Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A superb Second War Arctic convoy Fleet Air Arm Air-Gunners D.S.M. group of five awarded to Acting Petty Officer Airman C. A. Vines, Fleet Air Air, for the sinking of U-973 by his Fairy Swordfish of the escort carrier H.M.S. Chaser, off Narvik on 6 March 1944

Distinguished Service Medal, G.VI.R. (Temp. A.P.O. Airmn. C. A.Vines. FAA/FX 115046); 1939-45 Star; Air Crew Europe Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45, nearly extremely fine (5) £2,000-£2,400

Provenance: Christie’s, March 1989.

D.S.M. London Gazette 30 May 1944:
‘For outstanding courage, determination, or devotion to duty in H.M. Ships ... Chaser ... in successfully escorting convoys to North Russia in the face of attacks from enemy submarines and aircraft.’

The following account is taken from ‘The Nottingham Journal’ 20 May 1944:
‘Biggest Russia Convoy Routs U-boat Packs, Planes, Ships Blast Way There… The second kill was made by a Swordfish piloted by Lieutenant E. B. Bennett, R.N.V.R., aged 24; with Sub-Lieutenant Kenneth Horsfield, aged 22, as Observer; and Petty Officer Clifford A. Vines, aged 22, as rear gunner. Bennett tells the story: “It was bitterly cold” he said “when we saw a U-boat on the surface 12 miles away, heading straight for the convoy. We quickly took a bearing and climbed into the clouds. We flew for five minutes then dived through a gap and saw the submarine immediately below. I got her fixed in my bomb sights and attacked with bombs. She was taken completely by surprise and I saw bombs hit it. As we climbed away to port my rear-gunner Vines gave her 500 rounds of machine gun in her conning tower. It was good shooting. The U-boast was by now zigzagging out of control. About two minutes later she turned hard a starboard her stern rose some 60 degrees, and she sank. We dived low and saw some 15 survivors struggling in the water. We signalled a destroyer H.M.S. Boadicea, who rushed to the spot and picked up those alive, numbering about three men.’

The U-boat sunk by Vines’s aircraft was U-973, a type VIIC U-boat, commanded by Oblt Klaus Paepenmoller. It was sunk on 6 March 1944 in the Norwegian Sea north-west of Narvik, Norway by rockets from a 816 Squadron Fairey Swordfish piloted Lieutenant E. B. Bennett of the escort carrier H.M.S. Chaser. Out of her crew of 53 there were only 2 survivors.

Sold with approximately 49 superb original photographs.