Hurricane P2701

[markjsheppard]

Pic of Allen's Hurricane P2701.

 Been a lot of discussion on her over the years on TOCH.

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Foto-Beute-Fl...



Looks like a belly landing - seized engine.



If Allen is commemorated it must have been injured and died of wounds? Confused as to why he would have died as an unknown unless never his aircraft. So who's was it?

The canopy seems to have missing perspex - bullet damage?

Interesting pic though.



regards



Mark

[Peter Cornwell]

Whether P2701 was ALLEN's aircraft or not remains wide open to question. Watch this space.

[Larry]

I agree the canopy has damage at head height, so he could have died of wounds, or shock like the photo of a Polish pilot I posted recently seen sitting on the tail of his Hurricane, who despite appearances died soon afterwards. As for being unknown surely if he was buried nearby by German soldiers, then someone should have known about it but then again it wouldn't be the first time a grave of a serviceman has been lost.

[Geoff Rayner]

Originally Posted by Larry

I agree the canopy has damage at head height, so he could have died of wounds .....

At the site of the canopy damage there are marks on the wooden fuselage framework behind it, implying the canopy was open when the damage was made and so well behind the pilot's head.

[Larry]

Still if he had the canopy open, he still could have had a head wound.

[Alex Smart]

Hello,
The story of P2701 and F/O. D.H. Allen DFC can be seen in the following links -

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showth...ighlight=P2701
http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showth...ighlight=P2701
http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showth...ighlight=P2701

Further with relation to the serial numbers brought up.
P2701 - 11th May 40 - Pilot unknown, Brought down in Belgium, a/c ( & pilot ?) Returned.[ cannot now find ref for this info ;( ].
P2701 - 18th May 40 - S/D, Pilot, F/O. D.H. Allen DFC Killed.
Re F/O. Allen,
P2828 - 15th May 40 - Allen Baled safe, Belgium.

P2555 - 20th May 40 - Pilot Sgt. H. N. Howes safe, crash landed , a/c abandoned.
P3533 - CFF, left in France.

Alex

[Larry]

The photo with Germans looking over the a/c must be the second occasion the plane came down then.

[Tom Semenza]

It does not appear that P2701 wears the squadron code but the a/c letter could be "L", although in the lower part the fuselage fabric is torn. Can anyone confirm this?

Thanks,
Tom

[Pieter H]

The "facts" related to this aircraft in my view:
1. it is definitely the P2701, so no discussion about that
2. the crash that killed FlgOff Allen on May 18 was likely into a house, as described in Twelve Days in May by FltLt Gleed of No.87 Sqn. At least that could then not have been the P2701; which one it was is another discussion. P2555 as suggested by some sources (one of the previous 12OCH discussions)?
3. The location is given in the last auction as Choisy-en-Brie. Choisy-en-Brie is south of the Marne, east of Paris, a few km SW of La Ferté-Gaucher where the Armée de l'Air had a large bomber air base. In fact it is highly likely this refers to this air base, also because from the same seller a French MB210 bomber is sold with the same location Choisy-en-Brie. All this makes the location quite accurate: a RAF Hurricane that belly-landed on/near the French airfield La Ferté-Gaucher and was abandoned there.
4. The aircraft does not carry a squadron code. Although this might have occured in other units, No.73 Sqn was the one consistently not carrying its squadron code, at least before and until May 10, showing just the individual letter (which seems on the P2701 to be I, possibly L).

From these "facts" I would derive a few assumptions:
a. If the location is correct, this is unlikely to be a No.85 Sqn aircraft, or at least not one flown in the first week of the campaign. As far as I know this squadron has never operated this far south-east.
b. The absence of the squadron code makes it likely to be a (early) No.73 Sqn machine. This fits nicely with the crash location, because from May 18 this unit operated from Gaye-Sézanne, only some 30km to the east of Choisy/La Ferté.

Assuming this is a correct assumption, the final question would be the exact loss date. Here I'm stuck. It is tempting to link it to the No.73 loss of May 15 of Sgt Friend, which according Peter's TBoFTaN made an emergency landing at La Ferté. However, that was after a fight over Vouziers, some 150km to the NE and there are many Ferté's in France, so probably not this one. Also because the aircraft is said to have returned next day.

So more likely is a crash landing after May 18 until early June, when the squadron returned to the UK.Alternatively it could have been during a transfer flight. Any suggestions?

Cheers, Pieter

[Peter Cornwell]

Let us stick to facts rather than speculate. P2701 was allocated to 19MU on 12.3.40 as part of a ‘reserve for fighter squadrons’ eventually being issued to No.85 Squadron on 13.5.40 & subsequently recorded by them as ‘SOC May 1940’. It was CULL (repeated by FRANKS) who originally documented it as ALLEN’s aircraft on 18 May 1940 while HALLEY records it as ‘shot down in Belgium 11 May 1940’. This latter is at odds with its documented movements & also contrary to the AIR81/341 file which lists it thus: ‘F/O D H Allen: missing presumed dead; Hurricane P2701 shot down over Gembloux, France, 15 May 1940’. Still much confusion to resolve here so as I have said, ‘Watch this space’.