I believe the last Grman aircraft to crash in Britain during the Second World War was Junkers Ju88G-6 s/n 620028 of 13/NJG3 which mistook a car’s headlights for an aircraft on the runway at Elvington and crashed into a tree during its attack. This took place at 1.51 am on the morning of 4 March 1945. Two other Ju88G-6s crashed that morning, a few minutes earlier, one making an identical mistake in Lincolnshire and another crashing into the ground during an attack on a B-24 in Suffolk.

Incidentally, on 2 May 1945 a Ju 188A-3 from 9/KG26 (s/n 190335 1H+AT) defected to Fraserburgh in Scotland from Tronheim. This is, as far as I know, the last German aircraft to end up in Britain before the surrender, and came from the same unit – KG26 – which lost the first aircraft to land intact on British soil on 28 October 1939.

Thanks, PhantomII. Nothing is signed yet, but it looks pretty certain to go ahead, so needless to say I’m rather chuffed! It’s never going to make the bestseller list, but having spent a considerable period of time on research, I’d really like to see some of that information in print.

Sadly, the RAeS publication is not, as far as I know, going to be on general sale, but is being distributed to defence contractors, military colleges, embassies, etc. I should be able to get a pdf file of my contribution (on the history of radar, needless to say!) but I doubt anyone will want a copy.

For me, it was the route of so many boys – Airfix kits. For a birthday or Christmas around the age of 5 I was given a Fw190 and a Saab Drakken. The Drakken just didn’t do it for me, but at that age the prop of the Fw190, which rotated, and the detail of the radial engine just fascinated me. From then on I was hooked!

My research started when I was in the Air Training Corps, and grew out of a Duke of Edinburgh Award Project looking at the local area during WW2. I quickly realised that as a 16 year old I had more information on radar than the RAF Museum! For someone who had always looked upon the RAFM and IWM as places that knew everything, this was quite a revelation, and made me think that I could contribute something to the historical record. That was back in 1986 and I’ve been researching ever since!

Originally posted by DOUGHNUT
Is the original Hawk Glider on show at East Fourtune?

It is indeed the original Hawk glider that is in the collection and on display at East Fortune. Obviously, having been damaged in the crash that killed Pilcher, and then repaired in 1909, it is not 100% Pilcher original, but it’s not a replica. I’m not sure about seeing it on display, since the main hangar at EF is being cleared soon to make space for the Concorde will will be on display for the Festival of Flight on 10 July 2004. I assume the Hawk is being moved with the rest of the contents of Hangar 4 to be displayed in, I think, Hangar 3, but it may be a few months before it will be possible to see the Hawk.

Originally posted by Der
Pilcher’s Hawk glider from 1896, in which he had his fatal crash, is preserved at East Fortune.

It was repaired by the Royal Aeronautical Society in 1909 and donated to the Royal Scottish Museum and later transferred to the Museum of Flight. The Hawk is, I understand, the oldest aircraft preserved in Britain and the third oldest in the world, although I don’t know what the other two are. Presumably Lillienthal gliders?

Moggy, you surprise me! I thought you would have interpreted the York as an icon for The Battle of Britain film. 😀

It would seem that I’ve got confused with another incident which must have involved a Defiant. Anyway, the only fatal accident I have for 26 October 1939 was the crash of Oxford N4592 from No 13 Flying Training School at Drem. The aircraft dived into the ground and crashed at Lammerlaw and there were two fatalities.

That’s all the information I have, but I’m sure someone can check the relevant Air Britain publication (by serial or Oxford) and perhaps provide additional information.