ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 114430
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| Date: | Thursday 1 February 1945 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  North American P-51K Mustang |
| Owner/operator: | 359th FGp /370th FSqn USAAF |
| Registration: | 44-11355 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | RAF East Wretham /AAF Sta.133, Norfolk, England -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Test |
| Departure airport: | RAF East Wretham /AAF Sta.133 Norfolk |
| RAF East Wretham |
On 1 February 1945, 1st Lt. Lawrence A Zizka of 370th FS, 359th FG was returning to his base of East Wrentham from a 90-minute test flight when his P-51K-1 44-11355 was caught in high winds on its approach to the airfield. The aircraft crashed and exploded in woods behind the Squadron Operations Building, and Zizka was killed. He had claimed 1.5 victories before his death and was 21 years old.
His death was reported in an article of the Mitchell County Press, on 1 November 1945, giving details about his family:
"Mike Moran has word of the death of his grandson, 1st Lt. Laurence Zizka, who was killed in England February 1. Lieutenant Zizka was a P-51 fighter pilot. He had been based in England six months, and had made many missions.
The message concerning his death read that he died in a plane crash.
He was the youngest son of Mrs. Laura Zizka, who was reared in Osage, and married here to Jack Zizka. They moved to Howell, Michigan a few years after their marriage where Mr. Zizka died seven years ago.
Mrs. Zizka has two other sons in the service - Raymond, now in New Guinea, and Richard, who has just entered the service and is at Memphis, Tennessee. The oldest son of the family, Robert, expects to be inducted in March. He is married and has two boys. Mrs. Ray Cummings, who lives north of Osage is Mrs. Zizka’s sister."
Sources:
“Osprey Aviation Elite Units 10: 359th Fighter Group”, by Jack H Smith, ISBN 1-84176-440-X
http://iagenweb.org/boards/mitchell/obituaries/index.cgi?read=395877
https://www.findagrave.com/page=gr&GRid=93289316
http://www.littlefriends.co.uk/359thfg.php?action=list_records&recs=50&sort_order=DESC&order_by=Squ&recs=All#tabletop
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_East_Wretham
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=52.469700&lon=0.821028&z=13&m=b
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 05-Feb-2016 11:02 | Laurent Rizzotti | Updated [Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 21-Nov-2018 08:35 | Laurent Rizzotti | Updated [Registration] |
| 23-Jan-2021 15:12 | Anon. | Updated [Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Operator] |
| 26-Jun-2023 20:48 | Nepa | Updated [[Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Operator]] |
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