Wind Sock
6th Dec 2018, 17:19
I saw the television documentary 'Churchill's Bodyguard' and I was intrigued by one of the episodes which focused on Chuchill's travels in a Liberator.
It was suggested, I think, that his own bodyguard, Walter Thompson, put the aircraft out of action as a way saving Churchill from being shot down on his journey back to England.
It stated that the 'rotor was removed from the distributer cap'.
This storyline was also repeated in this article:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1503498/Churchill-had-his-plane-sabotaged-to-protect-code-secret.html
I understood that the Liberator like most aircraft of that era had a magneto ignition system. ( unlike a car engine for example)
As such surely Thompson could not have just walked up to the aircraft unnoticed and disable the ignition system(s) just like that!
It was suggested, I think, that his own bodyguard, Walter Thompson, put the aircraft out of action as a way saving Churchill from being shot down on his journey back to England.
It stated that the 'rotor was removed from the distributer cap'.
This storyline was also repeated in this article:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1503498/Churchill-had-his-plane-sabotaged-to-protect-code-secret.html
I understood that the Liberator like most aircraft of that era had a magneto ignition system. ( unlike a car engine for example)
As such surely Thompson could not have just walked up to the aircraft unnoticed and disable the ignition system(s) just like that!