Survivor Of Mass Ju 87 Stuka Attack
FIELD POST
‘Britain at War’ Magazine, PO Box 380, Hastings, East Sussex, TN34 9JA
Dear Sir,
In issues of Britain at War across recent months and years you have run a couple of features relating to attacks by Junkers 87 Stuka dive bombers and, more specifically, to the Ju 87 action against what was known at Convoy CW9 ‘Peewit’. This was in the English Channel on 8 August 1940 and saw heavy dive bombing sorties against British merchant and naval shipping. A relative of mine served on a ship which was caught up in some of the bombing on that day, although he and the ship thankfully survived. I have recently come across a very nice photograph of the ship on which he served, HMT Kingston Olivine, amongst his papers and effects, together with an account by one who was on board.
HMT Kingston Olivine, was an anti-submarine trawler and not actually part of the convoy which came under attack by the Stukas but she just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time – albeit that the group of ships had sailed out to help stragglers from an earlier attack on the convoy. She was with a group of six Royal Navy vessels who f…
