Date:	Thursday 25 April 1940
Time:	day
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire PR.III
Owner/operator:	212 Sqn RAF
Registration:	N3071
MSN:	360
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Großbettlingen, district of Esslingen, Baden-Württemberg -   Germany
Phase:	Combat
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Heston, Middlesex
Destination airport:

Narrative:
First Flown 11-10-39. To RAF at 27MU Shawbury 12-10-39. To A&AEE Boscombe Down 25-10-39 comparison trials with Spitfire K9793 of the PDU. To Heston Aircaft Ltd and Converted to Spitfire PR.III (modifications included 2xF24 vertical cameras (one per wing) and repainted in pale green Camotint overall). First Photo-Recce Spitfire on operational sortie to Aachen, Germany, 18-11-39 from Lille, France.Flown by Ft/Lt Maurice 'Shorty' Longbottom. Housed in hangar 'Special Survey Flight'; second sortie 20-11-39. To RAE for trials. To 212 Squadron (presumably on formation on 10-2-40)**

Damaged by Bf 109 on Photo Recce mission and crashed at Großbettlingen, district of Esslingen, in Baden-Württemberg, near Stuttgart (at approximate Coordinates: 48°35′25″N 9°18′32″E) on 21-4-40; Pilot Flying Officer C D Milne: bailed out, survived, captured and taken as prisoner of war

**In early 1940 a detachment from the Photographic Development Unit was sent to Meaux, France, and was designated No. 212 Squadron on 10 February 1940. Operating the Spitfire and Blenheim it flew strategic reconnaissance sorties over Germany until being evacuated to Britain following the fall of France. It was disbanded on 18 June 1940.

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft L1000-N9999 (James J. Halley, Air Britain)
2. Matusiak, Wojtek. Merlin PR Spitfires (Classic Warbirds No. 10). Wellington, New Zealand: Ventura Publications, 2007. ISBN 978-0-9582296-2-3.
3. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/170: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14141971
4. http://allspitfirepilots.org/aircraft/N3071
5. https://www.worldwarphotos.info/gallery/uk/raf/spitfire5/spitfire-n3071-lilly-1939/
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermarine_Spitfire_(early_Merlin-powered_variants)#Early_reconnaissance_(PR)_variants
7. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p002.html
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._212_Squadron_RAF
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gro%C3%9Fbettlingen

F.24 Camera installation in the wing of Spitfire N3071, PRDU RAF Heston 1939 THE ROYAL AIRCRAFT ESTABLISHMENT, FARNBOROUGH, 1939-1945. © IWM (C 5472)

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
10-Jun-2019 21:54	Dr. John Smith	Added
10-Jun-2019 21:55	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Location]
11-Jun-2019 05:49	stehlik49	Updated [Operator]