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Date: | Thursday 25 April 1940 |
Time: | day |
Type: | Supermarine Spitfire PR.III |
Owner/operator: | 212 Sqn RAF |
Registration: | N3071 |
MSN: | 360 |
Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
Location: | Großbettlingen, district of Esslingen, Baden-Württemberg -
Germany
|
Phase: | Combat |
Nature: | Military |
Departure airport: | RAF Heston, Middlesex |
Destination airport: | |
Narrative:First Flown 11-10-39. To RAF at 27MU Shawbury 12-10-39. To A&AEE Boscombe Down 25-10-39 comparison trials with Spitfire K9793 of the PDU. To Heston Aircaft Ltd and Converted to Spitfire PR.III (modifications included 2xF24 vertical cameras (one per wing) and repainted in pale green Camotint overall). First Photo-Recce Spitfire on operational sortie to Aachen, Germany, 18-11-39 from Lille, France.Flown by Ft/Lt Maurice 'Shorty' Longbottom. Housed in hangar 'Special Survey Flight'; second sortie 20-11-39. To RAE for trials. To 212 Squadron (presumably on formation on 10-2-40)**
Damaged by Bf 109 on Photo Recce mission and crashed at Großbettlingen, district of Esslingen, in Baden-Württemberg, near Stuttgart (at approximate Coordinates: 48°35′25″N 9°18′32″E) on 21-4-40; Pilot Flying Officer C D Milne: bailed out, survived, captured and taken as prisoner of war
**In early 1940 a detachment from the Photographic Development Unit was sent to Meaux, France, and was designated No. 212 Squadron on 10 February 1940. Operating the Spitfire and Blenheim it flew strategic reconnaissance sorties over Germany until being evacuated to Britain following the fall of France. It was disbanded on 18 June 1940.
Sources:
1. Royal Air Force Aircraft L1000-N9999 (James J. Halley, Air Britain)
2. Matusiak, Wojtek. Merlin PR Spitfires (Classic Warbirds No. 10). Wellington, New Zealand: Ventura Publications, 2007. ISBN 978-0-9582296-2-3.
3. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/170:
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14141971 4.
http://allspitfirepilots.org/aircraft/N3071 5.
https://www.worldwarphotos.info/gallery/uk/raf/spitfire5/spitfire-n3071-lilly-1939/ 6.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermarine_Spitfire_(early_Merlin-powered_variants)#Early_reconnaissance_(PR)_variants
7.
http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p002.html 8.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._212_Squadron_RAF 9.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gro%C3%9Fbettlingen Media:
F.24 Camera installation in the wing of Spitfire N3071, PRDU RAF Heston 1939
THE ROYAL AIRCRAFT ESTABLISHMENT, FARNBOROUGH, 1939-1945. © IWM (C 5472) Revision history:
Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
10-Jun-2019 21:54 |
Dr. John Smith |
Added |
10-Jun-2019 21:55 |
Dr. John Smith |
Updated [Location] |
11-Jun-2019 05:49 |
stehlik49 |
Updated [Operator] |