The Blackest Day in 421 Squadron History

Until September 2004 there was an aura of mystery surrounding the death of Wing Commander Lloyd Vernon Chadburn. Chadburn was the much-decorated and much-revered wing leader of RCAF 127 Wing. On Tuesday 13 June 1944, Chadburn's Spitfire collided with a Spitfire flown by Frank Clark of 421 Squadron. For a long while I found the official records to be contradictory.

Wing Commander Lloyd Vernon Chadburn,
DSO and bar, DFC, C de G, L d'H
of Oshawa and Aurora Ontario, was 25 when he died.
(DND PL15079)

Flight Lieutenant Frank Joel Clark
of Montreal, Quebec, was 23 when he died.
(DND PL29567)

Let us set the stage:

• 127 Wing consisted of three RCAF Spitfire squadrons 403, 416 and 421.
• They flew out of RAF Station Tangmere near Chichester in Sussex, England.
• The Normandy beachhead consisted of the Western Assault Area or WAA (Utah and Omaha Beaches where the Americans landed), and the Eastern Assault Area or EAA (Gold, Juno and Sword Beaches where the British and Canadians landed).
• The Spitfire role from D-Day until 10 June was 'low-level patrol of the beachhead' with one wing patrolling the WAA and another the EAA at all times from dawn to sunset (6am to 10pm). Three RCAF wings and nine RAF wings performed this function. Eight wings of American P-47 Thunderbolts patrolled at 'high-level'. After sunset, nightfighter squadrons took over the role.
• After 10 June, they flew two-squadron-strength patrols on the eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth of June.
• 127 Wing was scheduled to move from Tangmere to a grass field in Normandy (B.2 Bazenville) on the 16 June 1944. In preparation for this, 403 and 421 landed at B.2 (to be re-armed and re-fuelled), flew one more patrol and returned to Tangmere on 11 June, and again 12 June. On 13 June it was to be 416 and 421 Squadrons; 403 Squadron had the day off.
• Official records agree that, as planned, 416 and 421 Squadrons -- led by Chadburn -- flew to B.2 in the morning of the 13 June, and operated out of France all day. However, questions arise since 421 squadron records state they landed on the first patrol at B.5 (which was not completed at that date) and an independent record (discovered in 2002) states that they landed at B.3 on the last patrol.

Advanced bases for the three RCAF Spitfire wings in Normandy were located at B.2 (127 Wing under Chadburn), B.3 (144 Wing under Johnson) and B.4 (126 Wing under Keefer). The locations of these bases are shown below. In all there were eventually over thirty grass field bases scattered about the beachheads -- see ALGs in Normandy. The area covered by the whole map below is the 'Eastern Assault Area.' Note the relative positions of Bayeux and Caen.

WHAT HAVE OTHERS SAID? Anyone who has written a book about the RCAF in Europe in World War II has referred to the death of Lloyd Chadburn. Every reference uses the term 'collided', and most say 'mid-air collision.' But as to where, one says it occurred on take-off, one says it occurred over the beaches, one says north of Caen, and another says over Cherbourg. Regarding altitude, one says it was at 3,000 feet, another barely off the ground, another at 12,000 feet. Two sources state the collision occurred while executing a turn. A biography of Lloyd Chadburn, written by Robert W. Forbes, and entitled Gone is the Angel (Brown Book Company, Toronto, 1997) states that the collision occurred at 5:30 pm and that "Chadburn's plane plummeted to the ground." Seriously injured, he died an hour later. All of these assertions are untrue or misleading. An accurate description of what happened can be found here.

WHAT DO THE OFFICIAL RECORDS SAY? The official records kept by the squadrons are called 'Operations Record Books.' Copies are available from the National Archives of Canada. Here is what they say:*

421 ORB 540 "June 13 -- Unlucky thirteen. This held very true in the case of 421 Squadron as it proved to be a black day in squadron history as well as for the Wing itself. On the first patrol of the day F/O R.W.Murray reported over the R/T that his engine had cut out and that he was going down. This happened in operation 127/41 approximately eight miles out in the channel. It is not known definitely whether he baled out or whether he went down in the aircraft. His body was, however, seen floating face down in the Channel and his parachute was open. Then on the third patrol of the day, F/L F.J.Clark collided with W/C L.V.Chadbourne (sic), DSO and bar, DFC and F/L Clark was seen to go down in flames at map reference Grid U.0975. Both are presumed lost and that leaves us without a W/C/F. The squadron score since D-Day stands: Our losses -- 4 aircraft, Enemy losses -- Nil. This is a bad show."

NOTE (1): "last patrol" was scrubbed out and replaced by "third patrol" per a letter from RCAFHQ 9 July indicating changes to ORBs for the month of June: "13th -- Amend F.540 to state that F/L Clark was killed on the third patrol of the day")
NOTE (2): Paul Johnston -- an ex-421 Squadron intelligence officer -- tells me he has confirmed that the reference was to a 1 km-by-1km sector located in the Benouville area near Pegasus Bridge.

421 ORB 541 "June 13, 1944 'A' Flight -- S/L W G Conrad MK472, F/O R G Driver NH344, F/O G L Mayson MJ870, F/L P G Johnson MK809, F/O G M Smith MJ820, F/O R C McRoberts MJ855, F/O L F Curry NH217, 'B' Flight -- F/L F J Clark NH415, F/L H P Zary MJ920, F/O R W Murray MJ235, F/L R C Wilson MK994, F/O J Hamm MK199.
Duty: Patrol No. 1 Time: 0730 to 0955 127/Patrol No. 1. F/O R W Murray turned back with engine trouble and on route crashed into the sea. He was accompanied by two other pilots who after orbiting saw his body floating in the water, and returned to base. Other nine aircraft landed at B.5 landing strip. Weather 7 to 10/10ths, cloud base 2000 feet.
Duty: Patrol No. 2 Time: 1110 to 1130 Patrol No. 2 Movement of squadron from B.5 to B.2 landing strip France. Weather 7 to 10/10ths.
Duty: Patrol No. 3 Time: 1200 to 1345 Patrol No. 3 Patrol of A. A. Aircraft flown by F/L F.J.Clark collided with aircraft flown by W/C L.V.Chadbourne(sic). Both aircraft destroyed both pilots killed. Weathr 7 to 10/10ths
Duty: Patrol No. 4 Time: 1645 to 1830 Patrol No. 4 Patrol from base over assault area landing at B.2 landing strip, uneventful. Weather 7 to 10/10ths. Visibility poor.
Duty: Patrol No. 5 Time: 1945 to 2015 Patrol No. 5 Take-off from B.2 landing strip short uneventful patrol of the assault area. Weather 7 to 10/10ths. Visibility slightly improved."

* National Archives of Canada records for 127 Wing are found on reel C-12425, 421 Squadron on reel C-12294 and C-12295, 403 Squadron on reel C-12268 and 416 Squadron on reel C-12268.

If we try to summarize this data it might look like this: