In March, 1941, these airmen successfully
attacked an enemy destroyer which
was escorting a convoy of some 13
ships. Pressing home his attack from an
extremely low level, Sergeant Leavers
machine gunned the deck while Sergeant
Overheu scored two direct hits on the
destroyer with his bombs."
Fl Sgt Leavers
and Sgt. Overheu were killed in action
about three weeks later,
on 16 June 1941, on a anti-shipping mission
off the German Wadden Ilses, on which they had
been so successful before.
F/S Leavers,
Sgt Overheu and Sgt Joseph Phelps took off at 1319 from their base Watton in Norfolk. Their operation was
codenamed Beat17 and they were flying
Blenheim V6034 YH-D.
Three Blenheim
bombers of 21 Sqn engaged a German patrol
vessel near the Island of Borkum. This
dramatic picture was taken during the attack
on the ship by the third (and last)
Blenheim. On the horizon you see the first
Blenheim. On the left is the Flight Sergeant
Leavers's Blenheim after it just bombed the
ship.
It either hit
the ship's mast or was hit by debris from
the ship, which tore off a piece of the
right wing. The Blenheim rolls over to the
right to crash into the sea, just moments
after this picture was taken. Flight
Sergeant Leavers is buried at Den Andel
Protestant Cemetery. Sgt Phelps also
washed ashore and is buried in Sage War
Cemetery in Germany.
Sgt Overheu is
still missing.
(picture from En Nooit Was Het Stil, Deel
II)
Flight
Sergeant Leavers was 24.
(picture by
Wim Bastiaanse)
