Dakota/C-47 wreck in Sandown Bay,Isle of Wight

I dived this aircraft a while back, in very very dirty water. I couldn’t photograph anything in soup, so spent time looking around and working from memory there wasn’t much left that could id this site without being in breach of the Protected Place status this aircraft enjoys under Protection of Military Remains Act.

That said, the detail contained in Patelie’s helpful post does not, surely, eliminate this aircraft (or one of the others from the 440th) does it? It might be me, but cannot see any reference to where in the English Channel it crashed – near France, mid Channel or near English Coast is not specified as far as I can see?

Hello
this dicussion occured a long time ago but I found another element about 42-100902.
Here is the extract of the 50th TCW diary concerning this accident:
“One aircraft was destroyed one minute out of PADUCAH as it was making the run in toward the LZ. A P-47 fighter aircraft accidentally dropped bomb cluster on this plane, causing explosion of ammunition load. As a result the cabin exploded, which completely perforated the top of the plane. Plane, in flames, hit water immediately”

One minute out of PADUCAH toward the LZ mean near coast of France.

I been doing some further digging through the MACRs and have come up with the following list
All say ‘Isle of Wight’ or within 10 miles of island – I’m not sure this takes us any further, but I do wonder if after so long a B-26 looks like a C-47 when having been underwater for so long?

42-106745 – P-51B
42-67456 – P-38J
42-106626 – P-51B
43-28702 – P-38
42-96190 – B-26B
42-67479 – P-38J
41-31904 – B-26B
43-31769 – UC-78

I think, surely, that the possible identification being attached to the Sandown Bay aircraft is purely speculative based on fairly flimsy and circumstatial evidence thus far. That said, the detail contained in Patelie’s helpful post does not, surely, eliminate this aircraft (or one of the others from the 440th) does it? It might be me, but cannot see any reference to where in the English Channel it crashed – near France, mid Channel or near English Coast is not specified as far as I can see?

Hello

I think that 42-100902 crashed just off the coast of France trying to go back, on a single engine, to England

Attached is a pdf with the combat report for mission Memphis by the 440th TCG. there is the testimony from Lt Goodwin and I think it’s clear enough to think that never the plane went back to England.

During the same mission two other C-47 ditched in the Channel. the statistics are here
http://www.6juin1944.com/assaut/aeropus/en_page.php?page=statistics

hope this can help you

Thanks Graham, I’am still missing that vital link on this one i.e it’s ditching position . Maybe some more proof will surface soon .

it says, and I quote: Plane crashed in English Channel’, so no help there.