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Pilot Officer Paul Hendrik STENGER (108978) Croix de Guerre avec Palme (France)
118 Squadron Royal Air Force (Netherlands) Date of birth: 21st January 1921 Date of death: 20th June 1942 Killed in action aged 21 Buried at Orry-La-Ville Netherlands Field of Honour Plot B/R Row 1 Grave 6
Paul Hendrik Stenger was born at Amsterdam on the 21st of January 1921 the elder son of Hendrikus Arnoldus Johannes "Henk" Stenger, a music shop proprietor, and Jana Adlophina (nee van Dansik) of Haringvlietstr 47, Amsterdam 2 in Holland. He was considered to be a difficult boy at school so his father decided that he would benefit from an English education and so he was educated at Lancing College where he was in Heads House from May 1936 to July 1940. He was a member of the Officer Training Corps achieving Certificate A and was appointed as a House Captain in 1940. He was posted to 118 (Netherlands) Squadron who were based at RAF Ibsley and operated Spitfires. At the time they were flying fighter sweeps over occupied Europe. Paul Stenger took off from RAF Ibsley in Spitfire Mk Vb AR449 on the 20th of June 1942 and flew with his squadron to RAF Redhill to refuel in preparation for an operation code named Circus No. 193. The operation was part of a diversionary fighter sweep over Hardelot and St Omer to divert enemy fighters from a bombing raid which was to take place on Le Havre. They took off again at 2.45pm and rendezvoused with the Biggin Hill Wing before crossing the channel. At 3.50pm the Squadron was flying at 24,000 feet, some twelve miles to the northwest of St Omer, when they were "bounced" from above and behind by 10 Focke Wulf 190s. During the dogfight which ensued Paul Stenger’s aircraft was shot down and crashed at Marck, some two kilometres to the south west of Waldham – Oye Plage, with a local witness later reporting that: -“It dived vertically into the ground at very high speed and exploded on impact.” The Germans arrived a short time later and surrounded and sealed off the crash site. A local man, Monsieur Massu, reported that his remains were collected and taken away the next day for burial. The Germans kept the crash site under guard for the next two weeks and conducted a thorough search and clearance of the area. A family friend, Mrs Sanceau of 41, May Lane, Kingsbury, received the following telegram dated the 21st of June 1942: - “Regret to inform you that Pilot Officer Paul Hendrick Stenger is reported missing as a result of air operations on 20th June 1942. Any further information received will be immediately communicated to you. Should news of him reach you from any other source please advise this department.” She received a further telegram dated the 3rd of October 1942: - “Deeply regret to advise you that according to information received though the International Red Cross Committee Pilot Officer Paul Hendrick Stenger is believed to have lost his life as the result of air operations on 20 June 1942. The Air Council express their profound sympathy.” He was buried by teh Germans as an unknown airman but his body was later identified by No. 1 Missing Research and Enquiry Unit, Royal Air Force in 1947. 118 Squadron had lost the following pilots during the action: - Pilot Officer Johannes Veen Pilot Officer Paul Hendrik Stenger Sergeant Cornelius Van Houten Pilot Officer Noel (Free French) became a prisoner of war. He was posthumously awarded the Croix de Guerre avec Palme by the French Government on the 25th of October 1948.

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