F/O MacDonald's log book entry for 4th December 1943 refers to eleven Dornier bombers, all wearing night camouflage which were part of a formation of fourteen encountered over Eindhoven by two RAF Typhoon squadrons which were sweeping over Holland. Squadron Leader Pat G. Thornton-Brown who led one of the formations of Typhoons said, "We just went into them and broke up their formation first. They went down in a desperate effort to land on Eindhoven airfield. Eleven of them landed - but in pieces. There was a lot of light flak but the only damage any of us suffered was a bullet hole in one Typhoon. Enemy fighters took off from nearby airfields but they were too late to intercept and we came home without any trouble."
Squadron Leader Johnny R. Baldwin, DFC, who led the other Typhoon formation, said, "We whooped for joy when we saw the bombers. Some of them burst into flames and the enemy crews baled out, so that the air seemed cluttered with parachutes."
CIRCUMSTANTIAL REPORT ON THE LOSS OF F/O MACDONALD
Circumstantial Report of the loss of F/O J.A. MacDonald and 1374972 Flight Sergeant Archibald Blyth Kirkwood as follows:
At 1303 hours on February 7th, 1944, the above named pilots took off from Manston as part of a formation of four aircraft on a projected Ranger operation to German held bases North and North-East of Paris.
They proceeded to make landfall at Cayeux via Dungeness at zero feet, ran into cloud at 600 feet and climbed through two layers of 10/10th cloud (600/1,400 feet) - (2,000/2,400 feet) to cross coast at 5,500 feet and when some 20 miles inland leader led formation down in a gentle dive. At the same time he warned them to climb up again and out if cloud was not broken at 1,000 feet. It was not, so Blue 1 and Blue 4 climbed and returned on reciprocal, R/T contact being lost with Blue 2 and Blue 3 (Flight Sergeant Kirkwood and Flying Officer MacDonald) from the time if the dive.
No flak was experienced at any time and nothing further has been heard of either Kirkwood or MacDonald.
The formation was led by F/L Robert J. Dall (New Zealander). Uncertainty as to whether the two aircraft collided or simply flew into the ground.
A postwar report stated that civilians reported the crash of the two Typhoons some distance from one another (one at a field known as 'le Calironfa' and the other at Quevauvillers). The first of these was reported to be on fire before it crashed.
Association of 198 Squadron RAF Pilots & Ground Crews
