Hi David,
I am back from the 578 squadron reunion. Fewer veterans each year. An inspiring weekend all the same, remarkable heroes the lot of them.
20/21 July was 578 squadrons most disastrous night of the war loosing six Halifaxes and forty-two airmen. From MZ511 only the navigator P/O Jack Smith and the bomb-aimer P/O Ken Parsons got out. Jack Smith was captured but Ken Parsons became an evader and he writes of his experiences in “Based at Burn” the squadron book.
Here is the crew photograph that I have Jack is first left. It isn’t the best of photos but I have a higher resolution scan that I can send you if you like.
best, Paul.
For those who are interested in this incident I’ve added a web-page of Flying Officer Fox’s report on the crash. It is remarkable how composed he and the rear gunner write about what was a very shaky doo.
http://578squadron.org.uk/squadron/fox.html
Heroes the lot of them. The loss of aileron control should not cast anything negative on the 578 squadron groundcrews who were dedicated to their aircraft and even won the Bristol Shield from the Bristol aero engine company for their standards of maintenance. (The were suggestions of sabotage at RAF Burn. At one point a guard was placed on all aircraft).
As to finding the crash site. F/O Eric Fox was making for the sea near Lowestoft. The Halifax came down near the coastline leaving a crater well over thirty feet deep and sixty-five feet across near the USAAF base of Halesworth. So some detectives may be able to locate this. I doubt if there will be much more than small fragments left from a fully fueled and bombed up Halifax impacting from 8,000 feet.
F/O Eric fox and crew
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