Hi All, I have found 2 frames from US7 Sortie 1836 from 12 June 1944 with a most likely crash landing site of a single airplane. I searched the sortie, it is the only plane visible in this sortie. It is located east of Caen at Muance. Ncap has location and Geo-Coordinates. Frame 3030 Frame 3031 Here is the frame 3031. Image Credit NCAP US7/1836 I set the scene into perspective stiching few more frames together. Image Credit NCAP US7/1836 Frame 3028 / 3029 / 3030 / 3031 I think I see the invasion stripes so I guessed it is of interest here (hoping not already known). Frame 4128 from RCAF 400/0240 has the same airplane at 15 June 1944. Here is the IGN 1947 Cover (Source: IGN)
Hi Hans, This is a British Airborne Horsa glider with the tail section removed in order to extract cargo: Image Credit: RCAHMS/www.ncap.org.uk It's well off any of the designated LZs as can be seen by the location circled red on the DZ/LZ map below: It may be associated with the destruction of the road and rail bridges at Bures but its far more likely to be a stray due to a tow pilot releasing the glider over the river Dives instead of the Orne, as the blowing of the bridges was tasked to 8th Battalion, the Parachute Regiment. This glider may well be that of S/Sgt Herbert and Sgt Moorcraft, E Squadron, Glider Pilot Regiment, out of RAF Down Ampney as part of the 2nd wave of Operation Tonga, heading for LZ V in the early hours of the 6th June. This Horsa glider, chalk #266, is noted to have: Anyone able to spot the second stray glider in Hans's extract from 400/0240, frame 4128 above? If you follow the river Dives southward from the first Horsa, just below the railway bridge, there is a second Horsa with one wing in the river. This is almost certainly Horsa #102 from D Squadron, Glider Pilot Regiment, piloted by Captain Walker and Sgt Carpenter. The glider departed RAF Tarrant Rushton at 01:26 as part of the 3rd wave of Operation Tonga on the morning of the 6th June, bound for LZ N. There is an account of this crash site on pages 133-134 of 'One Night in June' by Kevin Shannon and Stephen Wright: Captain Walker and the uninjured gunner had set off for the designated LZ N, leaving the injured men in the glider as ordered in the briefing before leaving England. During the journey, they ran into Germans and Captain Walker was wounded in an exchange of fire. He was captured and the gunner managed to escape. Sorry for going off topic here Hans, but you found an interesting story in pointing out this glider Regards, Pat
So could this be the Glider Pilot then in Rennes Hospital. CPT 86932 Walker, John M. BR Cut left hand, head and leg Glider Pilot Regiment Glider Pilot Army Air Corps Gazette mentioned in Fogarty E&E possibly mentioned in Yoshida E&E as in Chartres 28 July arrived 11-Jun-44 discharged 12-Jul-44
Sounds a lot like your man Dale! IIRC, his first name and/or initials are mentioned in the account or in the notes at the back of 'One night in June'. I'll check tonight. Regards, Pat
Hi Dale, Confirmed; he is the same guy. To keep this thread on track, I have posted my bit of digging on your 'Glider Pilot PWs at Rennes Military Hospital' thread here. Regards, Pat
Hi Guys Yes! Good research. I have used the search map to find more frames around this location in NCAP but nothing better than posted above. Thx Hans