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A D-Day Sacrifice
Remembering one of 'The Few' who paid the ultimate
price on 6th June 1944
It was at Antwerp in Belgium that François Venesoen
was born on 19th October 1920 and as he grew up he developed
a longing to become a fighter pilot, so in the late 1930's he
enlisted into the Belgian Air Force (Aéronautique Militaire).
However his dreams were shattered in May 1939 when he failed
pilot training, but despite this setback he re-mustered to become
an air-gunner. François was sent to Nivelles aerodrome
situated north-west of Charleroi to a squadron within III
Groupe of the 2e Regiment d' Aéronautique to
fly in obsolete Avions Fairy Fox two-seat biplane fighters.
When World War Two broke out in September 1939, Western Europe
braced itself in anticipation of Hitler's inevitable plans for
conquest, and it was on 10th May 1940 that the ferocious onslaught
of the German Blitzkrieg campaign against the West began!
Belgian resistance lasted only a few days with its air force
being either destroyed on the ground, or shot out of the sky
during the first hours of battle!
Like many of his compatriots François Venesoen managed
to escape across the English Channel via France, arriving in
England on 23rd June, where he immediately sought to enlist in
the Royal Air Force to continue the fight against the Nazi conquerors.
It was not until 27th August with the Battle of Britain finely
balanced that François was posted to serve as an NCO air-gunner
with the Bristol Blenheim MkIVF's of No.235 Squadron based at
Bircham Newton in Norfolk, though the squadron often used Thorney
Island on the south coast as a forward operating base. The Blenheims
were not ideally suited to the tasks the squadron undertook,
which consisted mainly of convoy protection patrols and reconnaissance
missions over the North Sea with occasional forays to attack
the French Channel ports.
Despite the risks involved on such missions, the squadron
suffered comparatively light losses of 6 aircraft on operations
from July to October of 1940, and with claims for at least 12
Luftwaffe aircraft, achieved what could be considered a good
return! Sadly however most of the crews No.235 Squadron lost
went missing, but François survived the Battle of Britain
as one of the Belgians to have proudly served amongst the ranks
of 'The Few'.
The dream of François Venesoen to become a fighter
pilot was re-ignited when he applied for pilot training whilst
with No.272 Squadron, which had reformed in November 1940 at
RAF Aldergrove in Northern Ireland for shipping escort duties,
when one flight from No.235 and No.236 Squadron respectively
were merged together. He began his ab-initio pilot training with
No.13 Service Flying Training School, and on successfully completing
his elementary flying moved to No.5 Flying Training School at
RAF Sealand near Chester on 9th July 1941, where he was soon
granted a Commission. In October Pilot Officer Venesoen at long
last realised his dream, for he gained his 'wings' and went to
No.61 Operational Training Unit at Heston in Middlesex, to convert
onto about the best the RAF could offer at the time.
Venesoen is 5th from right -
Photo: André Bar
On 18th December he joined the newly formed No.350 (Belgian)
Squadron flying Spitfire MkIIA's at RAF Valley on the island
of Anglesey for operational defensive duties and convoy escorts
over the Irish Sea.
The squadron had to wait until April 1942 before moving to
Southern England to join the Debden Fighter Wing for the hazardous
task of fighter sweeps over occupied Northern France. Now the
Belgians could hit back at their German enemy as a unit by themselves!
In a prelude to the launching of a sea-borne invasion of Nazi-occupied
Europe, plans were put together for an amphibious attack on the
heavily defended port of Dieppe under the codename of Operation
Jubilee.
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The day of the attack on 19th August proved costly for the
Allies with heavy casualties both on the beaches and in the air,
with RAF Fighter Command losing around 100 aircraft whilst covering
the assault! Valuable future lessons were learned from the ill-fated
operation, but Flying Officer Venesoen achieved success for himself
that day when he claimed the destruction of 2 Focke-Wulf Fw190's
his first personal victories over the Luftwaffe! However
during the squadrons fourth sortie of the day François
had a wingtip on his Spitfire shot away, but he returned safely.
Venesoen and Plisnier talking
with an ATA pilot
Photo: André Bar
His next success came on 16th November when he shared in the
destruction of a lumbering Junkers Ju52 transport over St.Aubin
airfield in France during a Rhubarb sortie. In March 1943
No.350 Squadron moved north, but François remained in
the frontline with a posting to No.610 Squadron and soon celebrated
another victory on 29th March when he claimed a raiding Fw190
off the coast near to Brighton. On 21st April during Circus
290 he again tangled with the 'Butcher-birds' to put in a
claim for damaging 2 of the dreaded Focke-Wulf's, and it was
during Ramrod 87 on 24th September that François
Venesoen achieved his last credited victory when he shared in
the shooting down of a Messerschmitt Bf110 at Cap St-Mathieu
near Caen in Normandy.
His success in combat was recognised with the award of a Distinguished
Flying Cross on 15th December. In the early months of 1944 planning
began for Operation Overlord D-Day! François
now found himself back with his countrymen of No.350 Squadron
to conduct offensive missions with the Second Tactical Air Force,
in readiness for the invasion of Mainland Europe and liberation
of their beloved country! On 6th June at 04:35 hours, François
took off for an early morning patrol over the Normandy beachhead
in a war-weary Spitfire MkV serial EN950 [MN-H]. The Squadron
record book takes up the story: "Over the Channel F/Lt
Venesoen had to bale out owing to an internal glycol leak. His
parachute opened alright and he was last seen by his Number 2
(F/O L. Siroux) alighting on the rough sea and struggling in
the water, trying to inflate his dinghy. After F/O Siroux had
pulled up to lead 3 launches to the spot, no trace of F/Lt Venesoen
could be found". He is now commemorated on Panel 203
of the Air Forces Memorial at Runnymede. The badge of No.350
Squadron has an ancient Belgian warrior; François Venesoen
typified that image and we should never forget his sacrifice.
Belgae Gallorum Fortissimi ("The Belgae, bravest
of the Gauls"). Dean Sumner
The Brussels Cemetery Venesoen's
grave stone appears in - he is not actually buried there
The word 'disparu' that is inscribed
on the headstone translates as 'missing person'
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