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Date: | Friday 24 May 1940 |
Time: | 07:30 LT |
Type: | Supermarine Spitfire Ia |
Owner/operator: | 74 (Tiger) Sqn RAF |
Registration: | P9321 |
MSN: | 524 |
Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
Location: | Calais-Merck Aerodrome, Calais, Pas de Calais -
France
|
Phase: | Combat |
Nature: | Military |
Departure airport: | RAF Rochford, Southend, Essex |
Destination airport: | Calais-Merck Airfield, Calais, France |
Narrative:P9321: Spitfire Mk.Ia (c/no. 524). First Flown 1-2-40. Delivered to the RAF at 9 MU RAF Cosford 10-2-40. First issued to 234 Squadron 15-3-40. Transferred to 74 (Tiger) Squadron 11-5-40. Written off (damaged beyond repair) when force-landed on Calais-Merck Aerodrome, Calais France 24-5-40; set on fire and abandoned. Pilot survived, but captured and taken as PoW
According to the official Air Ministry file into the incident (File AIR 81/607): "Spitfire P9321 force landed at Calais Marck Aerodrome, France, 24 May 1940. Flight Lieutenant D S Hoare: prisoner of war". According to the 74 Squadron official records for the period:
"74 Squadron, Rochford: Offensive patrol Calais-Boulogne. Spitfire P9321. Glycol system damaged in attack on He 111s and forced-landed at Calais-Marck 7.30 a.m. F/O D. S. Hoare captured. Aircraft a write-off."
His Spitfire had been hit either by ground fire (Flak/AAA) or return fire from a He 111, which punctured the radiator, and caused a glycol leak, hence the force landing at Calais-Merck Airfield. The pilot tried to get back to England from Calais in a small boat, but no avail, and he was captured by enemy troops from a Panzer Division.
Crew of Spitfire P9321:
Flying Officer Douglas Sydney "Sammy" Hoare (Pilot, RAF 39384); survived, captured, taken as a PoW. Reportedly repatriated early (in 1944)
Sources:
1. Royal Air Force Aircraft P1000-P9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1978 p 52)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/607:
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14502299 3.
http://www.rafcommands.com/archive/11415.php 4.
http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p008.html 5.
http://francecrashes39-45.net/page_fiche_av.php?id=6547 6.
http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showthread.php?t=50731 Revision history:
Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
20-Aug-2019 21:28 |
Dr. John Smith |
Added |
21-Aug-2019 09:43 |
stehlik49 |
Updated [Operator] |