453 Sqn Spitfire wreck is found 66 years on
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453 Sqn Spitfire wreck is found 66 years on
Flight Lieutenant Henry Lacy Smith was shot down by the Germans five days after D-Day on a mission supporting the Allied invasion in Normandy.
His last radio message to comrades was: ‘I’m going to put this thing down in a field.’
But the Australian’s plane then nose-dived into the sea and he was designated ‘missing believed killed’.
His last radio message to comrades was: ‘I’m going to put this thing down in a field.’
But the Australian’s plane then nose-dived into the sea and he was designated ‘missing believed killed’.
Flight Lieutenant Smith was leading three Spitfires patrolling the beach area five days after the Normandy invasion began when he crashed.
Fellow pilots said German anti-aircraft fire ‘came up in front of the aircraft from a wood’ and his Spitfire was hit by flak ‘in the belly’.
Their report said: ‘He continued to glide in a westerly direction towards Ouistreham. His aircraft finally struck water and skidded for a short period and then nosed into the water, finally turning over comparatively slowly on its back.’ No one saw the cockpit hood open, suggesting that he never managed to escape.
The plane was finally recovered thanks to Brigitte Corbin, 49, and her husband Fabrice, 50, who run a D-Day museum at Ouistreham.
They spent days digging out mud from around the Spitfire before it was raised to the surface with flotation bags and taken to the yacht club at Merville-Franceville.
Mrs Corbin said: ‘We would like to see the bones of Henry Lacy Smith the hero buried with full military honours here in France. We feel as French people that we owe this to his family. He died for us.’
Fellow pilots said German anti-aircraft fire ‘came up in front of the aircraft from a wood’ and his Spitfire was hit by flak ‘in the belly’.
Their report said: ‘He continued to glide in a westerly direction towards Ouistreham. His aircraft finally struck water and skidded for a short period and then nosed into the water, finally turning over comparatively slowly on its back.’ No one saw the cockpit hood open, suggesting that he never managed to escape.
The plane was finally recovered thanks to Brigitte Corbin, 49, and her husband Fabrice, 50, who run a D-Day museum at Ouistreham.
They spent days digging out mud from around the Spitfire before it was raised to the surface with flotation bags and taken to the yacht club at Merville-Franceville.
Mrs Corbin said: ‘We would like to see the bones of Henry Lacy Smith the hero buried with full military honours here in France. We feel as French people that we owe this to his family. He died for us.’
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Aircraft was a Spit LF IXB (Merlin 66 engine) as Henry suggests. MJ789 33MU 20-12-43 403S 31-1-44 453S FTR ops 11-6-44
Last edited by Brian Abraham; 18th Nov 2010 at 03:21. Reason: insert B
