Suspicious Crashes In WW2

Without wishing to contribute to thread drift , one mystery that was solved was the unexpected disappearance of several Wellingtons operating out of Southern Italy over the Adriatic ( 221 Sqn at Foggia comes to mind).
At least one young Italian Fascist had been penetrating the dispersals at night , armed with a small jar of paraffin containing a lump of phosphorus on a wire, then climbing up on to the wing of a Wimpey. In a few moments the fuel filler cap was removed , the wire at one end hooked into the cap cross member and the phosphorus plopped down in to the tank before the cap was replaced.
After a few hours’ flying the fuel level in the tank of course dropped, thus exposing the phosphorus to a fuel/air mix with the inevitable resultant explosion.

Thanks all for your feedback, and suggestions of other possible episodes. I appreciate it!

Always this one, occurred on my patch in 1944. Rife with all sorts of conspiracy to keep those so interested,well, interested!- secret agents, gold bullion to use to finance underground organizations….. 😉

http://wartimeheritage.com/storyarchive2/storymysteryflight.htm

Guy Gibson from the dambusters is my first thought. A german in a ME262 jet claimed him, but so did a British rear gunner. I think only a sock with his name on it was buried in the coffin

If, as a film-maker, it’s an untold story of allied plane crashes in wartime caused deliberately then there are several examples of sabotage by anti-British activists across the Commonwealth, especially in French Canada. These were hushed up, but are documented if one digs. Whereas the examples mentioned are conjecture inspired by one of the casualties being famous rather than anything being unusual about the circumstances of the accidents.

Isn’t this fun.

Nope. “Lacking in imagination” was the term that sprung to my mind.

Martin / Doco

You might like to check the PM (Personal Message) system for your account. I understand you have a message waiting.

Moggy

No idea on who is still around to be interviewed but, like JB (above) says, is there really any mystery in any of these crashes or is it the fact that because the names connected with these incidents are/were well known that has generated the idea that there is a mystery to be investigated?
Thousands of aircraft crashed in WWII, some through enemy action, some through mechanical failure, some because of the weather, some due to human error and some…for other reasons. The Duke’s Sunderland flew into high ground in cloud – nothing too mysterious, hundreds of others did exactly the same all over Britain. Sikorski died in a crash where his Liberator transport failed to climb on take off and crashed into the sea; some might imply that that is mysterious but certainly wasn’t anything unusual – a root around in suitable reference books will find you up to your neck in similar reports of bombers failing to gain height and coming down shortly from the end of the runway.

I guess the disappearance of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry might count as a mystery – a famous writer, poet, and prewar pioneering aviator who presumably died in the wreckage of his reconnaissance aircraft off the South of France in 1944, and whose aircraft was eventually found in 2000. Maybe he died because of the Vichy regime claimed him as their man, or de Gaulle denouncing him as supporting the Nazis – one or others supporters then would have reason to sabotage his aircraft. Maybe. Or he might have been shot down. Maybe. Or he might have grown tired and accidentally flown into the sea. Maybe. Possibly depression…maybe.
Isn’t this fun.

As a former television journalist, I’d suggest you ask whether or not any of the crashes were really that suspicious?
Many aircraft crashed on mountains and hillsides…but this is remembered because of the Duke being on board.

Does it have to be !939-45 only?

There is a lot of mystery surrounding the 1948 death of WW2 ace, George Frederick “Buzz” Beurling, (Screwball), whilst he was involved in the ferrying of fighter aircraft to the emergent state of Israel.

Moggy