With all the press coverage about the surviving “Little Ships” sailing from Ramsgate to Dunkirk today it is interesting to think that four of the surviving Mk I Spitfires were rather busy in Operation Dynamo (the Dunkirk evacuation) 70 years ago.
K9942 (Cosford) and P9444 (Science Museum) were both on the strength of No.72 Sqdn and flew from Acklington to Gravesend on 1 June. L1037 (64 Sqdn) was at Kenley from 16 May and P9451 (610 Sqdn) was at Gravesend from 29 May.
BTW – only the first two remain as complete aircraft – the other two are crash site recoveries but both are on public display.
N3200 had been shot down on 26 May, P9373 likewise on 23 May and P9374 on 24 May so they never made it to Dunkirk.
By: Beermat - 29th May 2010 at 10:29
Were any of the surviving hurricanes involved in this operation?
curlyboy
P2902 – G-ROBT (IIRC 245 Sqn), crashed 31 May 1940 near Dunkirk
By: G-ORDY - 29th May 2010 at 07:37
Funny, I always thought N3200 made it very much to Dunkirk, but failed to make it back.
http://www.aircrewremembrancesociety.com/raf1939/stephenson.html
Point taken – but technically she never took part in covering Operation Dynamo as it started after she had been shot down, apparently the evacuation started at 6:57pm on 26 May.
By: kelly - 29th May 2010 at 02:34
Thanks VoyTech
Great to see you backing us – really pleased that with the assistance from some great researchers we are able to provide facts!
Kelvin
http://www.aircrewremembrancesociety.com/welcome.html
By: VoyTech - 28th May 2010 at 13:30
N3200 had been shot down on 26 May … so … never made it to Dunkirk.
Funny, I always thought N3200 made it very much to Dunkirk, but failed to make it back.
http://www.aircrewremembrancesociety.com/raf1939/stephenson.html
By: Arabella-Cox - 27th May 2010 at 21:13
Were any of the surviving hurricanes involved in this operation?
curlyboy
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May 27, 2010 at 8:52 pm