Spitfire 944 - merged threads

[ricardian]

This was posted to a group of former RAF Boy Entrants, it's a fascinating glimpse of WW2 and some the participants are still alive. One of the pilots has never before seen film of his Spitfire crash-landing

[Madbob]

Truly Amazing. Thanks very much for posting.

MB

[strake]

In my life, I'll be the first to admit I have wasted a lot of my time.

That however, was one of the most worthwhile 14 minutes and 39 seconds I have ever spent.

It just goes to show that even after 70 years, there are jewels, gems, diamonds hidden out there. How wonderful for that man who, was obviously one of our quiet and forgotten heroes and how fantastic for us to be able to discover him.

Thank you so much for posting and congratulations to the the team who produced the film.

[WASALOADIE]

Very enjoyable! nice footage.

Mount Farm is next to Benson, just a small memorial there now.

[Basil]

Better than the P38 - Oooohh ;)
Spit can't make it to Berlin, eh? - almost got in a fight.
Didn't like ciggies but AA, meh . .

Great piece of historical film.

WASALOADIE, Mount Farm is next to Benson
Spent a year at BO and didn't know that.

[Andu]

I echo your feelings, strake.

I'd also like to look as fit and have as many of my marbles at age 91 as he displayed in that film. I have to admit to a misty eye when it got to the bit where he saw the film of his forced landing for the first time.

I really hope someone filmed the scene when his children and grandchildren got to watch the clip of his wheels up landing for the first time. (If it exists, I hope someone posts the link here.)

[Buster Hyman]

Great little film that. :ok: I reckon they may have been hoping for some emotional moment from the old boy, but they were made of sterner stuff back then.

Truly, did anyone know that there was a Spitfire flying to Berlin, loitering for 30 mins, and flying back to Blighty??? :D

[Hueymeister]

Wonderful film...made that guys day!

[PhilipG]

Wonderful film as said by others, does anyone know if any of the other film stock as seen at the beginning of the film has been similarly produced and if so how can it be viewed?

[TheWizard]

Some more detail on Mount Farm. Those familiar with Benson will know it today as where the village/town of Berinsfield sits. What a contrast to then and now!!

Mount Farm (http://www.pixture.co.uk/Pages/Mount%20Farm.htm)

http://www.pixture.co.uk/Selected%20Images/Mount%20Farm/Memorial.jpg

http://www.pixture.co.uk/Selected%20Images/Mount%20Farm/Memorial-plaque.jpg

[thorpey]

Worth watching

[tmmorris]

There's actually a small area of hard surface left at the far SW corner of the airfield, looks like the far end of the southwesterly runway and a turning circle. See google maps. The overall shape is quite clear from the air but perhaps only if you already know where to look...

Quite sobering when you realise how close Benson, Chalgrove, Mount Farm, Abingdon, Culham and Harwell are together - and this wasn't even a very busy bit of airspace in the war.

Tim

[Duplo]

now that is an awesome story and a cool movie.. well done all...

[TomJoad]

Outstanding, what a gentleman. He retold that story so lucidly, it could have happened yesterday. We owe these guys such a debt. I'm showing this to the kids in school tomorrow, they should be aware of this. Thanks for sharing it ricardin.

[Dan Winterland]

Thanks for that.

[ricardian]

Don't thank me, thank the chap who posted it to the RAF Boy Entrant Association email list.

[CoffmanStarter]

Wonderful piece :D:D:D:D

[Blue Bottle]

Wow, great short film, and it made his day...

[SASless]

Amazing film on so many levels!

Unarmed...Alone...over Berlin making repeated passes overhead multiple Targets....all told matter of factly!

[fallmonk]

The internet gets twisted for some strange uses BUT this has got to one of the best uses i have ever seen.The look on that mans face is priceless when he figures out the pictures and film are him !
Thank you for sharing this with us .
Dont think we can ever thank people like him enough ever, How brave do you need to be to fly a single engine aircraft over enemy territory not to mention it was in a UNARMED aircraft !
Ps i had no idea a spit could go so far , its always been portrayed as a "point defence" fighter

[kokpit]

Truly, did anyone know that there was a Spitfire flying to Berlin, loitering for 30 mins, and flying back to Blighty???

As a PI, yes, but still an incredible video!

I can only echo the sentiments of those before me.

Thanks for posting.

[Neptunus Rex]

Colonel Blyth is one heroic gentleman. Apart from his proven courage and flying skills, what about his outstanding feats of navigation, able to pinpoint several targets per sortie, time and time again?

[Dengue_Dude]

I blame the hay-fever - don't half make your eyes water.

Thank you. What a modest man . . .

[SirToppamHat]

I may have mentioned this before, but it's worth another post for those interested in what these guys were up to. Most of the PI work was undertaken at RAF Medmenham, not far from Benson. This book is a very good read on the subject:

Spies in the Sky by Taylor Downing.

I commend it to anyone with an interest in PR.

STH

[pru1]

Thanks a million Ricardian,
Saw Pilot Blythe on TV film documentary on Op. Crossbow I think.last year and this and contacted his son on another site last year. Fantastic to see that film has survived as never seen a movie on Mount Farm. The Ridgeway Boys will be interested as they have lots of info of the WW2 site, used to travel everyday on way to work in Oxford bypassing the memorial to the USAAF there. Pity Adrian Warburton didnt take advice they were given in April 1944 and fly a Spit but would he have survived? Some WW2 RAF Veterans were mystified about an RAF Pilot flying a P38 just as some were puzzled about the USAAF flying Spits. In fact Warby gave some USAAF personnel an impromptu display on the P38 while in N.Africa I think. Had long argument with cousin about Spits, flying to Europe et al as he also didnt believe they could fly so far and carry so much fuel etc. Refused to be convinced even said it must be Veterans fantasy until I showed him info from Eddie Leafs book. Fantastic to think they flew so high.. One Mossie navigator told me he saved his Pilots life. They felt quite wonderful and somewhat sleepy when he noticed just in time that his Pilot was nearly nodding off and that the air supply hose was detached.!
No Museum display to the PRU's or SOE yet so couldnt show my grandson a PR A/C so gave him a model instead.Millions spent on that old celluloid hero and roue 007. SHAME, So many still unaware. Amazing to think that even pigeons were used with tiny cameras strapped on in early days and what those films looked like.??

[El Grifo]

Brilliant !

Q. No bullet proof glass I notice.

A. the figured if the enemy got as close as the you had no chance anyway. :D

This made me wonder if this Spitfire photo recce squadron could have anything to do with my Spitfire crash landing in Scotland search.

http://www.pprune.org/military-aircrew/474261-spitfire-crash-landing-scotland-ww11.html

There are several "intelligence" connections arising in the search and may help explain Mr Raasch´s reticence and early exit from the town.

[Al R]

I enjoyed that; a modest man with superb powers of recollection. No fuss either - just the facts.

"I figured my dance card wasn't full until I had been to Berlin".

Nice. :cool:

[VIProds]

Brilliant footage of Blythe. A friend of mine, who is 94 this month volunteered to fly Mosquitoes for the PRU at Benson. He converted to Spitfires & was sent to St Eval in Cornwall where he would regularly fly down the occupied French coast filming Harbours & Submarine Pens all the way down to the Spanish Boarder.

On a couple of occasions, he was chased by ME109's but as he was unarmed, he would head West out to sea. He said the German pilots in single engine aircraft didn't seem to like flying out to sea, so would turn back, thank goodness!

[just another jocky]

"Every pilot should fly a Spitfire"......I wish.

ie3SrjLlcUY

[NutLoose]

I got page not found

[David Bass]

ie3SrjLlcUY

[NutLoose]

Thanks that works, and welcome to the forums ;)

[David Bass]

Been lurking, and glad to be of service.

In my opinion, the film shows the very best characteristics of the World War II generation. It is well worth 15 minutes of your time.

[just another jocky]

Thanks DB....how do you embed YT like that? :ok:

[ABL262]

Agree DB, Absolutely brilliant short film ... what humility considering such great achievements!

[sisemen]

how do you embed YT like that?

Easy.

Just above the blank space for a 'reply post' you will see an icon on the right of the tool bar marked "YouTube". Click on that and you will see: [/YOU..]

in the middle of the resulting bracketed text you need to paste the identifier of the youtube clip you want i.e.:

http://www......youtube.com/watch?v=89lkvtJUI4E
(extra dots put in after www to stop the clip appearing!)

However, you need to remove everything prior to, and including the =

So, in the instance quoted you would see [YOUTUBE]89lkvtJUI4E[/YOU....]

thus giving you:

[YOUTUBE]89lkvtJUI4E

[just another jocky]

uffy - so good, it was posted twice. :ugh: Thanks.

siseman - thank you. :ok:

[Wholigan]

All you now need to do is copy the youtube clip URL and paste it directly into your post.

[chopd95]

A privilege to watch. Humility and courage defined.

[MrBernoulli]

A delightful little movie! Wonderful to hear and see the amazement of the PR Spitfire pilot when he realises the movie clip is of him. :D

[racedo]

Thanks

Not seen it before but if something is good and reposted again then I always forgive (aside from reposted jokes in JB :mad:).

[Tankertrashnav]

This is not new, having been filmed in 2005, but I hadn't seen it before so I thought it was worth sharing. The moment when the 83 year old sees himself aged 19 for the very first time is priceless. As a former navigator, the ability to go off alone in daylight in an unarmed and unescorted aircraft and find his target to photograph just leaves me lost in admiration.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/ie3SrjLlcUY

[Thud_and_Blunder]

That has been the best 14 and a half minutes I've spent in a long, long time. Like the OP, I am lost in admiration for someone with those skills; the icing on the cake was his approach to his task (half an hour in daylight over Berlin in a Spitfire because only one camera was working? just...wow). For him to then see the footage, and for the crew's respectful depiction of the occasion, was utterly brilliant. Thank you.

[megan]

A search for "Spitfire 944" will bring up a number of past threads, it's certainly a great story that deserves repeating.

[PlasticCabDriver]

Certainly does, I’d never seen it before.