Lt Col G E Hall 12th BG Killed 1 Oct 43

[Chris Goss]

Does anyone have any information on the above who was the Ops Officer for the 12th BG? He was killed at Gerbini in the crash of an Me 410A-1 Wk Nr 10263 2N+HT of 9./ZG 26 which he was flying on 1 Oct 43

[RSwank]

Found this:
https://chmoorehomestead.org/2022/05/gordon-hall/

Has him in a 210 instead of a 410, (so some discrepancies), but the description of the crash may be generally correct.

Many of the newspaper stories from 1943 have incorrect information, e.g. they have him KIA vs DNB, Pilot of a B-17 etc.

A second series of newspaper stories that appeared at the time of a memorial service for him in 1944, mention he was killed while testing a plane (but do not say it was a German plane). He was from Wapella, IL.

[Chris Goss]

Thanks. I have photos of him taxying out and the crash hence the question

[Franek Grabowski]

Interestingly, the aircraft had been cared by 601 erks, but when I asked Skalski about it, he did not remember it at all. I guess his typical attititude do what you like as long as your job has been done.

[Chris Goss]

Thanks Franek. It was said that 601 Sqn handed over the Me 410 to 12th BG

[Franek Grabowski]

There is an earlier photo of the aircraft taken by Levy. Or was it taken just prior to the taxiing?
This raises a question - 601 was at Lentini West until early October, and Gerbini is quite away, so the aircraft must have been flown there. If so, by whom? I am not aware of it being flown, just being maintained.
Alas, Skalski did mention flying 109, but there is nothing in his records to confirm or give an exact date, though obviously possible. I recall that there was an article in an ancient issue of the Aeroplane by a fighter pilot known as Johnny Johnson (not the one obviously), who did add some word on captured aircraft to the pictures of Levy. I have seen it, but could not locate it anymore.

[Chris Goss]

There are at least 4 photos of said aircraft as far as I am aware. III./ZG 1 was based at Castel Vetrano apparently so how it got to Gerbini I cannot say. I wonder if it was found at Cassible? Wk Nr 10263 should make it an A-1; they had no 210s by then from what I have deduced

[Franek Grabowski]

So bad Spitfires of 601 were not photographed so well.
Castelvetrano is on the other corner of Sicily, so I think unlikely brought from there. This leaves Pachino, Cassible or Lentini West but then it must have been flown to Gerbini. There are pics of UF-X & UF-7, and I think the latter was photographed by Levy on 3 October at Gerbini. I do not recall any mention of the aircraft by any airman of 601 either. So, a mystery. There is also a question, if it was handed over to Americans like Gremlin HQ or if Hall just took a chance to fly it.