Profile 01: Hawker Hurricane MkI Belgium Airforce No2 Escadrille Belgium 1940. World War II. At the start of World War II, the Army Air Force had three active Air Force Regiments. Planes which were used by those regiments were the Renard R-31 and R-32, the Fiat CR.42, the Hawker Hurricane, the Gloster Gladiator, the Fairey Fox, and the Fairey Battle. These were massacred by the much superior German Luftwaffe in the German invasion of May 1940.

Profile 02: Hurricane I (serial number H-25, former British L1995) from 2./I./2.Aé Le Chardon - Thistle, September 1939 - May 1940. This aircraft was noted in several incidents during the 'phoney war'. On December 1, 1939, when landing at a muddy airfield, the plane was on its nose, the pilot was not injured. On March 2, 1940, Premier Sergeant Edmond Lieotenan (Edmond Lieutenant - yes, his name literally meant “lieutenant”) as part of the link took part in intercepting the German Do 17 that violated the border. on the first flat ground. On April 27, Sergeant Eugène Lelièvre got into an accident on him, but the damage was again not too serious. At dawn on May 10, Corporal L. Jacobs was sitting in the cockpit. He became one of two pilots of the squadron, who managed to take off under the bombs, and then on the way to the field airfield he participated in the battle with He 111 He 111 and air victory over one of them (she was recorded on the lead). On May 11, this fighter was destroyed in two German raids on the airfield of Le Culot.

Gladiator I (serial number G-32) from 1./I./2.Aé La Comète (Comet), May 1940.

At dawn on May 10, this plane managed to take off from the Schaffen-Diest airfield just a few minutes before the start of the German bombing and safely flew to Le Culot, Beauvechain airfield, taking part in an unsuccessful battle with bombers. The next morning, he was damaged in the unequal battle of the six Gladiators with 8 or 12 Messerschmitts Bf 109, and in the afternoon he received additional damage during two German raids on Le Culot airfield and was abandoned during the night during the retreat. Both combat sorties on it were performed by Prime Minister Sergeant Henry Winand, who after the battle with the Messerschmitts declared one air victory.

Gladiator I (serial number G-32) from 1./I./2.Aé La Comète (Comet), May 1940.

At dawn on May 10, this plane managed to take off from the Schaffen-Diest airfield just a few minutes before the start of the German bombing and safely flew to Le Culot, Beauvechain airfield, taking part in an unsuccessful battle with bombers. The next morning, he was damaged in the unequal battle of the six Gladiators with 8 or 12 Messerschmitts Bf 109, and in the afternoon he received additional damage during two German raids on Le Culot airfield and was abandoned during the night during the retreat. Both combat sorties on it were performed by Prime Minister Sergeant Henry Winand, who after the battle with the Messerschmitts declared one air victory.

Fiat CR.42 (serial number R-29, Italian factory number 249) from 4./II./2.Aé Cocotte Blanche (White Cocotte, i.e. paper bird), Belgium - France May-June 1940

At that time, ss-lieutenant Jean Offenberg usually flew the plane. In August, the car was adopted by the French Armistice Commission, and then transferred to the Germans and, possibly, subsequently used in the training squadron JG 107.

In September 1939, when he was a sergeant, Jean Offenberg, along with his partner, brought the English Whitley bomber to his airfield, and this event with a certain stretch can be considered the first victory of the Belgian aircraft in World War II. Two months later, the pilot became a reserve lieutenant and was appointed flight commander. On the day of the German invasion, Offenberg fought Do 17 bombers and Bf 109 fighters covering them and, according to various sources, won one or two victories. In the following weeks he flew regularly to battle, but he was no longer successful in air battles.

On June 20, Offenberg deserted from the unit and flew over to North Africa on a hijacked French coherent aircraft, and then reached Gibraltar via Gibraltar. As part of the British aviation, he fought first as an ordinary pilot, then as a flight commander, scored 4 personal and 2 group victories and died in a plane crash on January 22, 1942.

Source https://warspot.ru/5657-tsveta-voennogo-neba-belgiyskie-istrebiteli-ot-razgroma-k-pobede

Offenberg went to 6 OTU Sutton Bridge on the 30th and on 17th August he joined 145 Squadron at Westhampnett. He claimed a Do17 destroyed on 8th September, probably destroyed a Me109 on 27th October, destroyed a Me109 on 1st November, shared a Me109 on the 6th, damaged a Ju88 on the 9th and shared a He111 on 11th December.

On 5th May 1941 Offenberg claimed a Me109 destroyed plus a He60 with another damaged. He was appointed 'B' Flight Commander on 21st May 1941 and awarded the DFC in June, the first Belgian to receive this award.

On 17th June 1941 Offenberg was posted to 609 Squadron at Biggin Hill. He destroyed a Me109 on 22nd June and another on 7th July. He was awarded the Croix de Guerre (Belgian) on the 21st and became 'B' Flight Commander on the 27th.

Offenberg probably destroyed Me109's on 19th July, 6th August, 27th and 29th August and damaged two more on 27th September and 13th October.

Whilst training a new pilot on 22nd January 1942, Offenberg was subjected to a mock attack by a pilot of 92 Squadron. This resulted in a collision and the tail unit of Offenberg's aircraft was cut off. He was only at 1000 feet, went into a vertical dive and was killed in the crash.

He was buried with full military honours on 26th January in Scopwick Church Burial Ground. As well as his five confirmed victories Offenberg was credited with five enemy aircraft probably destroyed and seven others damaged.

After the war his remains were reinterred at the Pelouse d’Honneur Cemetry in Brussels at Evere.

Source http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Offenberg.htm