Combat Report of No. 145 Squadron for 8 September 1940

Combat reports were official documents detailing operational encounters with enemy aircraft. They convey both the mental strain of operations and the sense of excitement when victory claims were made.

This combat report provides details of an engagement involving Blue Section of No. 145 Squadron on 8 September 1940. A Dornier Do 215 was damaged during the engagement and there were no RAF losses. No. 145 Squadron at this time was under the auspices of HQ 13 Group and based at RAF Montrose. Three pilots are mentioned by name in the report: Blue 1, Pilot Officer Storrar, Blue 2, Pilot Officer Offenberg and Blue 3, Sergeant Sykes. James Eric Storrar flew both in Nos. 145 Squadron and 73 Squadron during the Battle of Britain. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in August 1940 and then received a bar to this in October 1943. Storrar carried on his career with the RAF until 1957. Jean Henri Marie Offenberg was a Belgian pilot who was attached to No. 145 Squadron during the Battle of Britain. Offenberg later received the Croix de guerre (Belgium) in July 1941 but tragically died in January 1942 after a mock attack from another RAF pilot resulted in a collision and his aircraft consequently diving vertically and crashing. Duncan Broadford Sykes joined No. 145 Squadron on 20 August 1940. He was shot down on 7 November 1940 and crash landed but was fortunately only slightly injured. He later achieved the rank of Warrant Officer on 1 January 1942 and left the RAF in 1946.