Even if it exploded, wouldnt something like the engine and wings make it to the ground as a relatively large piece?

Who knows? If we had the answers this thread would not be necessary!

[QUOTE=DocStirling]

This is an interesting one. Laddie Lucas – with whom I also spoke at length about all this, reckoned that from his conversations with Galland it was Leutnant Kosse (from memory) who was introduced to DB as his victor – not Oberfeldwebel Walter Meyer – a mere NCO – whose claim was more likely to be DB than the Leutnant’s. This was so as not to embarrass DB at having been brought down by a mere NCO!
QUOTE]

At the risk of opening another can o’ worms 🙂

Did n’t last nights programme state that Galland did not know who shot DB down? I would assume that if he had been told they did not know who it was, DB would have realised it was a FF incident.

Could the culprit have been the German pilot who was shot down (the one with the intact tailplane)?

Why would Baders leg have been found with the a pair of Spitfire wings? If it was in the fuselage, it would stay there. A bit unlikely that it was one that fell off as he parachtuted down.

What was the identity of the Spitfire fuselage that was excluded as being Baders because it apparently landed on its belly (impossible if it had been tail-less)?

Just a few niggling issues I have!

DS

Re your first point, I think you have to understand just what a confused engagement this was. Johnnie Johnson told me that he had never been so frightened in his life, and that his main fear, due to the close proximity of the attacking and breaking aircraft, was one of collision. Galland, I think, just felt obliged to provide his guest with a victor, but even at the time he was uncertain that either of his pilots were responsible.

Re your second, according to the French, the leg left behind by Bader was thrown clear of the Spitfire and fluttered down on its own. That could be further evidence, perhaps, that the aircraft exploded after DB baled out and might help explain why it cannot now be found. Any statements re legs and wings must be directed to Andy, as must your third point, with which I agree entirely.

Ah, I see – in that case I stand corrected. But nonetheless confirmation of the aircraft’s ID and recovery of the tail wheel are crucial pieces of the jig-saw – that could not have been added to the knowledge without aviation archaeology.

Agree entirely with Andy’s last re ‘mbv’.

Dilip Sarkar and Andy Saunders flying in the same Stabschwarm, now that’s a first!

Me neither, you’ve certainly had some free publicity out of it. you’re good at PR i’ll give you that.

Good at it! Hell, I INVENTED it!!!!!

One for Eddie here – you are absolutely right about the reasons for wanting to find W3185. Alas, however, more and more I think that it blew up before hitting terra firma. The good thing about all of this, though, is that for the last 10 years it has helped maintain an interest in Bader, which is to the advantage of the Douglas Bader Foundation – the charity founded in DB’s honour and which assists amputees. You might be surprised at how many newspaper reporters I speak to who have never heard of DB, and think Johnnie Johnson was a jazz singer!

Don’t start on about that feckin tail again or we might just end up back where we started!!!!

Well I dunno about Andy, but I’ve run out of energy and ammo.