Alistair 'Sandy' Gunn was a reconnaissance pilot in WWII. In 1942 he took off in his Spitfire PRIV to photograph the Tirpitz in Trondheim fjord. Unfortunately he was shot down by a couple of Me109s and bailed out and was captured. He ended up in Stalag Luft III and was part of the famous Great Escape. Tragically he was one of 'the 50' escapees executed by German forces following their re-capture.
'Sandy's aircraft went on to crash in the Norwegian mountains where around 70% of the airframe was recovered many years later. The wreckage is now the basis of a restoration to flight which is hoped to be complete in 2027. Currently the fuselage from the firewall back is on display in the Manston Spitfire and Hurricane Museum as part of a fund raising campaign and I had a look earlier.
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