PRU Mosquito captured/given to the Germans ca 1943

[J_Anderson]

Hi there,

This is my first post and is a plea for information!

My grandfather was a PRU Spitfire pilot and he's been trying to dig up some information on old colleagues he remembers from the war. There is one story he's been telling recently of a Mosquito pilot, called 'Pissy' Payne.

According to my grandfather, Payne landed his Mosquito at a French airfield and handed it over to the Germans. Payne also gave the Germans detailed information of my grandfathers squadron. My grandfather was wondering what may have happened to this character and I've been trawling the internet trying to find out. Apparently Payne was from the West Indies and was known as 'Pissy' due to his fondness for a drink.

Does anyone know of any captured Mosquitos or has heard of this pilot?

Many Thanks

James

[kaki3152]

JAmes,

Interesting story. The only captured PRU Mosquito I have heard about was DZ 466, Mosquito FB IV (Obviously converted to PRU configuration) , 540 SQ, which belly landed on a beach in France on February 20,1943. It is generally believed that this was the famous captured Mosquito T9+XB which was shown in an airshow in Nov 1943. If you trawl the Internet you can picture sof this airplane. Perhaps Mr. Payne was part of the crew?

[Adriano Baumgartner]

Hi James!
There are a lot of people interested on PR flights down here. I never heard about this incident, but some friends do possess the 540 Squadron's ORB and can help you.
Please could you put the name of your father down here? How many missions he flew? I do have a huge interest on PR Squadrons and would like to talk with you further. Was your father a member of the Mosquito Aircrew Association? I was a member and contacted a lot of former PR veterans. Can help you with some names if you do wish so...
my e-mail: baumgartner_asv@yahoo.com.br
Yours,
Adriano Baumgartner

[Adriano Baumgartner]

James,
Yes, it is DZ466 from an old thread down here:
20Feb43 F/O Payne and Sgt Kent 540 Sqn (Mosquito DZ466) took off from Benson to make a photographic reconnaissance of Vienna and Linz area but failed to return.
They landed at St Brieuc area..there are a lot of photographs from this plane on the net.
Are you SURE the pilot landed without troubles or mechanical problems? I communicated with a former 540 Squadron member that had engine problems and had to bail out. It seems that, PERHAPS, on this case ( DZ466 ) it was the best solution: to land on a beach, instead of bailing out over the North Sea and die of exposure, isn't it? I do not know the reasons...but we could find out the truth.
Did your father obtained a copy of German interrogatory of F/O Payne? Perhaps only this document can inform us if he deliberetaly landed on the beach...do not know, tough!
Yours,
Adriano Baumgartner

[Andy Fletcher]

Hi James,

F/O W.L. Payne (101512) joined 1 PRU 20Jul42 (as a P/O) and went on to fly with 540 Sqn. If Payne intended to defect, I'm sure his Nav F/S A.J. Kent may have had something to say about it. The ORB states that DZ466 was tracked by RDF whilst returning. Plot was then lost and ~20 mins later a faint SOS was received by base (Benson) D/F station.

Payne's first sortie was on 19Sep42 and he then flew continuously until he became a POW.

Not to be confused with W/O W.J. Payne (754956) who was with 1 PRU at the same time (KIA 13Jan43 with 541 Sqn).

Best Regards

Andy Fletcher

[Graham Boak]

The photo I've seen of the Mosquito showed that it clearly wasn't in a "handed-over" state but distinctly second-hand and patched up for a static display. That could perhaps have been later, of course, but it seems unlikely that the aircraft doesn't feature more in other Luftwaffe documentation.

Is there something of a "silly season" of such stories? There is another thread running of a Halifax that supposedly landed at a French base. Again, no back-up evidence of actual German use.

[J_Anderson]

This is a story my grandfather told me last night as we were talking about his days flying sptifires. He will be very interested to know that Payne's aircraft was a crash landing. Thank you all for the information!

[Franek Grabowski]

What period he was flying? I wonder if he met any Polish PRU pilots.

[J_Anderson]

He flew from the start of the war up until Jan '43 when he was shot down over norway. I can ask him if he knew any Polish PRU pilots.

[Franek Grabowski]

Yes, please!