Mystery photograph Royal Marine RAF?

[michaeldr]

quote from H2

"B.E.2c biplane Serial 979 missing from Narrows-Helles area 8.12.15”

Nikolasen & Yilmazer's Ottoman Aviation 1909-1919 has an enemy aircraft claimed/'conf' for 8th December 1915 - “Brit. biplane hit by G/F (ground-fire), pilot pris.” Their pilot (singular) also agrees with yours

The TGS's 'A Brief History of the Çanakkale Campaign...' gives the following:

"On December 8, the English tried a new tactic in order to pass their submarines though the Strait into Marmara. First, four English planes dropped a demolition block to destroy the sub-surface nets. Then, they dropped nine more demolition blocks by parachutes, four of them were destroyed by gunfire; however the remaining blocks damaged the net, and an English E2 submarine crossed over the Marmara on December 9. The Turkish Artillery near Akbaş shot down an English plane, and the wounded pilot was taken prisoner of war.”

This map from the TGS's Brief History does not relate to this incident, but merely indicates (green circle) where Akbaş is situated

Expert comment on the Turkish passage “dropped a demolition block to destroy the sub-surface nets. Then, they dropped nine more demolition blocks by parachutes, four of them were destroyed by gunfire; however the remaining blocks damaged the net” would be welcome here

regards

Michael

[michaeldr]

Regarding the TGS's account

The detail of the submarine passing up the Straits to the Marmara at this time is correct.

I wonder if the reference to “demolition block” is a result of a poor translation into English; it sounds vaguely similar to “block-buster” and may have been a particularly heavy sort of bomb(?)

I have checked the Naval and the Air OHs, but without so far coming across any details on this raid.

However, there is mention of the British using 112lb bombs elsewhere in this theatre at this time. When compared to those generally used by the Turks & Germans (only 15lbs; per The War in the Air, Vol.II, page 72) then this would indeed have appeared to them to have been a very heavy bomb.

Were bombs with parachutes being used at this time?

*edit: see post #29 below

[it's never too late to say thank you:

Thanks to High Wood for the first photograph

and thanks to Nigel P for the second

A fascinating aspect of the campaign, which I do not recollect having come across before,

except that our GWF Pal Eric (mine-host at the excellent 'Gallipoli Houses') did point out the remains of an anchor point for one of the anti-submarine nets as we drove into Eceabat from the north one morning.

*edit to add a link to Eric's web-page on this http://www.gallipoli.com.tr/silent_witnesses/sub_marine_net-kilye_koy.htm ]

regards

Michael

Edited 7 December , 2011 by michaeldr

[michaeldr]

There is a further little snippet on the submarines and the Turkish net at Nagara from the chapter 'SUBMARINES IN THE DARDANELLES' page 159 of Henry Newbolt's book 'Submarine and Anti-submarine'

quote:

Commander Nasmith went down the Straits on December 23, after a record cruise of forty-eight days. In that time he sank no less than forty-six enemy ships, including a destroyer, the Var Hissar, and ten steamers. A fortnight before he left, E. 2, Commander Stocks, came up, and did good work in very bad weather, until she was recalled on January 2, 1916. The season was over, and she found, in passing down the Straits, that the Turkish net had apparently been removed, either by the enemy themselves, or perhaps by the wear and tear of British submarines repeatedly charging it and carrying it away piecemeal.

Alas, no further information regarding the air-raid and its possible involvement in the net's damage at the time of E2's coming up the Straits

[michaeldr]

Even the words 'little snippet' hardly describe this tantalisingly brief mention in 'Aviation in Peace and War' by Sir Frederick Hugh Sykes (see http://www.hotfreebooks.com/book/Aviation-in-Peace-and-War-Sir-Frederick-Hugh-Sykes.html)

quote:

“An interesting experiment was the attempt by the R.N.A.S. at the Dardanelles to sink the heavy wire anti-submarine net, which had been stretched on buoys across the Straits at Nagara by the Turks, by means of parachute bombs.”

(my emphasis)

Edited 7 December , 2011 by michaeldr

[michaeldr]

A further ref to the bombing of the Turkish anti-submarine nets

see Google Books - Sir Frederick Sykes and the Air Revolution, 1912-1918 by Eric Ash – page 82

"Sykes promoted experimentation to prove air power's legitimacy in a maritime environment, and he hailed several RNAS accomplishments as aerial firsts: the first aircraft-delivered torpedo by C. H. K. Edmonds, the longest night flight by Commander J. R. W. Smith-Pigott, the first demonstration of air-fleet co-operation, and the first use of an independent air arm. The RNAS experimented with parachute bombs, machine-gun fire from aircraft, flechette dropping and time-fuse bombing with ten-foot cables and grapnels designed to destroy anti-submarine nets.”

The foot-notes' refs are on page 90 and appear to be:

Sykes Papers, MFC 77/13/39

Sykes to Vice-Admiral, 17 November 1915, Sykes Papers, MFC 77/13/40

[michaeldr]

This is the area where the air-raid on the anti-submarine net may have happened

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=+turkey&hl=en&ll=40.207459,26.415081&spn=0.108682,0.154324&sll=13.627259,75.159127&sspn=1.10639,1.234589&vpsrc=6&hnear=Turkey&t=h&z=13

compare it with the map in post #26