Date:	Friday 22 March 1940
Time:	12:40 LT
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire PR Mk IB
Owner/operator:	PDU RAF
Registration:	N3069
MSN:	358
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	west of the 's-Gravenwaardsedijk dyke, Tolkamer, Gelderland -   Netherlands
Phase:	Combat
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Stradishall, Suffolk
Destination airport:

Narrative:
Spitfire Mk.Ia N3069 (c/no.358). First Flown 10-10-39. Delivered to the RAF at 6 MU 12-10-39. Issued to the PDU at Heston Aircraft Ltd and Converted to Spitfire PR. Mk.IA. To RAE Farnborough 20-10-39 for handling trials. Returned to PDU Heston 18-1-40 after upgrades and modifications to Spitfire PR.Mk.1B specification.
On the morning of 22 March, took off at 11:15 local time, for a photo recce operation over Germany.

The Spitfire N Flt PDU RAF was intercepted and shot down by fighter pilot Leutnant Harald Jung of the 1./JG 20, who was flying a Bf 109E from Bönninghardt airfield in Germany. The aircraft crashed near the small village of Herwen some 25 km east of Arnhem, near the German border. Pilot - Flying Officer (39147) Claude M. WHEATLEY, RAF - bailed out, but was killed when his parachute failed to open

Officially struck off charge due to a "Flying Accident" 1-8-40. P/O Wheatley was interred in Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Germany

http://www.arga-nl.nl/pages/herwen_spitfire.html
http://www.spitfires.ukf.net/p002.htm
http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/aircraft-picture-requests/spitfire-n3069-photo-search-22826.html
http://yourarchives.nationalarchives.gov.uk/index.php?title=AIR_20/5749
http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?1854-F-0-C.M.-Wheatley-39147-22-03-1940-Germany
https://verliesregister.studiegroepluchtoorlog.nl/rs.php?aircraft=&sglo=T0012&date=&location=&pn=&unit=&name=&cemetry=&airforce=&target=&area=&airfield=
LW claims by Michael Balss
Google Maps

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Date/time	Contributor	Updates
17-Dec-2008 11:45	ASN archive	Added
26-Feb-2010 01:12	penguin832	Updated [Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative]
02-Dec-2010 07:21	Anon.	Updated [Source]
25-Dec-2011 05:19	Nepa	Updated [Aircraft type, Narrative]
06-May-2012 15:06	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Cn, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
04-Nov-2012 17:13	angels one five	Updated [Aircraft type, Source, Narrative]
17-Jun-2013 17:49	Nepa	Updated [Aircraft type, Departure airport, Destination airport]
25-Feb-2020 13:38	TigerTimon	Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative]
25-Feb-2020 13:40	TigerTimon	Updated [Source]
25-Feb-2020 17:16	Xindel XL	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Other fatalities, Embed code, Narrative, Operator]