Spitfire Recovery Unearths Unique Story

[Bevo]

Interesting story.

An RAF Spitfire flown by American pilot Roland "Bud" Wolfe dug itself deep into an Irish hillside on Nov. 30, 1941, after he bailed out, and now, 70 years later, that aircraft has been recovered. The recovery effort included an aviation historian, a team of archaeologists and the BBC, and will serve as the subject of a documentary. According to the Derry Journal, a newspaper from the town where the aircraft had been based, Wolfe had joined the RAF before America's official entry into the war and lost his U.S. citizenship because of it. He'd been flying on patrol near the north coast of Ireland when his engine began to rapidly overheat and he bailed out. Wolfe was detained by members of the Local Defence Force and held by the Irish Army, but escaped on Dec. 13, leading to what may be an even more unusual story.

When Wolfe made it back to RAF Eglinton, his base (now the City of Derry Airport), he was arrested. Authorities in England and Ireland determined that they did not approve of the manner of Wolfe's escape. As a result of that conclusion, Wolfe was then delivered by his own side back to his captors in then-neutral Ireland. Ireland's position of neutrality meant that it sought to prevent circumstances that could undermine its neutrality in the eyes of all non-neutral nations. Wolfe was ultimately released in 1943. Historian John McNee described Wolfe to the Derry Journal as "possibly the only allied escapee of WWII who was returned to his prison camp because his superiors did not agree with the manner of his escape." Artifacts recovered from the crash site of Wolfe's Spitfire include the aircraft's Browning .303 machine guns, its Rolls Royce Merlin Engine, propeller, and Wolfe's helmet, with his initials inside. The items will eventually be delivered for display at the Tower Museum in Derry. The story of the recovery will become a three-part series called Dig WW2, to be broadcast by the BBC NI, in 2012.
AVwebFlash Complete Issue (http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archives/avflash/1945-full.html#204910)

[Bubblewindow]

WW2 was known as the 'Emergency Period' in Neutral Ireland. "Captured" RAF and German Airmen (and German sailors) were interned in the Curragh Camp Co.Kildare. U.S airmen were allowed to return home under an agreement with the U.S government.
This 'Interment' was more of a holiday for them as they were allowed to have bicycles and cycle down to the local town and socialise.
A fair few stayed behind after the war and married local girls.

Not a bad place to bail out

Cheers,
BW

[racedo]

An unusual story but much as Irish neutrality was being mocked it clearly was regarded as being important enough to act appropriately.

Aircraft Landings Ireland 1939 - 1946 (http://www.csn.ul.ie/~dan/war/crashes.htm)

Found the above site a couple of weeks ago which was interesting to read.

[E-Spy]

What was his manner of escape, of which his superiors disapproved?

[Dengue_Dude]

I thought that escaping was regarded as a duty.

[racedo]

It may have been because he was American when he crashed and US was not yet involved.

Given that Irish Govt was cooperating with UK in treating those who landed fairly well and others who had escaped from Interment (link I posted shows quite easily) then chances are that it was as a result of his nationality.

BBC News - Spitfire down: The WWII camp where Allies and Germans mixed (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-13924720)

[MTOW]

Ten (maybe fifteen) or so years ago, the Irish made a great movie about the Germans and Brit prisoners sharing the same prison camp in Ireland.

It was called 'The Brylcreem Boys' and is well worth searching for - if only for the fleeting scene where the heroine, (the lead very attractive redheaded lead dancer from 'Riverdance'), flashes her bare upper torso.

It was 1998. The Brylcreem Boys (1998) - Plot Summary (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115770/plotsummary)

Great movie.

[SASless]

How terribly English that....a guy comes to fight for you you...loses his citizenship...gets captured....escapes....then gets handed back to the captors. I suppose when he escaped a second time in 1943....he was chuffed to rejoin the fight for you?

Wolfe decided to make his way to Dublin on December 13th, 1941, before catching a train to Belfast and reporting back for duty less than two weeks after his crash. His escape prompted a diplomatic row between the Irish and British governments. Wolfe was sent back to the camp on the instructions of the British air ministry. He remained there for two more years before escaping again in 1943. However, with the US now at war, Wolfe was not returned to the Curragh camp. He joined the US air force and served on several fronts. Wolfe also saw action as a fighter pilot in the Korean and Vietnam wars before his death in 1994

[GreenKnight121]

What was his manner of escape, of which his superiors disapproved?

As Bubblewindow noted, many internees were allowed to visit in town without escort.

In order to get permission, they had to give their parole (swear on their honor to not escape)... which means that his escape constituted breaking a sworn promise, and thus brought dishonor on the RAF.

That is why he was returned to Ireland.

I thought that escaping was regarded as a duty.

Only if captured by the enemy.

As Ireland was a neutral power, and they were interned because they violated Ireland's neutrality, then his imprisonment was entirely different from being a Prisoner of War.

[XV490]

If anyone's interested in reading more about the bizarre Allied/German PoW arrangements at The Curragh, I can recommend the book Guests of the State by T. Ryle Dwyer. I bought a copy in Ireland many years ago, but as far as I know it's available online via the usual sources.

IIRC, by 1945 PoWs of all persuasions would regularly leave the camp for nights out drinking and carousing in Dublin, which is quite some distance from The Curragh.

By all accounts, USAAF aircrew interned in Sweden also had a high old time.

[Bubblewindow]

in neighbouring camps in Dublin, writes historian Dan Snow.

Mmmmm...Historian?? Pity he's 40 miles out with the location, and in a different county!! Though the BBC did get it right.
If local legend is right the pilot was allowed some money to go to the local cinema when he done a legger!! Cheeky fecker could have paid for his meal!! :=

The War was a lot closer to Ireland than many realise. My dad remembers dogfights coming down to rooftop height in the eastern fringes of Dublin on a Saturday morning and and my mother remembers standing looking up at a bomber heading inland with smoke pouring from it's engines(A B17 did land at Baldonnel, wonder was it that) Dublin was also on the receiving end of German bombs a couple of times. My Grandfather witnessed them fall only a few hundred yards away and unfortunately witnessed the aftermath.
Though apparently accidental bombings due to Nav errors, one of the occasions levelled a predominantly Jewish area of Dublin including a synagogue. There's been conspiracy theories ever since.

If only I had recorded my grandmothers stories when I wad a kid :sad:

BW

[corsair]

I remember reading somewhere that his ploy to get around signing his parole was to return to the camp to retrieve his gloves. The second exit was thus unsigned. Clever, but this technicality didn't wash with authorities on either side of the border. The reason he was returned was simply because the other detainees would have lost parole privileges and be locked up in camp. It was however quite legitimate to escape from the camp itself and several pilots did in fact escape. There were even tunnels dug. No doubt there was some outside help to whisk them away.

Originally British aircrew were not detained. But the Germans were so their ambassador complained and asked for the same treatment. That was politically impossible so the British were interned too until 1943 when they were all sent back.

It's also worth noting that the RAF supplied the Irish Air Corps with a 'Queen Mary' trailer and equipment and Allied aircraft that came down in 'Free State' were recovered and sent across the border. Not very neutral that! The Air Corps acquired a couple of Hurricanes, a Hudson and a Fairey Battle through force landings. But they actually paid for them. The RAF then actually sent an officer over to train the Air Corps pilots.

The whole situation was quite surreal. Some RAF were held prisoner while another was helping train the same army that held them.

Incidentally my great uncle's house was bombed by the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain. He lived in Wexford. Apparently he was whitewashing the house when a Heinkel dropped a bomb out the back, flattening the house and sending him flying. Family legend has it that his hair turned white overnight. He actually got compensation from the German government.

[racedo]

Bombing of Dublin in World War II - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombing_of_Dublin_in_World_War_II)

Intersting data on bombings in Ireland during WW2.

Based on number of occasions Allies bombed wrong place including Switzerland on occasions I would suggest crew error rather than deliberate attack was cause.

[Bubblewindow]

I would suggest crew error

That's almost a certain, but you can imagine the Jewish community when there houses and place of prayer were flattened. I'd be a bit paronoid myself.

Just spoke to my dad and he remembers the last bomb whistling to earth as he hid under the stairs, near the 'North Strand' area.
He also remembers a German bomber crash landing along the shallows off clontarf and the locals going out in rowing boats to rescue the crew.
He said there were A/A guns along this stretch of beach. Don't know if "we" ever actually fired at anything. (probably no ammo in them :/ )

BW

[Just a spotter]

Some commeration to mark the Luftwaffe bombings of the North Strand area of Dublin (not too far from Croke Park for those familiar with the city) were held only a few weeks ago.

There has long been a suspicion that at least some of the dozen or so actions against the city were in retaliation for fire brigade units from Dublin and towns to the north of the city assisting in fighting fires in Belfast caused by Luftwaffe attacks on that city. The 'southern' fire crews had to wait at the border for permission from the northern government to cross and lend assistance.

As for Irish neutrality; RAF partrol aircraft operating from Northern Ireland were allowed to overfly Donegal on the way out and back on missions to protect the Atlantic convoys.

On a seperate note, there is currently a campaign in Ireland to clear the names of those members of the Irish Army who deserted during The Emergency/WWII to serve in Allied ranks.

JAS