Warbird Information Exchange

Two classics ...

RCAF Flying Officer Lewis E. Park Jr., from Kansas City, Missouri, flew Hawker Typhoon's with RCAF No. 438 City of Montreal "Wildcat" Fighter-Bomber Squadron in WW II. At 1830 hours on June 27, 1944, while on a bombing sortie in "Tiffy" MN746 at 8,000' over the river Orne, near Caen, France, his aircraft took a direct large calibre flak hit in the cockpit area. The aircraft exploded and no trace of FO Park was ever found. Park, is pictured on his Norton motorcycle next to his Wing Commanders aircraft.

Continue to RIP F/O Park Jr.


L. E. PARK (KIA 27 June 1944) of No. 438 Squadron RCAF with his motorcycle in front of the Typhoon of Robert Tremayne Pillsbury DAVIDSON, CO of No. 143 Wing RCAF. Note the flags for victories he claimed, two italians, two germans and two japanese.

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Zero Surprise!!...

Whilst on the subject of Typhoons ...

Here's another interesting photo.

Photo states: "The picture shows another 182 Squadron aircraft force landed at an airfield and in the process of being recovered. It can be seen just how rugged the Typhoon really is, the long groove in the airfield at XM-K came to rest and seemingly suffering only bent props and damaged radiator. In the process of being recovered other aircraft can be seen in the background also being recovered, it seems that one has suffered an undercarriage collapse and I8-J a forced landing.
This is potentially RB202 XM-K at B.78, 24 March 45 F/L Pattison hit by flak and lost hydraulic pressure and repair not completed. I8-J was recorded as the 24 March 1945 when the Tyre burst on take-off and swung causing the undercarriage to collapse and repair not completed. The third Typhoon is not really clear however, RB341 EL-R swung on landing at B.78 and repair not completed on the 25th March. The doubt here is that would this aircraft actually be that close to two other airframes during take-off?"

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Zero Surprise!!...

Thanks for posting both Scott and Mark; you've got to love anything with THAT engine, but the Typhoon really was something special wasn't it?

Great pictures, I'd never seen a Typhoon with Japanese or even Italian kill marks on it before! RIP Lewis E. Park.

The Norton appears to be a CS1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norton_CS1

Without your photograph Mark we would have not known that this human being had even existed. Thank you.

Unfortunately far too many others as well.

Here's a batch of busted Typhoons ... Apologies if I don't have the back stories on a few of the photos.


Hawker Typhoon Mark IB MN659 I8 E of No 440 Squadron RCAF which suffered a collapsed undercarriage on landing after a sortie.




Frikkie Wiersum's crashed Typhoon, Germany 1944


Frikkie Wiersum's crashed Typhoon, Germany 1944


Frikkie Wiersum's crashed Typhoon, Germany 1944


26-Nov-1944, JP677 QC-P, 168 Squadron, F L J.K Brown, force landed on Brighton beach


Babs VI', a Typhoon of No 174 Squadron, coded XP-K, was photographed at Volkel on 9 February 1945

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Zero Surprise!!...

Great photos, thank you for putting them up.

More excellent and interesting pictures, thanks for sharing. Some very hairy looking incidents there. Seeing the pics of mangled SW450 HH-L I have to say I feared the worst, but a bit of Googling reveals the following from the Hawker Typhoon Preservation Group F'book page under the heading of "Pilot Safe":

"11-May-1945, SW450 HH-L, 175 Squadron, S/L D.T.W.Kelly, engine failure and force landed North of Celle (Germany)"

I hope the guys from the Typhoon page won't mind me pasting the quote.

That Brighton beach pic would make a great subject for a "Then and Now" type shot, anyone local fancy taking a pic?

RIP.....Typhoon squadrons, such a high casualty rate.