ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 278556
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| Date: | Thursday 4 June 1942 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Supermarine Spitfire MkIa |
| Owner/operator: | 53 OTU |
| Registration: | R6815 |
| MSN: | 819 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Penterry Farm, Tintern, Gwent. -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Training |
| Departure airport: | RAF Llandow |
| Return. |
This incident covers TWO crash sites which involve the same pilot. The other incident is recorded on this domain and is recorded as:
ASN Wikibase Occurrence #51963 (P-47 Thunderbolt 41-6196).
Details:
R6815 was number 819 off the line and first flew on the 25th of June 1940, fitted out at No.8MU on the 26th of June and issued to No.54 squadron on the 12th of July at RAF Hornchurch on the 12th of July. During her short time with 54 squadron, she was flown frequently by Sqn/Ldr Leathart and P/O John Leslie Kemp would regularly fly R6709.
He was born on the 22nd of January 1920 and began his RAFO initial training at 11 E&RFTS Perth in January 1938. He was commissioned in Class ‘A’ of the RAFO at Uxbridge in March and posted to 10 FTS Ternhill. On completion of his training Kemp joined 64 Squadron at Church Fenton in late 1938. With his one year of service completed, Kemp returned to civilian life in January 1939. But the Second World War changed everything. He was called up on the 2nd of September 1939, Kemp completed further training and then joined 609 Squadron at RAF Drem on the 1st of December. He was detached to 12 Group Pool at Aston Down on the 26th of December for further training. He arrived there on the 1st of January 1940. After converting to Spitfires Kemp re-joined 609 on the 26th of January 1941. Kemp joined 54 Squadron at Hornchurch on the 27th of May 1940.
The official date for the beginning of the Battle of Britain is July 15th, the squadrons records make it blindingly obvious they had ‘locked horns’ with the Luftwaffe in numbers earlier in the month. The battle for the Channel (Kanalkampf) began on the 3rd of that month. Nine squadron aircraft were locked in dog fights over RAF Manston. The following day, 4th July, RAF Manston was being attacked again with 54 squadron taken by surprise. When squadron Spitfires got up, all they could do was to chase the raiders on their return routes. The squadron did get in some parting shots at the enemy bombers but were jumped by the escorting Messerschmitt 109’s off Dover. Two 54 machines of P/O Kemp (flying R6709) and F/O McMullen were damaged, the former badly. P/O Kemp, after a few days’ recovery was back on Op’s and on the 21st of July he was involved with a convoy patrol when he had an extremely lucky escape when his engine cut out fifteen miles east of Clacton, he was forced to abandon Spitfire N3184, leaving it to crash into the North Sea. He made a good landing into the water near an RN Destroyer which took him aboard. He returned to London via Rosyth on the 23rd of July. As for R6815 she was repaired on site and declared as ‘Airworthy’ in the beginning of August.
During the week leading up to the 12th of August 1940, Squadron Leader Leathart was on a five-day leave. P/O John Leslie Kemp was again flying, this time in R6815 on another convoy patrol when they were engaged by Me-109’s off Dover (Known now as Hell’s Corner). Two squadron pilots, P/O Mathews claimed one definite and a probable in the morning and another in the afternoon. The other was F/L Al Deere who added to his raising score with a Me109 and a Me110 both destroyed. The Luftwaffe scored two against the squadron with the shooting down of P/O Turley-George and P/O Kemp. Both were injured and Kemp had to force land near Lympne. This day has now become commonly known as ‘Eagle Day’ as it was to mark a fresh campaign of bombing airfields and radar stations by the Luftwaffe.
P/O Kemp was declared non-effective sick and did not re-join the squadron until the 25th of August. Kemp was posted away from 54 to SHQ Catterick on 5th December 1940 for Ops Room duties. He did not fly again. He went on to Fighter Control duties and landed in Normandy soon after D-Day with a small mobile radar control unit. By VE Day he had reached the Baltic. Kemp was released from the RAF in 1946 as a Flight Lieutenant. He died in April 1991 in Cirencester.
As for R6815, she had to be sent by road after recovery to be repaired and after a short stay with 122 squadron, came to 53 OTU at Llandow on the 12th of October 1941.
On this date 80 years ago R6815 was being flown by an American pilot U/T and his task on this sortie was a navigation cross country going east then north to the Usk valley at Abergavenny, west along the valley before finally turning south, over the high mountains and back to Llandow. However, as P/O Lutz was passing Chepstow and turning north, his engine began to fail. Seeing ahead the forested valley of the river Wye, the only open ground was above the Abbey at Tintern, he managed to conduct a wheels up landing in an open field of Penterry farm, he was able to get out without any problems and suffering nothing but buts and bruises. R6815 however, was not so lucky. After it was recovered by 78 recovery crews of RAF St Athan it was found that her main spar had cracked and twisted. A sad end for a veteran of the Battle of Britain with at least four enemy aircraft fallen to her guns.
P/O John F ‘Pappy’ Lutz passed out of 53 OTU and went to 71 squadron for a short spell before the American service personnel directive demanded that all American nationals serving with the RAF and ‘RAF Eagle’ squadrons he went to the 334th Fighter squadron which was the successor to No.71 Eagle squadron RAF when the 4th Fighter Group was activated on the 12th of September 1942. They were based at RAF Debden, Essex. The “Fighting Eagles” as they were called, flew Spitfires until the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt arrived in 1943. Now with his American rank, 1st Lt Lutz was flying P-47C 41-6196 “Kickin Mule”, when the 4th was providing withdrawal support for a bombing raid on Antwerp on the 4th of May 1943 and he found himself in the gun sights of a Focke Wulf 190 which shot up his engine while over Walcheren, Lutz was able to lose the fighter in cloud, as he crossed the coast with his engine smoking it began to loose power. He bailed out over the North Sea at 2,000feet but was too low for the chute to fully deploy. He is listed as KIA.
Details are after transfer to the USAAF and P-47 crash.
Crew:
1st Lt John Frederick ‘Pappy’ Lutz 22yo (O-885136 USAAF). Pilot. Killed/Missing.
Burial:
Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial. Henri-Chapelle. Arrondissement de Verviers. Liege. Belgium. Tablets of the missing.
Wreckage:
Spitfire R6815. All easily removed.
P-47 41-6196. At sea.
Sources:
www.rafcommands.com
nationalarchives.gov
www.airhistory.org.uk
www.findagrave.com
www.americanmuseum.org
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 31-May-2022 18:37 | Davies 62 | Added |
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