Wg Cdr R S T Tuck Crash Location

[Chris Goss]

Has anyone got a more precise location for his crash-landing on 28 Jan 42 than "on the coast near Boulogne"?

[Alex Smart]

Hit by flak near Boulogne 28/01/1942, "RS-T" BL336.
But was entertained at the JG26 headquarters by Adolph Galland shortly afterwards.
JG26 claimed fourthat day maybe the flak was in the same area as those claimed by JG26.
Claims were -
Hptm Seifert - 3km W of Grave lines 11.35am.
Hptm. Prilled - Dunkirk- Grave lines 12.00pm.
Oblt. Borris - South of Grave lines 11.34am.
Oblt.. Borris - Unknown - 11.59am.
Opponents were claimed to have been, 121,222,317,and 401 Squadrons.

[RSwank]

Tuck’s account of the crash is here along with a photo of the crashed plane:
https://ww2today.com/28th-january-19...wn-over-france

A couple of clues in his account. They “entered a wide valley crammed with railroad tracks”, “ahead was the town of Boulogne”. There is (and was in 1942) a marshalling yard at Manihen, just south of Boulogne.

http://legacy.lib.utexas.edu/maps/am...oulogne-49.jpg

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ma...074!4d1.603701

After their attack on the distillery at Hesdin they continued further inland initially. I suspect they flew a circular route, looping to the north and would have approached the Boulogne area from the East or SE. They spotted the marshalling yard at Manihen and first planned to swing south of it but then saw the train in the yard and attacked. I suspect Tuck crashed west of Manihen.
There seem to be a couple of pictures of the crashed plane one showing the left side of the nose of the plane and another showing the right side with lots of Germans. This seems to include a different cropping of the second picture which shows more of the plane compared to the (same) photo in the first link:
https://www.key.aero/forum/historic-...umps-and-bumps

UPDATE: Note: The photos taken together do seem to show the plane was marked RS-T.

The photos show the crash area is basically open fields which is what this street view shows west of Manihen:

https://www.google.com/maps/@50.6896...7i13312!8i6656

[Alex Smart]

I may be wrong but wasn't Tuck's "RST" in the workshop on the 28/01/42 and he flew another a/c when he became a pow. "RST" being lost on a later date with another pilot .
I cannot remember just where I got this from but it stuck in my mind.
If it is so then which a/c was Tuck in on the 28th and who and when was "RST" lost ?

[Chris Goss]

Thanks gentlemen. As to RS-T, the one crash-landed in France has this code plus his victories on the cowling but it was normal for Wing Leaders to have a 2nd aircraft

[Stephen M. Fochuk]

Although the exact location is not provided, Al Harley gave Robert Bracken a good account of Tuck's loss for his book Spitfire: The Canadians.

Stephen