The Banff Strike Wing lost five Mosquitos that day. JG5 lost three.
Fw.190's (Weisse4 Uffz.W. Zeuner and Weisse16 Uffz.R. Lehnert)
The eight planes probably shot down each other in this dog fight, and went down in the Selbjørnsfjord.
Helbing and R Lehnert are both buried at Solheim Cemetery
Flt Sgt S W Couttie was the only crew member that survived the combat. He was picked up from the sea by the Germans and became POW the rest of the war
The bodies of two Allied crew were found in the sea. Flt Sgts F Shew and C Cash. They are buried at Møllendal Cemetery in Bergen.
One German was killed onboard the flak ships, nine were seriously wounded.
Source: FlyPast March 2001. Article by Halvor Sperbund
The BMW 801 engine and other parts from Weisse 14
Fw.190A-3 Austevoll
9./JG5 Weisse14+ Werknr.2172 Uffz.Oskar Helbing(KIA) 15.1 1945
Nine Fw 190s took off from Herdla at 11:20, and headed south towards Leirvik harbour. The Banff Strike wing took off at 09:35, with six Mosquitos from 143 Squadron, four from 235 Squadron and four "Tsetse" Mosquitos from 248 Squadron. In addition were the two outriders from Norwegian 333 Squadron. They were attacking the German cargoship "Claus Rickmers", flakship V5304 Seehund and V5308 O B Rogge, and Raumboot R63 at Leirvik harbour.
The airfight started at 11:29 and lasted for about 3 minutes. Weisse14 was badly damaged by a "Tsetse" Mosquito of 248 Squadron, flewn by Fg Off Peacock, navigator Field. Uffz.Oskar Helbing crash landed in rough terrain at Melingsvarden. He was rescued out from the burning wreck, but died the next day. Helbing is buried at Solheim Cemetery, Bergen