Artist Impression of captured Corsair.[1]
BuNo 56187 was a Chance-Vought F4U-1A Corsair II[2]
History
First Delivered to the Royal Navy in November 1943, joining 732 Sdn at Brunswick, USA,[3] becoming JT404.[1]
While involved in an anti-submarine patrol from HMS Formidable, as part of 1841 Squadron, JT404 was enroute to Scapa after Operation Mascot against the German Battleship Tirpitz, in company with Barracuda of Wing Leader Lt Cdr RS Baker-Falkner, when it was forced to make an emergency landing in a field at Sorvag, Hameroy, near Bodo, Norway on 18 July 1944. The pilot, Lt Mattholie, became a POW, and the aircraft was captured intact with no damage. [N 1]
The aircraft was ferried by boat for further investigation. It is not known if the Corsair was taken to Germany, although the aircraft was listed at Rechlin in 1944 under repair. This was probably the first Corsair captured by the Germans.[4]
Notes
- ↑ The German authorities made attempts to get the pilot to explain how to fold the wings so as to transport the aircraft to Narvik.