The following request was received, by e-mail, via the International Cockpit Club website. Can anyone here help this lady out with any info?
Quote:
My father’s Lancaster WS”U” was guided over power lines on New Years Day 1945 by Spitfire DB-P MJ334 (No. 411 Grizzly Bear) Squadron, RCAF.
I want to find out what happened to the Spitfire and if the pilot is still alive, to thank him ..
The Lancaster crashed in Heesch, Holland.
Many thanks…Mark
The best way to check the name of the pilot is to go (or ask someone to go) to the National Archives (formerly PRO) at Kew and check the Operations Record Book of 411 Sqn under 1 January 1945. Form 541 should give a listing of aircraft/pilots who flew on operations. Sqn ORBs are avilable there on microfilm, you just take it from the shelf, read it on a reader, and you can also make paper printout.
The Movement Card of MJ334 lists it:
33 MU 25-10-43
411 ARF 17-11-43
412 Sqn 22-6-44
Cat. B 410 RSU 12-7-44
443 Sqn 5-10-44
Cat. AC ops 23-01-45
443 Sqn 15-2-45
126 Wing 15-3-45
411 Sqn ??
Cat. E ops 20-4-45
So it appears that this Spitfire was with 443, not 411 Sqn on 1-1-45. But then, if these two squadrons were in the same wing at the time (I don’t have any reference to check at hand) it wouldn’t be unusual to move from one squadron to another without entering this in the Movement Card. Do we know where the serial/code is known from?
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