Crashed Spitfire 64 Squadron ? - ebay photo find

A rather macabre series of pictures taken of the crash site of Spitfire coded SH-L. The dead pilot lies alongside the wreckage seen here being inspected by a high-ranking German ace. The entire series of pics is currently offered on Ebay (link below)

I'm surprised Ebay still has these photos on display. I am probably not the only one to find them slightly disturbing; German personnel having a nice chat within a few steps of a dead pilot, with no thought of either covering him up, or removing him for burial. My intention in posting them here is that they could provide an answer to a long-forgotten MIA perhaps.. Sad to think that somewhere out there may be a distant relative still wondering what happened to the pilot. Of course it is entirely possible that having checked out the aircraft the Luftwaffe would have notified the Red Cross and the family would have eventually been informed of their loss... RIP

http://www.ebay.de/itm/M-306-Absturz-Englische-Jager-Flugzeug-mit-Kennung-SH-und-Flieger-Pilot-/301442600956?pt=Militaria&hash=item462f610ffc


(edit- see link posted below for more info on the loss of this 64 Sqd pilot, P/O John Rowden
- note the Luftwaffe personnel are from JG 51 and the Spitfire came down on their own airfield, Mardyck near Dunkirk. In the pictures can be seen Hauptmann Josef Fözö, who may have shot the Spitfire down. John Rowden is buried in Dunkirk Town Cemetery, France.)

Abgeschossener-Englaender-Tomi-Jagdflugzeug - shot down Spitfire and Battle

"...Shot down English fighter .."

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Original-Foto-LW-Abgeschossen-Englander-Tomi-Jagdflugzeug-Soldaten-Flugzeug-WK2-/310513142414?pt=Militaria&hash=item484c068a8e#ht_500wt_1288

Rare view of a captured Caudron Simoun

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Foto-Soldat-Beute-Flugzeug-Plane-Kennung-Bloch-Frankreich-84-/230887489415?pt=Militaria&hash=item35c1f77f87#ht_1056wt_1063

http://www.ebay.de/itm/org-Foto-Frankreich-Flugzeug-Tarn-/251188481828?pt=Militaria&hash=item3a7c000f24#ht_2260wt_1008

http://www.ebay.de/itm/2-Fotos-russisches-Flugzeug-IL-2-Kennung-65-Jagdgeschwader-3-Gorstschetnoje-/300822322876?pt=Militaria&hash=item460a685ebc#ht_3048wt_1151

2 original photos of an IL-2 Sturmovik shot down by Bf 109s of Jagdgeschwader 3 Udet, Ostfront - Russland / Gorstschetnoje - July 1942

2 PRU Spitfire crash-landed on Crete

As indicated in "Fighters over the Desert" two 2 PRU losses are recorded as taking place on September 22, 1942. Tony Wood's listing has the two Crete PRU losses as occurring on September 22, the morning one flown by P/O Ford being shot down at 0920 by Uffz Hanns Loffler and the afternoon mission flown by F/L Day shot down at 1520 by Uffz Moycis, both of 9/JG-27.
In FOTD the a/c flown by L/L Day and shot down by Uffz Moycis is reported as "....crash landing on the island after his attack" Since F/L Day was shot down into the sea, perhaps this airplane is the one flown by P/O Ford.

posted by Andy Fletcher on the rafcommands.com forum

"...I've rechecked the 2 PRU ORB and both the F.540 and F.541 agree on the dates of the losses:

22 Sep 42 - BP883 (P/O L.L. FORD)
23 Sep 42 - BR435 (F/L F.B. DAY)
30 Sep 42 - BR411 (F/O M.E. LENG)

P/O FORD's take off time from Kilo 8 is given as 07:30 (refuelling at Dekheyla [Dekheila])

F/L DAY's take off time from Kilo 8 is given as 06:30 (refuelling at Dekheyla [Dekheila]). Presumably the date (23rd) in DAY's obituary for his loss near Crete comes from the family and this ties in with the ORB.

I've also checked on http://spitfires.ukf.net for the loss dates.

22 Sep 42 - BP883, agrees with ORB
23 Sep 42 - BR435, agrees with ORB
22 Sep 42 - BR411, contredicts ORB but would indicate two 2 PRU losses on this date. However looking through the ORB BR411 is recorded as flying sorties on 22nd, 23rd, 26th, 28th and finally on the 30th. So 22 Sep 42 must be an error. 

According to the ORB 2 PRU flew only one sortie (P/O FORD) to Crete on 22 Sep 42 so the afternoon claim by Uffz MOYCIS wasn't against a 2 PRU aircraft..."