March 18, 2011 at 8:01 pm
The following report comes from an RAF pilot operating out of B86 Helmond. He was flying a Typhoon when his aircraft ran into trouble.
‘we were flying at 1500ft, looking for guns near Dingen. Three were spotted, each in the corners of a field. My first pair of rockets knocked one out and as I started to climb away a shell from another hit my port wing and removed a large chunk, from te tip to the roundel. This immediately threw the aircraft on its back and at 200ft heading straight into a forest. It took all my strength using both hands on the stick to right the aircraft. I wa stravelling south at the time with an airspeed of about 350mph. Unable at this speed to make a right hand turn on to a westerly course, I throttled back and was obliged to make a 270 degree climbing turn to port to head back towards the Rhine. All the guns in the area were now firing at me and I could feel the odd dull thud as bullets hit the fuselage behind me. Climbing slowly I crossed the Rhine at about 2000ft and found that at a 210mph the port wing stalled in an incipient flick roll. At 220mph a jagged piece of metal skin, on the edge of the missing part of the wing, curled back and threatened to foul the aileron, the far end of which was sticking out on its own, with only the rear spar in front of it. Flying in this restricted speed range still required both hands to prevent th eaircraft from rolling; landing was clearly out of the question. On approaching base, and then at 5000ft, I advised Gound Control of my intention to bale out south of the airfield. Heading for open country, i pulled out the R/T plug, undid safety straps, jettisoned the hood and held back the stick as I set the elevator trim fully forward. On releasing the stick I flew out of the cockpit as the aircraft plunged down and to port, to bury itself in a swamp.’
Another 247 Sqn pilot F/Lt Compton also baled over the airfield later that day.
Somebody I met on line is searching for the exact crash location of this Typhoon for a research project, and he asked me for information. I promised him I’d ask around. He has no idea of the identity of the Typhoon concerned or the name of the pilot, so any information would be most welcome, but he’s primarily after the crash site.
Do any of you have a clue?
By: ericmunk - 19th March 2011 at 06:55
Just to add: ‘burt van vlgv’ is actually ‘buurt van vlgv’, which in full means ‘in de buurt van vliegveld’ -> near the aerodrome, in Dutch.
By: mhuxt - 19th March 2011 at 00:42
Sounds like an account by S/Ldr J.H. Bryant, whose Typhoon 1B RB225 of 247 Squadron is listed as having crashed near Helmond at 09.50 on 25 March 1945. F/L D. Compton’s Typhoon RB344 of the same squadron is listed as having crashed at “Helmond (burt van vlgv.) at 13.35 the same day.
All information from a pdf file named “1945 sec_tcm5-7286”, which now seems to be online here:
http://www.airwar39-45.nl/media/Downloads/SGLO_Verlieslijst_T_1945_versie_02_28-09-2010.pdf
Might have to contact the Dutch authoriites or the Nederlands instituut voor Militaire Historie for the exact site.