Fighter-bomber collection

[Adrian Dwyer]

Some of you will have seen the threads I posted concerning my late father-in-law's Spitfires: specifically, his war in Italy 1944-45.  As I have mentioned (at length), Balg actually said very little about his war.  After his death, his photos and logbook did the talking for him.  However, aside from his love of the cockpit heater that came as standard with his Mustang, he did once mention, in passing, how miffed he was when his low-level bombing attacks on Nazi positions were rewarded not with a satisfying explosion but  (a) a disappointing silence followed by (b) even more flack in his direction.  There are several entries listing sorties when the 500lb bomb deposited by his MkVIII Spitfire gave the enemy a nasty surprise followed, presumably, by a good laugh at the RAF's effort in delivering 250lb of iron wrapped around 250lb of high-explosive to no good effect whatever. He told me about this when I returned from the Falklands: a conflict during which many Argentinian pilots must have expressed very similar sentiments.

One on the tasks I undertook during my tour as Officer Commanding Joint Services EOD was to visit the aircraft crash sites that littered (mainly) w. Falkland.  These sites had been checked in '82 but by'88 (when I was there) the detail recorded under those difficult conditions was beginning to look a bit sketchy in places.  A number of unexploded bombs were dealt with - as was much 30mm cannon ammunition.  One site I visited was logged as the impact point of a MkV Mirage (also known as a Dagger and, to some, a Nesher) serial c-403.  c-403 was credited to 801 Sqdn (Lt Thomas).  There were no low-drag bombs on site and no combat report data to suggest where they had been jettisoned.  There was, however, much 30mm and lots of very small pieces of what had been a relatively large fighter bomber.  Enough of these pieces were recovered to make a mosaic of the serial number: it was c-407.  It fell to an AIM-97 (Sidewinder) launched from the Sea Harrier of Lt Cdr 'Sharkey' Ward.  (The pilots of both Daggers - Maj Piuma and Lt Senn, respectively - survived ejection).  Through the good offices of the RAF I acquired a bit of plant (lifted from the deck of a ship taking it somewhere to do something much less important* . . .) and any iffy bits of the site were excavated.

I now own Dagger C-407 - well, some of it.  For those still following this, here are some pictures.  As a restoration project it is a bit beyond me; but as a snippet of history I think it has its place!

[* interestingly, this was not the view of some of my fellow Sappers in the FI Field Squadron who wanted to dig a deep trench latrine, or something similar . . .]

[Enigma]

That black tag in in Hebrew?

[Noel7]

C-407 was an Israeli built one, it seems?

[Adrian Dwyer]

5 minutes ago, Enigma said:

That black tag in in Hebrew?

Yes.  My understanding is that C-407 began its life configured as/based upon a Mirage III.  As shown in the image of the bent metal fixing, it carries an ink stamping MIR III B.

The French and Israelis collaborated on an improved version, known as the Mirage V.  That aircraft became known to the IAF as the Nesher (in Hebrew, Griffon Vulture).  More widely, it later became known as the Dagger.  The black plate seems to show it was a mid-production aircraft.  Note the 1972 date.

In Israel it was replaced by the Kfir and  the IAF's surplus aircraft became available in the late '70s: and the Argentinians availed themselves.

There is a famous image of one of the Falkands aircraft (another victim of Harriers) in which weathering has worn away the camouflage to reveal an outline of the Star of David.

All the best.

A

[Enigma]

Cool, got a interesting history.

Didn't know the Argentines had these.

[Adrian Dwyer]

1 hour ago, Enigma said:

Cool, got a interesting history.

Didn't know the Argentines had these.

A much-published image of the Dagger in action over San Carlos.  (I'm afraid I do not know the original source.)

[Adrian Dwyer]

Re: the introductory post to this thread:

'...aside from his love of the cockpit heater that came as standard with his Mustang, he did once mention, in passing, how miffed he was when his low-level bombing attacks on Nazi positions were rewarded not with a satisfying explosion but  (a) a disappointing silence followed by (b) even more flack in his direction.  There are several entries listing sorties when the 500lb bomb deposited by his MkVIII Spitfire gave the enemy a nasty surprise followed, presumably, by a good laugh at the RAF's effort in delivering 250lb of iron wrapped around 250lb of high-explosive to no good effect whatever. He told me about this when I returned from the Falklands: a conflict during which many Argentinian pilots must have expressed very similar sentiments.'

Blag's  logbook is littered with comments as the third entry of 5, from his logbook, attached below.  As in the Falklands, the most likely cause was the use of fuzes inappropriate to the operating altitude: Lt. Senn and his fellow pilots - and Blagdon - probably just flew too damn low!  As a former soldier I salute them all  There is little pleasant about war, but much that is memorable.

Edited August 9, 2023 by Adrian Dwyer
typo

[Adrian Dwyer]

Sections of canopy from C-407.