Shooting down enemy aircraft

[Gerry Chester]

I am looking for authenticated instances of enemy aircraft being downed by fire from tank's coaxially mounted guns.

Before leaving the UK for North Africa our Churchill tank gunners practised firing at drones being towed by aircraftt just off the coast. Frankly, most who took part thought it was a waste of BESA ammunition, never expecting that it would be possible to shoot down a fast moving aeroplane. In Tunisia, it did in fact happen.

Fighting in the Oued Zarga mountains, where the enemy thought no tank could possibly reach, the Regiment was under constant attack by planes of the Luftwaffe. The North Irish Horse War Diary, dated 10th April 1943, records the shooting down of a Me 110 by Churchill's machine-guns. The entry dated 10.4.43 in the Regiment's War Diary records the event:
"All available tanks sent for from BEJA. By first light A & B Sqns in position East of White House on Pt.667.
Plan – 38th Irish Bde, supported by one troop of C Sqn, to seize DJEBEL OUM GUERINAT; NIH less C Sqn, to engage tanks in the valley. Small force including tanks, A/Tk 17pdrs and REs left under command Major the Lord O'Neill to form a base on Northern side of defile crossing OUED EL DJEB.
0700 – CO and Major Strickland made recce on foot; enemy tpt seen moving NE in DOCTOR BED valley. A Sqn ordered to advance to Pt.361 – feature reported clear. B Sqn moved NW to occupy Pt.391. then decided to try and reach DJEBEL RMEL and thus help 38 Bde. A Sqn held up by mines but B Sqn made quick progress to high ground West of DJEBEL RMEL. RHQ followed B Sqn centre line and B Sqn occupied RMEL after engaging retreating enemy infantry with Besa fire. Meantime A Sqn had negotiated minefield and moved to position SE of farm DER RMEL.
Enemy were seen to leave EL GUERINAT and nearby features when tanks occupied RMEL, the task of 38th Irish Bde thereby being much simplified.
Unable to get 17pdrs up to engage two enemy tanks in farm East of RMEL. Persistent air attacks by enemy; one Me 110 shot down by Besa fire from tanks.
1700 – Enemy brought forward 50mm A/Tk gun when enemy position attacked; knocked out one B Sqn tank. This gun was then knocked out and several POW taken. A Sqn worked forward to try and engage the two enemy tanks but could not do so. Tanks ordered to hold positions until relieved by infantry. Were eventually relieved by Black Watch at approx midnight."

[von Poop]

Amazing.
Has anyone else come across similar instances? Or did you find any more Gerry?
Cheers,
Adam.

[MikB]

Perhaps it wasn't the co-ax - maybe the hull gunner did it with a full-deflection shot between his front horns?! Bet he drank Black Label...

Regards,
MikB

[Gerry Chester]

Amazing.
Has anyone else come across similar instances? Or did you find any more Gerry?

HBi Adam,

Apologies for the late response - your post caught me between Bali and the US. In answer to your question - I did hear from a chap who served with the RTR in the Western Desert who said that fire from atop the turrets of his Squadron's tanks had downed an Italian aircraft.

At the time of the incident I was still recovering after being in hospital for treated of wounds - minor but infectious - here's an extract from my narrative:

"Back with the Squadron, laagered near Oued Zarga, it seemed that everyone wanted to relate their experiences during the past few weeks. Obviously, contrary to what we had heard at the Echelon, the air attacks had been much more sustained. At first I could not believe that a German aircraft had been shot down by one of the Churchills. Equally so was the driver of Ballyrashane-4, Harry Jenkins, tale of the Luftwaffe pilot landing by parachute almost on top of his tank. Belief came to these and other stories on seeing the two 30mm shells that were fused into Bangor's port side.

Two of B Squadron's personnel had been hurt while under attack from the Luftwaffe. Both incidents were the result of a once-in-a-million happenstance. Driver "Paddy" Hember had his right arm broken when a shell had hit exactly on the tip of one of the conical bolts, affixing the appliqué armour, propelling it into the driver's compartment As usual, when fighting in the mountains, the 6-pdrs were loaded with HE. By chance, a shell from an attacking Messerschmitt went right up the gun's barrel, causing it to fire - the operator (his name eludes me) suffered a broken left shoulder when he was in the way of its recoil."

Cordially, Gerry

[von Poop]

Thanks Gerry,
"Once-in-a-million" Sounds like an understatement!

Always interesting to hear of bolts bursting too, they're so often cited as a flaw but you can't beat an account 'from the horses mouth'. Must be a rare occasion when a man's 'lucky' to have 'just' broken an arm.

Cheers,
Adam.