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| Date: | Friday 22 March 1940 |
| Time: | 12:40 LT |
| Type: |  Supermarine Spitfire PR IB |
| Owner/operator: | PDU RAF |
| Registration: | N3069 |
| MSN: | 358 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | west of the 's-Gravenwaardsedijk dyke, Herwen, Gelderland -
 Netherlands
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Stradishall, Suffolk |
Spitfire Mk.Ia N3069 (c/no.358). First Flown 10-10-39. Delivered to the RAF at 6 MU 12-10-39. Issued to the PDU at Heston Aircraft Ltd and Converted to Spitfire PR. Mk.IA. To RAE Farnborough 20-10-39 for handling trials. Returned to PDU Heston 18-1-40 after upgrades and modifications to Spitfire PR.1B specification.
On the morning of 22 March, took off at 11:15 local time, for a photo recce operation over Germany.
Spitfire N3069 PDU RAF was intercepted and shot down by fighter pilot Leutnant Harald Jung of the I./JG 20, who was flying a Bf 109E-1 from Bönninghardt Sud airfield in Germany. The aircraft crashed near the small village of Herwen some 25 km east of Arnhem, near the German border. Pilot - Flying Officer (39147) Claude Mervyn WHEATLEY, RAF - bailed out, but was killed when he hit the tailplane of his Spitfire and subsequently failed to open his parachute.
Officially struck off charge due to a "Flying Accident" 1-8-40. P/O Wheatley was interred in Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Germany
Sources:
https://www.facebook.com/SpitfireN3069
Archive Sander Woonings/ Spitfire PR IB N3069 - Remembering Flying Officer Mervyn Wheatley.
http://www.spitfires.ukf.net/p002.htm
http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/aircraft-picture-requests/spitfire-n3069-photo-search-22826.html
http://yourarchives.nationalarchives.gov.uk/index.php?title=AIR_20/5749
http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?1854-F-0-C.M.-Wheatley-39147-22-03-1940-Germany
https://verliesregister.studiegroepluchtoorlog.nl/rs.php?aircraft=&sglo=T0012&date=&location=&pn=&unit=&name=&cemetry=&airforce=&target=&area=&airfield=
LW claims by Michael Balss
Google Maps
Media:
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Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 17-Dec-2008 11:45 | ASN archive | Added |
| 26-Feb-2010 01:12 | penguin832 | Updated [Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative, ] |
| 02-Dec-2010 07:21 | Anon. | Updated [Source, ] |
| 25-Dec-2011 05:19 | Nepa | Updated [Aircraft type, Narrative, ] |
| 06-May-2012 15:06 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Cn, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 04-Nov-2012 17:13 | angels one five | Updated [Aircraft type, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 17-Jun-2013 17:49 | Nepa | Updated [Aircraft type, Departure airport, Destination airport, ] |
| 25-Feb-2020 13:38 | TigerTimon | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative, ] |
| 25-Feb-2020 13:40 | TigerTimon | Updated [Source, ] |
| 25-Feb-2020 17:16 | Xindel XL | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Other fatalities, Embed code, Narrative, Operator, ] |
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