First Captured Flyable Spitfire

[Chris Goss]

Andy: I have the 212 Spit landing the day before? The photos I have seen are of it partially dismantled in a hangar?

As to whether it was P9317 or N3277, all we can say for certain is the latter was definitely flyable

[Andy Fletcher]

Morning Chris,

The date for P9331 is taken from primary documentation. The only photo of P9331 I have seen at Rheims shows the aircraft jacked up with some of the engine cowling removed. However I have no idea what the 212 Sqn ground crew dismantled to try and fix the coolant leak or if the Germans could have got it serviceable again.

Cheers

Andy

[brewerjerry]

Hi
from the old lemb board
first spit at rechlin was in june 1940, which was damaged in a crash landing in aug 1941
N3277 didnt arrive until october 1940.
N3277 recorded in log book as 4+5
cheers
jerry

[Kaiyan]

REF POST No.10

The Germans had to wait until 01.06.40 to get a really flyable Spitfire in their hands.

This was ZD-A P9317 of No.222 Squadron with Plt. Offr. Falkhurst landing at Le Touquet with the wheels down and no fuel.The aircraft was shipped to Rechlin airfield as ZD+A and with the Germans marking of 2+1 it flew in German hands until August, when it was destroyed in a crash landing.

Several were captured intact BUT with damage that rendered them UN-FLYABLE... as to the PR spit there is on the LEMB board (which is still accessable) a picture of it outside the hanger covered in snow with engine open to the elements...
regards
kaiyan