ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 145161
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| Date: | Tuesday 4 August 1942 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Supermarine Spitfire PR Mk IV |
| Owner/operator: | 1 PRU RAF |
| Registration: | AB314 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Lillåsvallen, Funäsdalen -
 Sweden
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Wick, Scotland |
AB314 - Photo reconnaisance mission over norway locating German battleships. Hit by AA, pilot bailed out safely. 4.8.1942
On August 4, 1942 Spitfire came down in Funäsdalen, northern Sweden. The pilot, P/O Whitaker had been on a photo reconnaissance mission from Wick to Åsenfjord north of Trondheim, searching for the Tirpitz. Hit by heavy German flak, the Spitfire was severely damaged and unable to make it back to base. Whitaker baled out and while descending tried to set fire to his map, but the parachute caught fire too. He thought he was over Norway and wanted to destroy the evidence of his route.
Landing safely, Whitaker soon found himself under Swedish military guard, the local commander being HRH Prince Carl-Johan himself! During interrogation they found that they knew each other and embraced! It seems that they had both attended the same school, somewhere in the UK. He was sent to Falun to be interned, and was repatriated on 5 April 1943. P/O Whitaker was later killed over France in 4.May 1944.
This was the only Spitfire to crash in Sweden during the war. The wreckage was stripped by local people to the extent that a technical examination was hindered. The remains were taken to F4 at Frösön for examination and later sold as scrap.
Crew:
F/O (65531) Leslie Lawrence WHITAKER (pilot) RAFVR - Ok
Sources:
http://www.forcedlandingcollection.se/RAF/RAF020-AB314.html
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 19-Apr-2012 14:02 | Masen63 | Added |
| 01-Feb-2013 12:18 | Nepa | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Departure airport] |
| 07-Nov-2014 07:43 | Anthony G. | Updated [Aircraft type, Departure airport, Narrative] |
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