Need ID of Spitfire ??oX FL Wheels Down & Burned on Beach at Dunkirk

[Larry Hickey]

Hello,

I've recorded over a dozen photos of a Spitfire that landed wheels down on the beach at Dunkirk, France, circa end May to the beginning of June, 1940, and was apparently set afire by it's pilot as it sat next to the dunes. This has a half-white, half black undersurface but fire apparently obliterated any evidence of a code on the fuselage. Today, two of the best photos I've seen of this a/c, before it was further damaged by the tides, were posted for sale on eBay. Is there now enough information about this wreck, that by a process of elimination, we can ID which Spitfire this was and who landed it when and set it afire? There are photos of only 2-3 Spitfire wrecks on the beaches near Dunkirk that remain unidentified, this being one of them.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/350636406760...760%26_rdc%3D1

http://www.ebay.com/itm/170937657361...361%26_rdc%3D1

What does the engineering on the a/c and the markings tell us about this a/c? Is this the a/c of P-O Davies of 222 SQ who FL wheels down on the beach near Dunkirk on May 31 and set fire to his N3295. Fits the description of his incident. Is there any other alternative?

Regards,

Larry Hickey
EoE Project Coordinator

[Chris Goss]

I have 2 photos of this from a JG 3 photo album but have never identified this positively (and neither has Peter)

[Larry Hickey]

Chris,

Thanx for commenting. There are plenty of photos of this one around, which I've been trying to ID for years. I keep hoping that by a process of elimination it will be possible to ID this one, as there is no other apparent way to do so from the burned out wreckage. Here are the wrecks identified in photos on the beach from Ostend, Belgium to the Dunkirk area, that appear to have been matched to Spitfires during this time frame.

PO Alan C. Deere, KLoB, N31890, RTD, 28.5.40
Sq Ldr G.D. Stephenson, QVo, N3200, PoW, 26.5.40 (Need full first name)
PO Kenneth G Hart RTD, YToO, K9912, RTD, 26.5.40
PO Patrick AG Learmond, GRoM? P9370 MIA (Photo Match Probable), 23.5.40
PO T Smart, YToK, P9435, RTD, 28.5.40 (Need full first name)
PO Peter Cazenove, oJ, P9374, PoW, 24,5.40

As I indicated above, the account of PO G.G.A Davies (need first name) of 222 SQ who FL wheels down on the beach near Dunkirk on May 31 and set fire to his ZDoG, N3295, fits what we see in these photos pretty well. However there is at least one other and possibly more wreck photos that could match this story. Does anyone have any other possibilities as to who this might be? Does the prop spinner or any other engine detailing or camouflage tell us anything about the subtype of this Spitfire, or the date of this incident, that might allow us to match it to a 222 SQ a/c, and hopefully Davies, in particular?

Has anyone matched any other Spitfire FL or wreck photos on the beaches of Belgium/France during May-June, 1940 with a specific unit, pilot or date?

Who can help?

Regards,

Larry Hickey
EoE Project coordinator

[udf_00]

Geoffrey Dalton STEPHENSON (26165)
Thomas SMART (40324)
Graham Gordon Ayerst DAVIES (41989)

[Larry Hickey]

Thanx "udf"

Regards,

Larry Hickey
EoE Project Coordinator

[Chris Goss]

I have a photo of Davies should you need one

[ahafan]

Hello
I would find landing,on sand with wheels, esp a plane been some what ,deadly;.
ie-over turning...traping pilot..
sharon

[Graham Boak]

Landing on sand was quite a common procedure, for example pleasure flights were flown for many years form the beach at Southport, Lancashire. Not to discount many examples of landing in the desert. Not all these would be on sandy ground, of course, but others would.

I suspect that when it comes to beach landing, then the firmer sand between high and low tide would be preferred, rather than possibly looser surface inland, but I'm no pilot.

[Larry Hickey]

Sharon,

While most beach landings by a/c during the Dunkirk operations, and the later Battle of Britian, were belly landings, there are photos of at least two Spitfires that appear to have landed wheels down near Dunkirk during the Operation Dynamo period, and a few examples of wheels down landings by German a/c on French beaches during the BoB. But, it wasn't common, for exactly the reason that you state (and others). But it definitely could be and was done successfully, including by the subject of this original post.

Regards,

Larry Hickey
EoE Project Coordinator

[spitfireman]

I tidied them up a bit.

Although I have photos of Dunkirk 'landings' they are not ready to hand.

To be honest, I think they are variations to these two. ISTR one shows the Germans burning it for second time. When I dig them out I will post them up

Baz