263 Squadron Gladiator N5579

Hi,

According to Hakans Biplane Aces site Gladiator N5579 was recovered from Norway and is now preserved at the FAA Museum, Yeovilton.

A while ago I received a couple of scans from a contact in Norway. One shows N5579 at the edge of Lake Lesjaskog after the snow and ice have melted. The other show the aircraft minus wings and tail plane assembly sitting in a garage parking lot at Gjovik, possibly in late 1940. Part of the serial N557# is visible. It can only be N5579 as this was the only Gladiator in the range N5570-N5579 to be sent to Norway with 263 Sqn. It was later reported that the airframe was scrapped.

I don’t yet know if the aircraft was removed from the lake with its wings or if they were left at the lake.

On 25th April 1940 Plt Off MacNamara shared in the destruction of a He111 while flying N5579.

How much of the FAA’s aircraft was recovered from the lake? Was it positively identified as N5579? Anyone have photos of this aircraft at the FAA Museum?

Alex