1 Ju 52/3m (cc) Destroyed Caesar Hull Gladiator II   Storfjellet, Saltdal 263 Squadron
26 26/05/40 1 Ju 52/3m (dd) Destroyed Caesar Hull Gladiator II   Ekornes, Evenesdal 263 Squadron
27 26/05/40 1 Ju 52/3m (ee) Destroyed Caesar Hull Gladiator II   Kvassteinheia, Saltdal 263 Squadron
  26/05/40 1 He 111 Damaged Caesar Hull Gladiator II   Saltdalen 263 Squadron
28 27/05/40 1 Ju 87 (ff) Destroyed Caesar Hull Gladiator II N5635 Saltfjorden 263 Squadron
29 27/05/40 1 enemy aircraft (gg) Destroyed Tony Lydekker Gladiator II   Bodø area 263 Squadron
30 27/05/40 1 enemy aircraft (hh) Destroyed ? Gladiator II   Bodø area 263 Squadron
31 27/05/40 1 He 111 (ii) Destroyed George Stanley Milligan Gladiator II   near Narvik 263 Squadron
32 28/05/40 1 He 111 (jj) Destroyed Alvin Williams Gladiator II N5681 Ofotfjord 263 Squadron
33 28/05/40 1/3 He115 (kk) Shared destroyed George Hermann Joseph Feeny Sea Gladiator   520km off Vestfjord 802 Squadron
33 28/05/40 1/3 He115 (kk) Shared destroyed Guy Desmond D’Esterre Lyver Sea Gladiator   520km off Vestfjord 802 Squadron
33 28/05/40 1/3 He115 (kk) Shared destroyed David Neil Hamilton Ogilvie Sea Gladiator   520km off Vestfjord 802 Squadron
34 29/05/40 1 He 111 (ll) Destroyed George Stanley Milligan Gladiator II   Narvik 263 Squadron
35 02/06/40 1 He 111 (mm) Destroyed Louis Jacobsen Gladiator II N5681 Björnfjell 263 Squadron
36 02/06/40 1 He 111 (nn) Destroyed Louis Jacobsen Gladiator II N5681 Björnfjell 263 Squadron
37 02/06/40 1 He 111 (nn) Destroyed Louis Jacobsen Gladiator II N5681 Björnfjell 263 Squadron
38 02/06/40 1 He 111 (nn) Destroyed Louis Jacobsen Gladiator II N5681 Björnfjell 263 Squadron
39 02/06/40 ½ He 111 (oo) Shared Destroyed Alvin Williams Gladiator II N5905 Bukkevatnet 263 Squadron
39 02/06/40 ½ He 111 (oo) Shared Destroyed Herbert Horatio Kitchener Gladiator II   Bukkevatnet 263 Squadron
40 02/06/40 ½ He 111 (pp) Shared Destroyed Alvin Williams Gladiator II N5905 near Beisfjord 263 Squadron
40 02/06/40 ½ He 111 (pp) Shared Destroyed Herbert Horatio Kitchener Gladiator II   near Beisfjord 263 Squadron
41 02/06/40 ½ He 111 (pp) Shared Destroyed Alvin Williams Gladiator II N5905 near Beisfjord 263 Squadron
41 02/06/40 ½ He 111 (pp) Shared Destroyed Herbert Horatio Kitchener Gladiator II   near Beisfjord 263 Squadron
  02/06/40 ½ He 111 (pp) Shared Unconfirmed Alvin Williams Gladiator II N5905 near Beisfjord 263 Squadron
  02/06/40 ½ He 111 (pp) Shared Unconfirmed Herbert Horatio Kitchener Gladiator II   near Beisfjord 263 Squadron
  02/06/40 1 He 111 (pp) Unconfirmed Alvin Williams Gladiator II N5905 near Beisfjord 263 Squadron
42 02/06/40 ½ Ju 87 (qq) Shared Destroyed Alvin Williams Gladiator II N5905 near Beisfjord 263 Squadron
42 02/06/40 ½ Ju 87 (qq) Shared Destroyed Herbert Horatio Kitchener Gladiator II   near Beisfjord 263 Squadron
  02/06/40 1 Ju 87 (pp) Probable Herbert Horatio Kitchener Gladiator II   near Beisfjord 263 Squadron
43 07/06/40 1 enemy bomber (rr) Destroyed ? Gladiator II     263 Squadron
44 07/06/40 1 enemy bomber (rr) Destroyed ? Gladiator II     263 Squadron
45 07/06/40 1 enemy bomber (rr) Destroyed ? Gladiator II     263 Squadron

(a) Not confirmed with German sources.
(b) Bf 110C 'M8+?H' of 1./ZG 76 flown by Leutnant Erhard Kort and with air gunner Unteroffizier Heinrich Bockheimer, both killed.
(c) Almost certainly Unteroffizier Helmut Mütscherle's (with air gunner Gefreiter Karl Lorey) Bf 110C 'White F' 'M8+FH' of 1./ZG 76 which crash-landed at Vøyen. The German aviators became POW's.
(d) Ju 52/3m (WNr. 6570) of II/KG zbV 1; Feldwebel Albert Meier, his crew and 12 members of 2/FJR1 were all killed. This victory might possible be shared with Lieutenant Rolf Tradin.
(e) Ju 52/3m (WNr. 6570) of II/KG zbV 1; Feldwebel Albert Meier, his crew and 12 members of 2/FJR1 were all killed. This victory might possible be shared with Second Lieutenant Finn Thorsagen.
(f) Not confirmed with German sources but confirmed by his wing commander.
(g) Not confirmed with German sources.
(h) He 111 of 4/LG 1 claimed shot down.
(i) He 111 of 4/LG 1 flown by Unteroffizier Helmut Nolte shot down. Crashed near Lake Lesjaskog around 12:00. One member of the crew killed and three POW's.
(j) He 111 of Stab/LG 1 shot down to crash-land south of Vinstra, near Dombås at 1400. The badly injured wireless operator shot himself. Fw Hans Gutt and the rest of his crew were taken prisoners.
(k) He 111 of 6/LG 1 damaged shortly after 1400 with two of the crew wounded.
(l) He 111 of II/LG 1.
(m) He 111 from 1(F)/122 65% damaged and force-landed north-west of Trondheim. Claimed by three pilots from 804 Squadron and one from 802 Squadron
(n) Do 17P of 1(F)/120 damaged by two pilots from 804 Squadron
(o) Ju 87R of 2/StG 1 crashed into the sea west of Namsos at 18:25. Oberfeldwebel Erich Stahl and Unteroffizier Friedrich Gott picked up by a British destroyer.
(p) Do 17P of 1(F)/120 slightly damaged.
(q) Not verified with German records. Claimed in combat with He 111s from II/KG 26, which lost one aircraft from 5./KG 26 (reportedly shot down by AA) and got a second damaged.
(r) Not confirmed with German sources.
(s) Bf 110C-1 ‘M8+NK’ (WNr. 3920??) of 1./ZG 76, flown by Feldwebel Neureuter, shot down. The crew was rescued.
(t) Heinkel He 111H-3 ‘1H+KA’ (WNr. 2411) of Stab/KG 26 shot down. The pilot Oberleutnant Hartmut Paul was wounded and taken POW, Oberfeldwebel Eduard Strüber (observer) was killed, Unteroffizier Gunther Eichmann (flight engineer) was taken POW, Unteroffizier Hans Blunk (air gunner) was taken POW and Feldwebel Alfred Stock (wireless operator) was killed.
(u) Fw200 V2 W.Nr.2484 of 1/KG40 shot down near Dyrøy Island. The pilot Oberleutnant Hellmuth Schöpke became POW. The co-pilot Oberfeldwebel Fritz Messer and the flight engineer Feldwebel Walter Börjesson returned to unit. The radio operator Obergefreiter Kurt Hartleben was killed.
(v) Crashed in flames on Finnöy Island, to the south of Narvik at 10:30. Fw200 from 1/KG 40. One of the crew was killed in combat while the remaining four were taken POWS.
(w) Crashed into a fjord near Harstad after 2034. The identity of this aircraft is not verified with German sources.
(x) Actually a Do 17F of 1(F)/123. Fw. Anton Schairer and his crew perished.
(y) Crashed into a hillside 20 miles south of Narvik at 1500. Not confirmed with German sources.
(z) Not confirmed with German sources.
(aa) One He 111 of 2/KG26 and one He 111 of 2/KGr100 damaged each with one of the crew wounded.
(bb) He 111 of 1(F)/122 which crash-landed at Mo.
(cc) Ju 52/3m (WNr. 5636) of KGrzV 106 shot down at 16:15.
(dd) Ju 52/3m ‘BA+KH’ of KGrzV 106 shot down at 16:30.
(ee) Ju 52/3m “White 2” (WNr. 6713) of KGrzV 106 shot down between 16:30-16:40.
(ff) Ju 87 of 1/StG1 crashed in sea.
(gg) Confirmed from the ground but not confirmed with German sources.
(hh) Confirmed from the ground but not confirmed with German sources.
(ii) Confirmed by Norwegians but not confirmed with German sources.
(jj) He 111H-4 “1H+FA” of Stab/KG 26 flown by Oberleutnant Streng force-landed at Gjømmervann. The crew rescued by German troops
(kk) He115 of 2/KüFlGr506 shot down. Feldwebel Fritz Stahl and crew perished.
(ll) He 111 of 1/KG26 belly-landed near Ankenes. Pilot Uffz. Paul Richter and his crew became POWs.
(mm) Actually a Do215B of 4(F)/ObdL. The aircraft force-landed on the Swedish side of the border and the pilot Franz Reichardt and his crew were interned.
(nn) Confirmed later by ground troops but only one confirmed with German sources. This was He 111H-31 1H+CK (WNr 5607) of 2./KG26, which made an emergency landing on Lake Grövelsjön with the crew unhurt.
(oo) He 111H-4 “1H+BH” of 1./KG 26 shot down. Oberfeldwebel Otto Poser and his crew (Hans Hatlapa, Bernard Schulte and Franz Henkel) became POWs but were later released.
(pp) Not confirmed with German sources.
(qq) Ju 87R of 2/StG1 shot down. Oberleutnant Heinz Böhne and his gunner were killed.
(rr) Not confirmed with German sources.

The sinking of HMS Glorious and loss of 263 Squadron

Sources:
Aces High - Christopher Shores and Clive Williams, 1994 Grub Street, London, ISBN 1-898697-00-0
Fledgling Eagles - Christopher Shores with John Foreman, Christian-Jaques Ehrengardt, Heinrich Weiss and Bjørn Olsen, 1991 Grub Street, London, ISBN 0-948817-42-9
Gladiator - Andrew Thomas, 2003 Battle of Britain, Key Publishing Ltd, Stamford
Gloster Gladiator Aces - Andrew Thomas, 2002 Osprey Publishing, London, ISBN 1-84176-289-X
Gloster Gladiator Home Page - Alexander Crawford
Men of the Battle of Britain - Kenneth G. Wynn, 1999 CCB Associates, ISBN 1-902074-10-6
Additional information kindly provided by Birger Larsen and Glenn Murray.







Last modified 23 August 2012