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Re: Air France D-338s shot down 1940
Hello Brian,
D.338 F-AQBA, crew: Lacaze, Péchard & Valepyn.
Flight between Hanoi and Fort-Bayard (Zhanjiang) at the request of the Gouverneur Général.
Take-off at 0835 with two French officers and a Major of the IJN as passengers.
Supposed to have been shot down by Japanese fighters.
The wreck was located at 109°30 E and 21° N. Fishermen from Hong Kong retrieved the corpses 6 km off the coast.
On 10th July, the Japanese apologized to the Gouverneur Général for this "mistake", thus confirming that the D.338 was actually shot down by their fighters.
Air France will be given a Nakajima AT-2 Type 97 (Thora) - F-BAGL - in May 1941 as a compensation. However, with no spare parts it will be soon stored in some hangar at Hanoi.
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