ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 230411
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| Date: | Monday 27 October 1941 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Supermarine Spitfire Mk Vb |
| Owner/operator: | 401 (City of Westmount) Sqn RCAF |
| Registration: | W3452 |
| MSN: | 1854 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Sandwich, Kent, England -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Biggin Hill, Kent |
Spitfire Vb W3452: First Flown 5-7-41. Delivered to 9 MU RAF Cosford 11-7-41. To 401 (City of Westmount) Squadron RCAF 1-10-41. Named "Midnight Sun".
On 27 October 1941 the squadron was operating as high cover to the Biggin Hill Wing, and were 'bounced' by I and III Gruppe, JG 26, led by Oberst Adolf Galland. Five Spitfires were lost, with F/O C. A. B. Wallace, P/O J.A. Small and Sgt. S. L. Thompson killed, and P/O C. W. Floody and Sgt. B. G. Hodgkinson both became PoWs.
Spitfire W3452 was also shot down in aerial combat against Bf-109s from JG26. Pilot - Sergeant G B Whitney - bailed out safely, reportedly at an altitude of less than 100 feet agl over Sandwich, Kent. According to one published account (see link #3):
"Gerald Bickle Whitney’s names at the top of the roll of honour for 401 Squadron at Biggin Hill Chapel
The diary tells how Gerald Whitney, aged 21, was shot down on October 27 1941 in a Fighter Sweep over France in Spitfire Vb W3452 Midnight Sun – a Presentation Spitfire attributed to ‘Forces in Iceland’.
The squadron took off at 11.35 with 609 Squadron to rendezvous with 72 Squadron before heading over the Channel to France. The Squadron Leader and another pilot had to return as one had oxygen problems and the other engine trouble.
Later Spitfires were seen to go down out of control and several Messerschmitt 109s dived down, one of which got two bursts of fire from Pilot Officer Al Harley and was seen pouring out black smoke before Harley found himself alone and returned to base.
High Blue Battle says: “It later turned out that the Wing had been jumped by about fifty e/a (enemy aircraft).” It added: “S/P Whitney baled out and landed near Sandwich. He baled out at 600 feet but his ‘chute did not open until he was within approximately 100 fleet of the ground. He landed quite heavily but was uninjured.
“All in all the worst day the Squadron has ever experienced (or was ever to experience) and five familiar and popular faces missing from our entourage – we still have hopes of hearing from some of them, though. It was certainly a blue Monday for the Squadron.”
The next day the diary says: “Sgt Whitney was flying back from France at 20,000 feet, behind Flt/Lt Connell and Sgt Thompson when he was attacked from out of the sun by e/a who hit his a/c (aircraft) with cannon fire. He turned sharply to port to evade but was again hit.
“He limped along to the English coast and was forced to bale out when his engine broke into flames. He got clear at 500 feet, his parachute opening at 100 feet.”
Spitfire W3452 was Struck Off Charge 31-10-41 with 25:00 flying hours "on the clock"
Sources:
1. http://aircrewremembered.com/whitney-gerald-bickle.html
2. https://allspitfirepilots.org/aircraft/W3452
3. https://burslembandit.wordpress.com/2020/06/12/the-first-of-the-many/
4. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p012.html
5. http://www.gaetanmarie.com/presentation-spitfires/
6. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/military/Crashes_in_the_South_East.pdf
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/401_Tactical_Fighter_Squadron#1941
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandwich,_Kent
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 05-Nov-2019 07:16 | tachel | Added |
| 09-Jul-2022 00:32 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Cn, Location, Departure airport, Source, Damage, Narrative, Category] |
| 05-Jul-2023 17:51 | Nepa | Updated [[Time, Cn, Location, Departure airport, Source, Damage, Narrative, Category]] |
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