Just to add to the party.

A factory fresh B17G, and a combat shot of a badly damaged 301st BG B17G taken in February 1945 after it was hit by flak in the waist area peeling back the fuselage. It held together and they made it back

Dan

41 Squadron Reunion RAF Coltishall, July 1985.

Being able to meet all those former Spit pilots and get in the B of B Spit II in 41 Squadron markings, as well as being a part of all the reunion events with the former 41 Squadron members is a time I’ll never forget.

A very close second was helping the brother of a MIA B24 co-pilot get a marker placed and have a memorial service at the Fort Snelling National Cemetary here in the Twin Cities in the mid 90s. Tracking the story and helping him find closure with the loss of his brother was a wonderful feeling. Being considered ‘part of the crew’ by the surviving crew members was also very meaningful to me.

Dan

And photos from John Stanaway’s book “Peter Three Eight” showing Laven with his family and Itsy Bitsy in San Antonio, Texas, from no doubt the same time frame and trip.

Gotta love how this stuff works. Minding my own business, looking at the photos and BAM! I know that one! 🙂

BTW Mark, if you hadn’t posted the other thread saying you were adding to this one daily, I’d have missed it. Thanks for the heads up

Dan

More please 🙂

Dan

@von Perthes: I know this picture in small size from the (German) magazine “Aircraft”, but hey!, this is far better! I can finally see lines of the camouflage scheme! I have thougt of completing the scheme by using a green/grey/sky? Lancaster-pattern if I don´t get any more pictures.
It is reported the aircraft crashed in flight (fluggeraet.de), another scource said, the arcraft was written off after an German air raid (luftwaffen-experten.co.uk, I believe), however, my first thougt was, they could have been running out of spare parts. I think the landing-accident-version to be correct, now.

Question: Does “SoC” stand for “struck off carge”? That means the aircraft was deleted from the RAF inventory?

@Dan Johnson: Yes, indeed. Are the books of these series still availabe? (Hurricane?) My book is dated from 1993.
A short remark about the crews: A Norwegian website stated (?) the crews were from Norway, but had been issued British passports. Well, the names of the unlucky crew don´t sound that way. The Hasegawa-Mosquito features this markings, but did not report anything about the fate of the plane(s).

Now I have to try to get that Aeroplane issue – in Germany 🙁

Thanks for answering!

My suggestion on the books is to go to:

http://www.abebooks.com

and do a search for a used copy. I’ve found just about any old book I’ve wanted via that site.

Gann’s book mentions a number of pilots.

He mentions BOAC Captain John Henry White who in January of 44 flew from Stockholm to Scotland, then back to Stockholm and again back to Scotland for a total of 9 hours, 36 minutes flying time with only 45 minutes on the ground, making three crossings through enemy skies, all at night and all by hand flying on instruments.

He also details a flight by F/O Gilbert Rae in a Mark VI who with his Radio Op named Payne, was flying a passenger in the bomb bay. They were jumped by FW 190s and he is able to outrun them and escape to Scotland. There is comment about the lack of exhaust shrouds gives him extra MPH that probably saved him.

Since they are Civillians Rae and Payne are awared MBEs instead of DFCs.

Hope that helps

Dan

And I assume this is the photo you found in Mossie at War?

Dan

Whilst rummaging deeply for the ‘Brooklyn Bum’ P-39 photos, I happened upon the attached.

I had been asked by the IDFAF to investigate the the first ever landing on a cleared strip at the back of Haifa at what is now the prime base of Ramat David in Israel.

The log book of this gentleman, a Hurricane pilot, was thought to hold a possible clue.

What price this little posed collection at a Christies sale I wonder? 🙂

Mark

Plenty I’d imagine 🙂

I loved pointing out to my kids, when they were smaller and watching “James & the Giant Peach” or “Willy Wonka”, that there was a Spitfire pilot behind it all. They of course having grown tired of Dad’s Spit obsession early on 🙂

Dan