Photograph Location Required

Nice to see some Vernon Watson graffiti for a change!

A bit of a zombie thread, but is RAF Millom still around on the forum?

I’m keen to establish the photo source.

Have a feeling the pilot of this aircraft may have been Austrian, seem to remember an article appearing in After the Battle’s “The Blitz, Then and Now”.
Would I be right Tangmere or am I hopelessly wrong !!!!!!!!!!!!!!:rolleyes:

Thank you

Here is a close up on the Italian

Presumably the rectangular holes in the rudder are the work of various souvenir hunters?

Fascinating photo!

It undoubtedly shows Obfw. Karl Wimberger’s 1/Jagfliegerschule 102 Me109 G-12 in which he defected on 15 May 1944, landing at Herringfleet Hill as set out above.

Certainly the first time, to my knowledge, that photos of this aeroplane have emerged.

Andy

Wing in the foreground is from a Macchi C.202.

Not sure if the head-on aircraft is also a Macchi C.202. A closer and larger scan of it would help.

For a better explanation…

My records show that White 22 of 1/Jagdfliegerschule (fighter pilot school) 102 based at Zerbst near Dessau was a Bf 109G-12. The pilot of this aircraft had decided to defect when he could, and had memorized the bearing from Zerbst to the Norfolk/Suffolk coast for this purpose. On the afternoon of 15 May, 1944, he was flying solo circuits in this tandem two-seat trainer version, and after his last landing he was ordered to make a further flight of about one hour’s duration, a drop-tank being fitted and the aircraft fully refuelled for this purpose. The weather appeared suitable for his escape, with a 10/lOths cloud layer between 2,000 and 2,600 metres, so he left the Zerbst area at 17.10 and flew on a compass bearing of 284 degrees, keeping in cloud, but was able to identify Hanover and then the Zuider Zee through convenient gaps. He broke cloud near the English coast, lowered the undercarriage, and passed a number of shipborne balloons near Lowestoft at 30 to 40 ft. He then climbed to 300 ft to cross the coast just north of Lowestoft. He had flown just over 700 kilometres and the warning light showed he was just about out of fuel so he retracted the undercarriage and made a wheels-up landing on a level piece of ground at Herringfleet Hill, near Lowestoft, at 18.57 hrs. Unfortunately, the aircraft overran the level ground and crashed into a ditch, the pilot sustaining a broken leg amongst his injuries. The aircraft was subsequently removed to the RAE for examination. The letters DG+NR are thought to be the works radio code.

The two seat canopy can be made out in the picture, as can the damage done by the impact with Suffolk soil viz the twisted rear fuselage.

The ‘Service Command Drops No Bombs’ poster on the wall/doors I have seen a number of times, both in pictures of the B-17 Repair Center at Spokane and at Wright Field. I know a number of 109s (as well as a number of RAF, German and Italian aircraft) went to the USA for flight testing and evaluation during and immediately after the war, going to either Chicago or Wright Field.

Clearly White 22 is not capable of being flown, but airframes were shipped out for spares to keep the airworthy examples going – could this be one of those?

I wonder if the fuselage that is head on and apparently minus engine on the left of the pict is the ‘owner’ of the wings that bear the Italian Air Force pre-Sept. 1943. These wing markings were either only black stencils, or with a white background, depending on the scheme and period. The national insignia was based on the fasces, an Axe strengthened by a bundle of sticks – a Roman symbol of power and government, adapted by the Italian fascists and the source of their name.

My guess – and it is only that – is that the picture was taken in one of the hangars at Wright Field Dayton. Those buildings still survive – and are now used as ‘The Annexe’ by the National Museum of the USAF. The picture has the same ‘feel’ about it as when I was last there with aircraft and equipment stored.

Intresting you mention the USA, the photo came from an offical photographer at Burtonwood.

As White 22 of 1 Jagdfliegerschule came down near Lowestoft on 15 May 1944 The aircraft is supposed to have been removed to RAE for examination. Interestingly there appears to be an Italian aircraft wing in the foreground. However, the Service Command Poster on the hangar door is the same as some we discovered in a good number of USA pictures when we were researching our ‘Memphis Belle – Dispelling the Myths’. Was this a/c one of the ones that was shipped to the USA for evaluaton? (I cannot find my FE list at present!)