N1016 OA-X

A Bristol Beaufort I of No. 22 Squadron, coded OA-X, flown from RAF St Eval by Flying Officer Kenneth Campbell against the German battlecruiser Gneisenau in Brest harbour at dawn on 6 April 1941. The ship lay ringed by anti-aircraft batteries on the surrounding heights and by flak ships in the outer harbour. Campbell pressed in alone at sea level, skimmed the mole below mast height past the very muzzles of the guns, and loosed his torpedo at point-blank range, holing the Gneisenau below the waterline and putting her out of action for six months. His Beaufort was shot down into the harbour and all four of the crew were killed. He was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross — the only one ever won by a member of an RAF torpedo squadron.