après le profil de Beaufighter quelques photos
à savoir que cette unité était utilisée pour la chasse de nuit ainsi que la 414,415 et 416th NFS
417 Night Fighter Squadron USAAF
2 photos en vrac
celle ci sur un aérodrome en Corse dixit le texte situé dessus en légende
avion du 415th
avion du 416th
un livre en a été tiré de cette escadrille
et je pense le même avec une face représentant cette fois des avions aux cocardes étoilées et non Anglaises
et voici un lien où l'on parle des crashs des "Beau" dont voici un extrait ci dessous 2 étaient stationnés à Le Vallon et 3 en Corse à Borgo
http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?t=763
voici l'extrait pour les amateurs:
7 July 1944, Ligurian Sea off Bastia, Corsica at 0023 hours, Beaufighter VI ND167, XII Ftr. Comd, 63rd Ftr Wing, 417 Night Ftr Sq. , Crew: Guy N. Wilson, 2nd Lt., and Emery R. Berry, F/O
Weather: Scattered clouds, visibility 10-15 miles. cleared from Borgo to Borgo on local patrol. What seems to have been a blown jughead on the starboard engine was of sufficient intensity to lose the engine cowling (starboard engine blew up). This coupled with pilot's inability to move the rudder trim tab only one-fourth turn, altitude could not be maintained. Considerable vibration was set up even after prop had been feathered. Full aileron and rudder was not enough to bring the right wing out of a ten degree dip. A twenty degree port turn into the moon's path, aircraft hit water with one skip at about 130 mph and quickly sank. Being a complete mechanical failure, it is believed the pilot handled the situation quite well.
15 August 1944, Borgo Airdrome, Corsica, time 2028 hours, Beaufighter VI-F KW203, 63rd Fighter Wing. 417 Night Fighter Squadron. Crew Lt. Samuel C. Rial, and F/O James W. Chelf.
Weather: Good. Visibility fair, slight haze. Cleared from Borgo to Borgo for local flying. Lt. Rial was landing to the north. The landing was long, pilot having used about half of the 4,500 foot runway before touching down. He tried to use the brakes to stop in remaining distance, finally swinging to starboard. Starboard undercarriage buckled, causing damage to starboard wing and prop. Damage: Starboard main plane and propeller.
23 July 1944, APO 850, time 1210 hours, Beaufighter KW125, 12th TAC group 415 Night Fighter Squadron, APO 650
Crew: Lt. Wallace C. Gould, T/Sgt Walter J. Olson, and Sgt. Ivan E. Miller.
Weather CAVU, gusty cross wind, Cleared from Borgo, Corsica to Salenzara, Corsica to ferry parts. After being advised from control tower of strong, gusty crosswinds, pilot made a normal landing with proper flap setting. After rolling approximately 100 yards on the runway, the cross-wind caught his tail causing the plane to veer off the runway about 30 degrees. The runway had been built in a field of rock and uneven terrain. If an aircraft leaves the runway it is impossible to prevent from "washing it out". Pilot used good judgment in collapsing wheels before hitting a five-foot embankment. Due to nature of control of Beaufighter-type aircraft , they are extremely difficult to control during landing in strong crosswinds. Damage: Fuselage broken, port wing, undercarriage, sudden stoppage, both twisted and bent.
5 December 1944, 3 miles west of leValon Airdrome, France, time 1322 hours, Beaufighter Mk V ND296, 414th Night Fighter Squadron. Pilot, Lt. Joseph E. Davis. Major injury.
Weather: Good. Cleared from leVallon for local test flight. At 1322 hours, Wastenot 78 took off to the northwest in Beaufighter ND296. He continued straight ahead for a while then made a turn to port. The starboard engine blew up. One section of the ring cowling was seen to blow off starboard engine. Pilot feathered starboard prop and attempted to circle and land. Just as the tower operator glanced down the runway at the next plane about to taxi out, Wastenot 78 called in and spoke of coming on on single-engine. The tower radioed the runway was all clear for him and the Beau about to takeoff stayed clear. The crash wagon and ambulance drivers warmed up their engines. Sighting 78 through binoculars, the tower operator noticed his starboard engine was dead and that he was losing altitude. Hoping for a successful belly landing, the plane descended and crashed (roughly10 miles to the west of the tower. He hit the ground and flames leaped up immediately. The crash wagon and ambulance had already pulled out for the scene and operations were notified.
The absence of one section of cowling and failure of one engine made aircraft aerodynamically unstable and caused loss of altitude and crash. Failure of cowling cable caused loss of cowling. Damage: complete loss due to crash and fire.
28 November 1944, LeVallon Airdrome, France, time 2040 hours, Beaufighter VI-F ND280. XII AF command, 417 Night Fighter Squadron. Crew: Lt. Hyrum J. Allen, and Lt. Frank s. Campbell
Weather Good. Cleared from leVallon to leVallon on an operational patrol. Pilot on routine patrol when he noticed rise in oil temperature and fall in oil pressure on starboard engine. Pilot proceeded back to base favoring bad engine. As the oil temperature had not exceeded prescribed limits and while oil pressure was low, engine appeared to be reliable. Pilot proceeded to make a normal approach for landing. As pilot dropped flaps for landing, engine failed causing loss of control and subsequent crash.
On final approach he almost reached runway when he decided he was a little too high and dropped his flaps. As flaps began to lower, engine suddenly cut out, resulting in such a drop in air speed that the good engine was insufficient to hold aircraft for even the short space needed to reach the runway. He nosed down to prevent stalling and made a crash landing approximately 100 yards short of the runway. Damage: complete wreck.
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