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Old 30th November 2017, 12:21
Laurent Rizzotti Laurent Rizzotti is offline
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Lts Eliot and Cole, 14th FG, November 1942

Hello,

Several web sources (including https://tighar.org/Projects/P38/elliott.htm) tell that on 27 November 1942, two pilots of 14th FG, Lt Eliot and Cole, were flying back from a ground attack mission late and decided to land on a dry lake rather than returning to base for a risky night landing. Both aircraft were damaged and they burned them the next day before returning to their outfit.

There is no such loss on this date in the "History of the Mediterranean War, Volume Three". Cole was shot down and captured on 30 November 1942, so making it dubious, but still possible, that he was in the middle of the Algerian countryside in the morning of the 28th.

The same book on the other hand says that six P-38s of 14th FG crashed in the evening of 22 November while trying to land after dark on return of a ground attack mission.

It is possible that Cole and Eliot actually landed on this lake on 22 November, and their aircraft are part of the six reported lost in this book.

Can someone confirm it or add something to this subject ?

There is a biography book for Lt Arthur Cole, "King Cole: The Biography of a Ww2 Prisoner of War And His Sweetheart" (https://books.google.fr/books?id=HoSXPAAACAAJ). If someone has it I will be interested to know what is in the book about this incident.

Thanks in advance
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Old 30th November 2017, 14:00
Leendert Leendert is offline
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Re: Lts Eliot and Cole, 14th FG, November 1942

Laurent,

Perhaps try this link with detailed story of Elliott and Cole (post #359): https://www.alternatehistory.com/for...419398/page-18

Regards,

Leendert
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Old 30th November 2017, 16:20
Laurent Rizzotti Laurent Rizzotti is offline
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Re: Lts Eliot and Cole, 14th FG, November 1942

Thanks Leendert,

This story is placing the landing place near Tebessa, but it seems to me to be at least in part fiction, at least the 5 December 1942 part where Eliot survives while in fact he just disappeared, never to be seen again.

I have searched the names of the two Associated Press men given in the text, but found nothing. I used Google and a newspapers archive website, and found nothing about an Associated Press correspondent called Henry, Albert, Fry or Punter (or Hunter) about Tunisia in 1942-1943.

Still, if the location in the story is true, both pilots landed about ten miles from their airfield, so were back to it on the day after their evening forced landing, and so the event could take place on the evening of the 27th and Cole fly again on the 30th.
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Old 30th November 2017, 16:55
Alex Smart Alex Smart is offline
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Re: Lts Eliot and Cole, 14th FG, November 1942

Have you read the reports of the event in this site ?

http://raf-112-squadron.org/14thfghonor_roll42_43.html

Alex
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Old 1st December 2017, 16:25
Laurent Rizzotti Laurent Rizzotti is offline
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Re: Lts Eliot and Cole, 14th FG, November 1942

Yes, Alex, and it is the same story than in the link I gave in my first post, but shorter.

Actually, I went first on the 112 Sqn site as I wanted to check the loss of Cole on 30 November 1942, but it is not in the list. I searched his name and found the mishap on the 27th, and then started searching it.
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Old 19th December 2017, 02:10
Andrew Arthy Andrew Arthy is offline
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Re: Lts Eliot and Cole, 14th FG, November 1942

Hi Laurent,

From 14th FG records for 28 November 1942: "Recce patrol, up 08:45, target 10:20, down 10:27, two A-20s searched surrounding area for two P-38s that did not return from patrol yesterday. They saw only two planes that were previously lost and found."

Cheers,
Andrew A.
Air War Publications - www.airwarpublications.com/earticles
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Old 19th December 2017, 11:24
Laurent Rizzotti Laurent Rizzotti is offline
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Re: Lts Eliot and Cole, 14th FG, November 1942

Thanks Andy, that is at least a trace in documents that something happened on the 27th.
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