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| Date: | Wednesday 23 August 1944 |
| Time: | 18:00 |
| Type: |  Hawker Typhoon Mk IB |
| Owner/operator: | 257 (Burma) Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | MN492 |
| MSN: | FM-T |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Llangennith Beach, Llangennith, Glamorgan, Wales -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Fairwood Common, Swansea, West Glamorgan, South Wales |
| Return. |
This Typhoon was built by Glosters at Hucclecote, and assigned to 257 Squadron as "FM-T". On a sortie from RAF Fairwood Common, the aircraft's windscreen oiled up and the pilot was forced to belly-land on the beach at Llangennith, Glamorgan, on 23rd August 1944. The aircraft came down on the inter-tidal zone (the area between the low tide and high tide points) and was subsequently overtaken by the tide. Aircraft thus written off (damaged beyond repair) due to prolonged immersion in salt water. Pilot, Flt Lt D P Jenkins, was slightly injured
Anniversary of air incidents of everything south of 52* 37’N and west of 3* 11’W (Wales).
Number: 395
Date: 23rd August 1944.
Location: Llangenith Beach.
Aircraft: Hawker Typhoon IB MN492 ‘FM-T’.
Squadron: 257 (Burma) RAF.
From: RAF Fairwood Common.
Mission: Training.
Details:
The Hawker Typhoon was single-seat, fighter-bomber designed against Air Ministry Specification F.18/37 issued in March 1938. A year earlier however, March 1937, Hawker Aircraft had pre-empted this by producing designs ahead of the specification's eventual release. Initial prototypes were named the Hawker Tornado and its story runs along very similar lines to that of the Typhoon. Affectionately known as the ‘Tiffie’, the Hawker Typhoon was intended as a high-speed, high-altitude interceptor-fighter to replace the Hawker Hurricane and the Supermarine Spitfire.
Of the two prototypes built, the first (P5212) was first flown on the 24th of February 1940 by Hawker Chief Test Pilot Philip Lucas and although initially unarmed, it was later fitted with twelve 0.303 Browning machine guns. After that initial test flight and during a following flight, alarmingly Lucas noticed that the aircraft had suffered a mid-air structural failure, but he refused to bail out, successfully returned to Langley and landed the important new prototype, winning the George Medal in the process.
Typhoon MN492 was built by Glosters at Hucclecote and assigned to 257 Squadron as "FM-T". She was heavily involved with the lead up to and after the D-Day landings. On the 5th, the squadron was tasked to attack Wuerzburg radars. ‘T’ was aloft on the 6th of June and being flown by F/Sgt B. Spragg, the squadron was tasked to patrol N.E. of Caen. The tally at the end of this day included Half Track personnel carriers, one staff car (Mercedes) all of which were being escorted by two Panzers. P/O D.P. Jenkins was flying Typhoon ‘G’. This is the markings that Eurofighter Typhoon II ZJ913 is displaying for this years (2024) display season, celebrating the 80th anniversary of the landings.
The days following D-Day saw the squadron claim other German armour including the
Sd. Kfz.231 8-Rad, an 8x8 wheeled armoured car and at least two Panzer III’s, Tigers, Panthers and all other sorts of soft skinned vehicles. MN492 flew on every day until the squadron was pulled off front line duties and went to RAF Fairwood Common, ‘A’ Flight arrived first on the 12th of August. Here the pilots of 257 squadron became somewhat of a celebrity status when word got around of their involvement in D-Day. The pilot’s accommodation was at Fairwood Lodge and within hours of them arriving and settling in, they made their way to the Langland Hotel for some R&R.
Soon the training began. They were here to evolve from the ‘bombing’ role to Rocket attack. Nearly every other evening after training they would graduate to the Langland Bay Hotel and or Swansea.
The ranges used for this purpose was in the area known as Broughton Burrows at Llangenith. Here there were various targets from simple canvas sheeting, oil drums and some old trucks, all scattered around the dunes.
Denzil Jenkins took off for RP ground training using concrete tipped rockets, and at 18:00hrs on the 23rd of August he had completed the exercise and was turning for home when the engine sprung a leak, spraying oil over the windscreen. Now in danger of the engine seizing, and not wanting to destroy a perfectly capable aircraft, he opted to make a forced landing on the beach between Danes Dyke and Spaniard Rocks. He made a perfect textbook wheels up landing. However, the location turned up to be in the wrong part of the tidal range. He put down on the inter-tidal zone (the area between the low tide and high tide points) and was subsequently overtaken by the tide before the recovery crews could get there. Thus, MN492 was written off due to prolonged immersion in salt water.
Crew:
Flt Lt Denzil Plummer Jenkins 22yo 170419 RAFVR. Pilot. Safe.
Son of Howell Basil Jenkins and Margret Plummer; husband of Pamela C.D. Jenkins (nee) Jenson.
Buried:
N/A.
Wreckage:
Because the tides beat the recovery crews, they had to wait almost ten hours for the tide to turn and retreat far enough to reveal the wrecked ‘Tiffy’ which now would have had wet sand in the airframe, which would have made it weigh nearly six tons. Without the suction of the sand, this would make recovery extremely difficult. By the time the crews extracted enough sand to remove the guns, the tide would have returned, engulfing the aircraft again. It is presumed they left it in situ to become a target along with the Battle, further along towards Burry Holmes. Over the years, the constantly shifting sands have swallowed up the remains.
Maybe one day, the sands will give up its aircraft here just has ‘The Maid of Harlech’ appeared not so long ago. There are remains of shipwrecks becoming uncovered all along the beach from ‘Spaniard Rocks’ all the way along to the cliffs at Rhossili.
Additional Information:
Denzil Plummer Jenkins was born on the 2nd of February 1922 at New Barn Farm, Eglwys Brewis, a mile outside what turned into RAF St Athan in the Vale of Glamorgan. He passed away during March 1991 in Ogwr/Bridgend (The borough of Pen-y-Bont Ar Ogwr), Glamorgan aged 69.
The following is the recommendation for the award of the DFC on the 29th of December 1944.
"Squadron Leader Jenkins is the Commanding Officer of No.257 (Burma) Squadron, operating as Typhoon Fighter Bombers in Belgium and Holland in support of the Army. He joined the Squadron in August 1943, as a Flight Sergeant Pilot, was commissioned in January 1944, became a Flight Commander in August, and Squadron Commander on 14th October, thus proving his worth in this meteoric rise. When he had completed his training as a Pilot, he was appointed an Instructor at Ternhill S.F.T.S., and served there for two years. His continual requests for an operational posting were not immediately granted. In February 1943, he was posted to Gibraltar where for over six months as a Leader of formations of eight aircraft he ferried 250 Hurricanes IIc aircraft to Cairo, for the Russian campaign, losing only one aircraft during that time. In addition to carrying out both high- and low-level dive-bombing attacks against a wide variety of targets, including Shipping, Noball sites, Bridges, Gun Positions, Railway Marshalling Yards, Trains, Airfields, etc., he has successfully completed over 40 Sorties with R/P directed against enemy communications, Tanks, AFV's and Met, Radar Stations, Chateaux used as H.Q., and Tunnels housing long range Railway Guns. On all these missions’ intense flak was encountered, but despite this he invariably pressed home his attack to the limit, in order to ensure the complete success of the operation, without regard for his own personal safety. He nobly played his part in the vital preparations for the |invasion, the destruction of enemy Radar from Cap Gris Nez to Cap de la Hague, thus effectively screening the approach of our vast Armada on "D" Day. As a Squadron Commander his intense keenness, tremendous vitality and enthusiasm for work are an inspiring example to his Squadron Pilots and under his fine leadership a happier or more efficient Squadron would be difficult to find."
Taken from ‘A History of the Coral Welsh Grand National.’
1st entry.
“1895 The first Welsh Grand National, held at Cardiff's Ely Racecourse, is won by Tom Cannon's Deerstalker.
1965 Former Welsh point-to-pointer Norther partnered by Terry Biddlecombe scores by a length from Quintina. Norther's trainer Denzil Jenkins, of Cowbridge, as Sqn Ldr Jenkins, DFC, had commanded a squadron of fighter pilots during the war and had 192 flying operations to his credit.
2009 Dream Alliance bred on an allotment scores a surprise win for a syndicate of Welsh owners.
(The basis of a recent movie).”
By Brian Lee
Channel 4 Racing: Channel 4’s coverage of the Coral Welsh Grand National.
Memorials:
Extract from the ‘Corgi’ community web page.
“On Monday 22nd April 2024, the eyes of the aviation enthusiast world were firmly fixed on the closed doors of one of the hardened aircraft shelters at RAF Coningsby, as the Royal Air Force Typhoon Display Team prepared to unveil a new scheme on one of their Typhoon jets, one which was intended to mark this year’s 80th Anniversary of the historic D-Day landings. As the doors opened in suitably dramatic fashion, they slowly revealed Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4 ZJ913 resplendent in her new livery, one which took inspiration from an RAF No.257 Squadron Hawker Typhoon, one which was flown by Squadron Leader Denzil Jenkins in support of the D-Day landings back in 1944. Flying many missions in the weeks leading up to D-Day, Jenkins also led a raid against enemy radar sites across the northern French coast immediately prior to invasion, effectively blinding the Germans and keeping the approaching Allied armada secret for a few vital minutes longer.”
Promotions:
? Warrant Officer
3 January 1944: Pilot Officer on Probation (emergency)
3 July, 1944: Flying Officer (war sub)
24 January 1945: Flight Lieutenant
Sources:
1. Halley, J J, 1991, Royal Air Force Aircraft MA100 to MZ999, p 85
2. http://www.ggat.org.uk/timeline/pdf/Military%20Aircraft%20Crash%20Sites%20in%20Southeast%20Wales.pdf
3. https://ms-my.facebook.com/hawkertyphoonRB396/photos/there-were-5-recorded-losses-on-this-day-in-1943-1944-and-1945-with-2-pilots-saf/2188046214743980/
www.channel4.com
www.uk.corg.co.uk
www.ancestry.co.uk
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk.
www.ancestry.co.uk
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-May-2019 00:22 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 24-May-2019 13:18 | stehlik49 | Updated [Operator, ] |
| 18-Jul-2021 12:21 | TB | Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Operator, ] |
| 25-Jul-2024 06:04 | Davies 62 | Updated [Time, Nature, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ] |
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