Lt Lander RFC Mespotaina

[stevenbecker]

Mates,

I was rereading Tennant s book "In the clouds above Baghdad"

Page 22

He mentions a fight with a Fokker by Lt's Lander/Barr in a BE, after another BE flown by Lt Rodney was wounded.

During which Lander shot down the Fokker, seen coming up from Shumran airfield

No dates given but possibly around May - June 1915 

This surprised me as no Ottoman/German Air Company was operational until Dec 1915

He may mean May - June 1916, which makes more sence, as the 2nd Air Company was working then, but not where Shumran airfield was?

But I just wanted to confirm the claim by Lander/Barr

Was there a claim by these or any other mentions?

I could find the only claims around then, by the German Hans Schuz against the British

with Fokker E1 (F3) claimed a Seaplane in Mesopotamia 24-4-16

shown shot down a BE 2c (Lt Davidson WIA) &

a Short 184 (8044) flown by Flt Gasson WIA&PoW/Thouless KIA near Kut-el-Amara 26-4-16 &

shot down a BE 2c (4558) (FTL) &

BE 2c near Eurphrates River 7-5-16

No Germans are shown lost during this period in Mesopotania, which would be the only one flying a Fokker to be lost, also no mentions of any Fokker lost around then by enemy action?

Cheers

S.B

Edited 11 July , 2022 by stevenbecker

[charlie962]

His (Thomas Eaton Lander) MC was gazetted *  for this action - he and Lt Barr forcing back an enemy plane " in a damaged condition"

Charlie 

*Edit- award reported in newspapers 23/9/16 and citation appeared 15 Nov 1916.

Edited 11 July , 2022 by charlie962

[topgun1918]

Lieut The Hon James Henry Bertie Rodney, No 30 Squadron, was wounded on 13 August 1916 and I have a note of the Lander/Barr action occurring on the same date.

Both Lander and Barr were awarded the Military Cross, the citations appearing in the London Gazette of 14 November 1916:

"2nd Lt. Eric Noel Douglas Barr, R.A. (Spec. Res.) and R.F.C.

 For conspicuous gallantry and skill in an encounter with an enemy machine.  By skilful manoeuvring 2nd Lt. Barr and Lt. Lauder drove the enemy machine behind the enemy's lines in a damaged condition."

and 

"Lt. Thomas Eaton Lander, High. L.I. and R.F.C.

 For conspicuous gallantry and skill in an encounter with an enemy machine.  By skilful manoeuvring, Lt. Lander and 2nd Lt. Barr drove the enemy machine behind the enemy's lines in a damaged condition."

Graeme

 

[stevenbecker]

Mates,

Thank you for these useful details

I found the problem with his book, are the details appear to be out of any order of dates

So he did not bring it down

AT the time (Aug 1916) Ottoman 2nd Air Company had only one Fokker  flown by Schuz, but makes no claim or any other details to support Landers/Barr's details

I found what little I did have on Lt Lander

Pommrich (Pommerich) (Pomerich) Johannes    Unteroffizier    Pilot Airforce 2-15 to 1st Aircraft Company Tayyare Boluk 9-15 to 2nd Aircraft Company Tayyare Boluk 1-17     1916-17    (1892 at Chemnitz DoD 6-6-17 or DoD 7-7-17) of typhoid at Mossul / Mosul Mesopotamia shown Rumpler C1 (R15) with Fisher (O) on raid to Tenedos 10-16 claimed brougth down Lt Lander (Wia & PoW) in a BE near Terkit 6-5-17 (in book by Tennant) (spelling in Ole Nikoljsen)
 

S.B

Edited 11 July , 2022 by stevenbecker