It all started with a model Bf110G4.........

[mozart]

2 hours ago, kkarlsen said:

Love this kind of stuff Max!

 

Kent

Agreed Kent, absolutely fascinating, and of course you're in the right country for some of the wartime Nachtjagd bases!  The Belgian IPMS statement is a very good one indeed Jens, very appropriate. 

 

So the final, dramatic picture, bringing the two main characters together in a moment of time:

 

Camera-gun stills from Plumer's Mosquito NT377 shooting down Barthel's Bf110G4 G9+KC.  Two pictures clearly show that the cannon shells hit the 110's starboard wing not the port as Barthel stated in his interrogation.

 

It's been a wonderful short journey of research, the only outstanding question for me is the full squadron code of NT377.  410 squadron code was RA but there's no clue online that I can find of the individual aircraft letter.  She was transferred to the Belgian Air Force post-war but even that documentation doesn't reveal the info.  Ah well.

 

Hannes words in an email to me, taken slightly out of context but the meaning is clear:

 

"......Shows our younger generation what a waste it was to send these 2 young men against each other into combat, luckily both survived and had children and grandchildren."

 

Closes things off quite nicely.

Edited June 14, 2020 by mozart

[alaninaustria]

Wow, what a historic journey! Thanks for sharing!

Cheers

Alan

[mozart]

Thank you. 

 

I thought it was worth sharing Alan, though I did think about it for quite a while before doing so, but I knew there would be LSP members who would appreciate the story.

[RLWP]

3 hours ago, mozart said:

 

"......Shows our younger generation what a waste it was to send these 2 young men against each other into combat, luckily both survived and had children and grandchildren."

 

 

 

I'm trying to think what I did in my 20's

 

Great story, thank you Max and Hannes

 

Richard

[mozart]

.....and Rod Richard, he was central to the success of the quest. 

[Gazzas]

Thank you, Max!

[spacewolf]

That was amazing and VERY interesting ! I'm glad both survived and had families. So many of these stories are lost, grampa's stuff in the attic thrown out because it's just old papers & junk....

 

Thanks so much for sharing this !!

 

Vaughn

[Shawn M]

do i smell a model build coming up Max?

Great story, love to read about us going down the rabbit hole of history, it always starts with a spark.

[mozart]

1 hour ago, Shawn M said:

do i smell a model build coming up Max?

Great story, love to read about us going down the rabbit hole of history, it always starts with a spark.

I'd quite like to do the Mosquito Shawn but it's a "bull-nosed" NF Mk 30 and I don't think there's any AM available for the Tamiya kit (which I have waiting) AND the Merlin 72 with the two-stage two-speed super charger, so "No", not at the moment.  Glad you enjoyed the story though. 

[monthebiff]

Wonderful story Max and just love this sort of thing and like you one of my favourite aircraft  

Thank you for sharing.

 

Regards. Andy 

[mozart]

Thanks Andy, very much appreciated.