Rank: Flight Sergeant
Service Number: 412908
Service Number: NZ412908
Service: Royal New Zealand Air Force, 200 Squadron
Country of Service: New Zealand
Died: 11th August 1943
Age: 21 years old.
Son of Algernon Leslie Soper and of Jean Winifred Soper (née Vaughan), of Takaka, Nelson. New Zealand.
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Flight-Sergeant Terence Soper - of Takaka, Nelson District - was an Air Crew of RAF Liberator - flown by Flying Officer Lloyd Trigg (posthumous) VC - who on 11 August 1943 whilst 386kms off the Coast of Dakar, North Africa spotted a German U-Boat (U-468) on the sea's surface.
Flying Officer Trigg attacked the U-Boat but the Liberator was mortally damaged by deck fire from the U-Boats guns. Whilst the Liberator was badly damaged, and on fire, Flying Officer Trigg continued to advance and attack the submarine.
Passing over the bridge of the U-Boat the bomb doors of the Liberator opened and 'ash cans' were dropped causing catastrophic damage to the U-Boat. The Liberator continued on for 300 metres - from the U-Boat - before crashing into the sea and exploding - with the loss of all 8 crew aboard (5 New Zealanders including Terence; 2 Britons and 1 Canadian).
Of the 42 Germans - aboard the U-Boat - only 7 survived the U-Boat sinking and subsequent shark attacks which cost the lives of 13 of the U-Boat crew.
An inflatable raft from the RAF Liberator was located and the U-Boat Commander and 7 of his crew remained in this until spotted, the following day, by a RAF search plane - who thought the men in the raft were the crew of the Liberator.
On the word of the U-Boat Commander Klemens Schamong Flying Officer Lloyd Trigg - of Northland, New Zealand - was posthumously awarded the VC.
Flight Sergeant Terence Soper is remembered in his hometown - Takaka, Nelson District - on the Takaka War Memorial - Takaka Township, Nelson District.
Source: Auckland Museum Online Cenotaph
(the information above was submitted by Find a Grave Member 'Lynette West' ID: 50593876)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Service Number: 412908
Service Number: NZ412908
Service: Royal New Zealand Air Force, 200 Squadron
Country of Service: New Zealand
Died: 11th August 1943
Age: 21 years old.
Son of Algernon Leslie Soper and of Jean Winifred Soper (née Vaughan), of Takaka, Nelson. New Zealand.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Flight-Sergeant Terence Soper - of Takaka, Nelson District - was an Air Crew of RAF Liberator - flown by Flying Officer Lloyd Trigg (posthumous) VC - who on 11 August 1943 whilst 386kms off the Coast of Dakar, North Africa spotted a German U-Boat (U-468) on the sea's surface.
Flying Officer Trigg attacked the U-Boat but the Liberator was mortally damaged by deck fire from the U-Boats guns. Whilst the Liberator was badly damaged, and on fire, Flying Officer Trigg continued to advance and attack the submarine.
Passing over the bridge of the U-Boat the bomb doors of the Liberator opened and 'ash cans' were dropped causing catastrophic damage to the U-Boat. The Liberator continued on for 300 metres - from the U-Boat - before crashing into the sea and exploding - with the loss of all 8 crew aboard (5 New Zealanders including Terence; 2 Britons and 1 Canadian).
Of the 42 Germans - aboard the U-Boat - only 7 survived the U-Boat sinking and subsequent shark attacks which cost the lives of 13 of the U-Boat crew.
An inflatable raft from the RAF Liberator was located and the U-Boat Commander and 7 of his crew remained in this until spotted, the following day, by a RAF search plane - who thought the men in the raft were the crew of the Liberator.
On the word of the U-Boat Commander Klemens Schamong Flying Officer Lloyd Trigg - of Northland, New Zealand - was posthumously awarded the VC.
Flight Sergeant Terence Soper is remembered in his hometown - Takaka, Nelson District - on the Takaka War Memorial - Takaka Township, Nelson District.
Source: Auckland Museum Online Cenotaph
(the information above was submitted by Find a Grave Member 'Lynette West' ID: 50593876)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rank: Flight Sergeant
Service Number: 412908
Service Number: NZ412908
Service: Royal New Zealand Air Force, 200 Squadron
Country of Service: New Zealand
Died: 11th August 1943
Age: 21 years old.
Son of Algernon Leslie Soper and of Jean Winifred Soper (née Vaughan), of Takaka, Nelson. New Zealand.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Flight-Sergeant Terence Soper - of Takaka, Nelson District - was an Air Crew of RAF Liberator - flown by Flying Officer Lloyd Trigg (posthumous) VC - who on 11 August 1943 whilst 386kms off the Coast of Dakar, North Africa spotted a German U-Boat (U-468) on the sea's surface.
Flying Officer Trigg attacked the U-Boat but the Liberator was mortally damaged by deck fire from the U-Boats guns. Whilst the Liberator was badly damaged, and on fire, Flying Officer Trigg continued to advance and attack the submarine.
Passing over the bridge of the U-Boat the bomb doors of the Liberator opened and 'ash cans' were dropped causing catastrophic damage to the U-Boat. The Liberator continued on for 300 metres - from the U-Boat - before crashing into the sea and exploding - with the loss of all 8 crew aboard (5 New Zealanders including Terence; 2 Britons and 1 Canadian).
Of the 42 Germans - aboard the U-Boat - only 7 survived the U-Boat sinking and subsequent shark attacks which cost the lives of 13 of the U-Boat crew.
An inflatable raft from the RAF Liberator was located and the U-Boat Commander and 7 of his crew remained in this until spotted, the following day, by a RAF search plane - who thought the men in the raft were the crew of the Liberator.
On the word of the U-Boat Commander Klemens Schamong Flying Officer Lloyd Trigg - of Northland, New Zealand - was posthumously awarded the VC.
Flight Sergeant Terence Soper is remembered in his hometown - Takaka, Nelson District - on the Takaka War Memorial - Takaka Township, Nelson District.
Source: Auckland Museum Online Cenotaph
(the information above was submitted by Find a Grave Member 'Lynette West' ID: 50593876)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Service Number: 412908
Service Number: NZ412908
Service: Royal New Zealand Air Force, 200 Squadron
Country of Service: New Zealand
Died: 11th August 1943
Age: 21 years old.
Son of Algernon Leslie Soper and of Jean Winifred Soper (née Vaughan), of Takaka, Nelson. New Zealand.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Flight-Sergeant Terence Soper - of Takaka, Nelson District - was an Air Crew of RAF Liberator - flown by Flying Officer Lloyd Trigg (posthumous) VC - who on 11 August 1943 whilst 386kms off the Coast of Dakar, North Africa spotted a German U-Boat (U-468) on the sea's surface.
Flying Officer Trigg attacked the U-Boat but the Liberator was mortally damaged by deck fire from the U-Boats guns. Whilst the Liberator was badly damaged, and on fire, Flying Officer Trigg continued to advance and attack the submarine.
Passing over the bridge of the U-Boat the bomb doors of the Liberator opened and 'ash cans' were dropped causing catastrophic damage to the U-Boat. The Liberator continued on for 300 metres - from the U-Boat - before crashing into the sea and exploding - with the loss of all 8 crew aboard (5 New Zealanders including Terence; 2 Britons and 1 Canadian).
Of the 42 Germans - aboard the U-Boat - only 7 survived the U-Boat sinking and subsequent shark attacks which cost the lives of 13 of the U-Boat crew.
An inflatable raft from the RAF Liberator was located and the U-Boat Commander and 7 of his crew remained in this until spotted, the following day, by a RAF search plane - who thought the men in the raft were the crew of the Liberator.
On the word of the U-Boat Commander Klemens Schamong Flying Officer Lloyd Trigg - of Northland, New Zealand - was posthumously awarded the VC.
Flight Sergeant Terence Soper is remembered in his hometown - Takaka, Nelson District - on the Takaka War Memorial - Takaka Township, Nelson District.
Source: Auckland Museum Online Cenotaph
(the information above was submitted by Find a Grave Member 'Lynette West' ID: 50593876)
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Inscription
1943
Royal New Zealand Air Force
Flight Sergeant
Soper T.J.
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