OK here’s one of the bits where I cracked and was reduced to tears. Ranville CWGC Cemetery.The wife of a 1944 casualty is finally reunited with her husband just short of sixty years after he was killed.
Her ashes will lie in that grave, unmarked. But she is back with him at last.

The biggest tragedy of that photo is of the loss to the whole family over 60 years – somewhere out there is a son or daughter who grew up without a father, and their children without a grandfather, and of course the little chap by the grave who has never known his great grandfather and has now lost his great grandmother. Kind of brings it all home doesn’t it. I visited Ranville myself in 1991 to trace a friends family member and, at that time, no one from their family had ever visited the place.

Normandy Horsa etc.

As I understand things – and maybe Moggy can answer – the Gondree museum has had to be closed as an official French government one has opened just across the road with the Horsa and the original bridge in it ? By the way Moggy – did you manage to take any photo’s at B.11 with Pierre Clostermann ? 🙂 I noticed that the French, Belgian, Dutch, Norwegian F-16’s and Mirages etc. in the flypast were from the squadrons that carry on the “number plate” or name of their RAF WW2 equivalents. I couldn’t find the USAAF Thunderbolt squadron amongst my records to see if it was representing it’s past, maybe someone else can answer that one? One French unit was wearing AEAF invasion stripes in the flypast – pity our Hercules weren’t for the drop over Ranville, it could have been done very easily with wash-off paint and would have been a great tribute to their WW2 brethren. Similarly I have no idea of the squadrons involved to see if they had a specific link with the past. – cheers – Allan

Only here for the beer !!!

Another photograph on a similar theme.

Beer from barrels being poured into a Spitfire ‘torpedo’ drop tank.

I suspect that the potential for uplifting media PR at the time was so high that they had two hits at it. Mark

Photo source: ‘Spitfire – Story of a famous fighter’ by Bruce Robertson

The pilot is Nils Magne Jørgensen, a Norwegian, who served with No. 332 (Norwegian) Squadron and ended up as a POW – surviving the war.

The photo is a staged one, several other photos taken during what must have been a “Press Day” during late summer/early autumn 1944 showing other normal duties like re-fuelling, re-arming, etc., and the Spitfire IX is 9N-Y from No.127 Squadron which was also part of No. 132 (Norwegian) Wing. Place is most likely to be B.57 Lille-Nord, B.60 Grimbergen or, just possibly, B.79 Woensdrecht. – cheers !! – Allan 🙂

Vic Murphy – web links

I thought that the group might like to take a look at these Australian reports of the dig. An excellent photo of Vic and Werner is on The Age. 🙂

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/05/31/1085855499106.html

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=9400

http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=520285&section=news

http://www.abc.net.au/news/indepth/featureitems/s1119521.htm

Fighter Dig – Live !!

As some of you guys know, I was lucky enough to be part of the dig in Germany 🙂 – which was actually carried out by a professional German archaeological Team and they were certainly digging for more than the transmission time. It created a large amount of interest in the area and had several hundred (or more) visitors over both Saturday and Sunday.

These are just my own comments after reading lots of comments on both this and other bulletin boards, and I personally think that some of the comments are rather unfair in the circumstances. This small piece won’t answer all the comments of course – and would I go again if asked – you bet!! I haven’t seen the programme yet, of course having got back to Cornwall late last night, but I hope to be able to see it tonight to see what all the fuss is about, so my comments are mainly about the German side.

I was actually at the dig itself (at Veelboken in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern – between Lubeck and Schwerin) from about 10.30 a.m. on Sunday and stayed there until about 12.30 at night – a long day, but a lot happened. Until the hole got too deep about 4 people were in the hole in quite bad conditions with the digger taking pieces out to their instructions. A few hiccups came along which were unavoidable and the following are just a few examples 1) As soon as 20mm ammunition was found all digging stopped (German regulations) until an ammunition technician came from Schwerin to declare it safe. 2) Soil contamination due to the fuel/oil mix coming up requiring it to be placed in a skip lorry and taken away etc. etc. I should also state that the site was very wet requiring constant pumping out which were not good conditions to work in at all, plus as they got nearer to the Spitfire the smell of fumes was at times overpowering for those in the hole which got got to be very deep in the end.

Whilst I appreciate people’s comments about the TV side I was there and know that it was meticulously rehearsed – in fact a former Luftwaffe pilot (who shot down 2 Spitfires before being shot down himself by a Spitfire) was present and took part in the rehearsals. But time limitations meant he could not be shown. Although Guy had rehearsed and rehearsed he proved that he can professionally think on his feet when, quite late in the proceedings, both the control column and the head armour plate, and straps, were unearthed during transmission. The armour plate being the easiest to show and explain as it was easier to clean before transmission!!!

The producers had found two German witnesses to the event but whilst we were there on Saturday a lady came up and told us that she was working in a nearby field and it turned out that she was the nearest witness. But, again, too late to do anything about it.

I have been in touch with the Producer today, and he advises that they were lucky to get any air time for Germany at all as the main story was the Buckingham Palace plane (Of course) and no one was really expecting them to find anything. When they realised they had found the engine – the German contribution was cut back by the people in London. He also states that it was a shame not to have included the German pilot as well. But Germany was always there as back up in case nothing was found in London. With regard to comments on this and other bulletin boards it must be said that the
the programme was made for ordinary viewers and pulled in two and a half million. (Not bad for a minority interest programme on Channel 5 that was competing with Hell’s Kitchen, Big Brother, Football Diaries and Captain Corelli’s Mandarin on terrestrial, let alone digital). I can understand how aircraft enthusiasts would be disappointed but they weren’t the intended audience!

Maybe people should realise that the freedom to criticise was bought for them by people like Vic – and the fact that the only Boeings these days flying over Germany contain tourists and not bombs!!! It was a privilege to meet both Vic, and his former enemy – both are very modest quiet men and they were only doing their duty as required by the countries at the time. A TV team from Channel 9 News in Australia were sent over from London to film part of the event – and talking to them after speaking to Vic they were very impressed with him. If anybody thinks I can answer any other questions on the event just ask. I finished my weekend off at Duxford as I had a late flight home, so a good weekend all round. cheers – Allan125 🙂 🙂

Fighter Dig – Live !! at 9 o’clock at night

Can we watch out for you?
Will you give us forum members a recognised sign/nod to the camera or a coded message we can pick up on? 😀 😉

Regards,

Paul

Hi Paul – I will most likely be the one in make up !!! 🙂 More likely wearing a T-shirt showing a B-24 D Liberator (!!) “Los Angeles City Limits” of 567th Bomb Squadron, 389th Bomb Group – which was lost in France on 7 January 1944, near Orleans. I helped the organisers of a commemoration ceremony with RAF research (602 and 132 squadrons of 125 Airfield were part of the return escort that day). The commemoration ceremony was held on 10 January this year with a few survivors in attendance and an exhibition in a local museum. I will also probably be wearing a camouflage hat – so you won’t see my head, only the shirt !!! They won’t want the glare off the top of my head upsetting the colour balance on the camera’s. 🙂

Channel 5 dig

The Hurricane that crashed in Buckingham Palace Road during the BoB is to be the subject of a live dig on Channel 5 – radar surveys have apparently located the wreck and an effort will be made to lift it on the night. Best of luck to them and I hope the Traffic Wardens aren’t about!

Hi F4 – this programme was raised a few weeks ago – it is being broadcast between 21.00 and 22.30 on Sunday and also involves the dig of a Spitfire XIV of 125 Wing from Germany – believed to be that of Vic Murphy RAAF – 130 (Punjab) Squadron, lost April 19 1945, whilst operating from B.118 Celle. And I am lucky enough to be part of the German dig. cheers – Allan125 😎