Moderator: John W. Howard
John, the timeframe rules out Hurricanes, but DOES "opt in" Spitfires of some mark, Typhoons and Tempests....ALL of which could be lingering over over the Allied front line at that point in the war, particularly the fighterbombers looking for targets-of-opportunity. I don't know where you'd go to find details now on that aspect.The GI's had to cut into the cockpit with bayonets to free his feet so they could extract him from the plane. My father and the others thought the plane was a Spitfire, but that could have just been supposition, because it was a British single in-line engine plane. To cut the pilot out, they were cutting and prying metal, but my father felt that the wings were doped fabric. This leads me to believe it was a Hurricane. The aircraft also had a sliding canopy.
John, that'll help IF it records the pilot's name, nationality or unit. If it doesn't, it'll only record the amount of detail passed UP the admin paperwork line by the men on the ground.The other avenue of approach is my father's battalion records; they should have a record of the incident, because the pilot was taken to the battalion aid station