… the most amazing incident involved No. 77 Squadron´s Whitley V N1387 “L-Love” (F/Lt. Tomlin) during a sortie to Warsaw on 15/16th march, 1940; after dropping its Nickels [propaganda leaflets] on Warsaw, the aircraft landed in Germany by mistake, stayed on the groung for quarter of an hour and, when the crew discovered the awful truth, got away with only seconds to spare!
Found in Profile Publications “The Armstrong Whitworth Whitley”. Does anyone know more facts about the incident? 😮
By: ...starfire - 3rd February 2006 at 15:32
Jonny956, thank you!!!
… the crew spotted a youth running towards the aircraft. The two Pilots jumped out to speak to him only to learn that they had in fact landed in Germany, 30 kilometres from the French border. Beating a hasty retreat they re-boarded the aircraft and were fortunate that the engines started immediately. Taking off they flew in the direction indicated by the youth, hedge hopping over the Siegfried Line, to land safely at Villeneuve, in friendly France. The youth named Albert Kartes, 17 years of age, was arrested and sent to prison for the offence of ‘Supporting the enemy’. He was released 6 weeks later when the local Constable of nearby Neidersalbach, was arrested for ‘Not fast moving enough in the 15 minutes the Whitley was on the ground.’.
*headshaking*
Paul F, by chance I ordered “We landes by moonlight” about a week or so ago, I´m looking forward to read it.
BTW: The book about the TV-Series “The Secret War” (1978) mentiones a Dakota flying from Italy into Poland in 1944, collecting remains of a V2-missile hidden by the partisans. However, before the Dak was expected to land, two light German trainers landed at the field. Having spent some time there, the planes departed and soon the Dakota came in to land and took the parts on board. Being much more heavier than a light trainer ist sank into the mud, but with the use of full power and the partinsans pushing at the undercarriage it eventually made it out of the field …
By: Paul F - 3rd February 2006 at 10:29
A Captured Hudson (nearly..)
Slightly Off-topic, but Hugh Verity’s book “We landed By Moonlight” recounts an incident when one of the operations to land SOE agents went awry, and they ended up with a Lockheed Hudson bogged down in a muddy field in France one night.
Eventually they ended up hitching a team of horses to it, and this, plus use of full throttle managed to get it out of the mud, all the time expecting the Germans to arrive at any moment due to the incredible amount of noise they were making. Eventually they got it unstuck, and flew it back to UK.
The book recounts a number of other “hairy” missions, and left me in awe of the brave crews and brave “passengers” who willingly flew and landed behind enemy lines. I alreday knew they used Lysanders, but the book details ops with pairs of Lysander, many missions by Hudsons, and even some similar US operations using C-47’s 😮
Definitely a “Must Read” for any fan of WWII Aviation.
Paul F
By: jonny956 - 2nd February 2006 at 23:10
Try this link mate:
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/r_m_g.varley/77%20Squadron%20Association.htm
Rgds
Jon
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January 31, 2006 at 5:06 pm