Spitfire Mystery - your opinions plse.

[Andy Mac]

Board - I am looking into a Spitfire loss at night where the pilot was killed. He was lost on returning to base and running out of fuel. He was a competent pilot. Having read about other pilots' bailing out under similar circumstances, I wonder why this chap stayed with his plane and certain death.

One local witness states that locals at the time thought he had commited suicide. The recovery crew found in his tunic pocket a 'dear john' letter and an engagement ring returned to the now dead pilot.

Peter Townsend in his forward for 'The Sky Suspended' by Jim Bailey states :

" . . .there was the exquisite solitude of those patrols high in the black of night, when only reason's domination over unreason prevented an occasional urge to end it all with a deliberate insane plunge into the dark chasm, miles deep, below."

Sad stuff - what do YOU think?

[brewerjerry]

Hi,
I personally think it possible,
I know of one pilot who accidently shot down an RAF bomber and the crew were killed, he then flew way past the point of being able to return to base, To attack a very heavily defended enemy port & was naturally shot down and killed in the crash.
There is one strange crash off cornwall, where a hurricane rammed a dornier I think.
One pilot once spoke of a fellow pilot who was badly burnt in a crash, who apparently said when the war was close to finishing he would kill himself as there was nothing left for him when the war was over.
Cheers
Jerry

[Andy Mac]

Thanks Jerry, that's very interesting.

[Jon]

It is also possible he just didnt fancy bailing out at night !

I spent all of the 1990's and most of the 80's as both a Skydiver and Parachute instructor, during that time i did many night jumps and hated every last one! I admitt i was doing it for sport and not using it to save my life as the result of an aeroplane going down, but just maybe this pilot stayed with the Spitfire as the thought of stepping out into the dark was the worst option.

Jon

[Andy Mac]

Thanks Jon that's interesting, but I wonder if self preservation wouldn't kick in at the crucial moment - or perhaps he was just frozen with fear and time ran out.