Much better to watch real film than computer generated stuff. My uncle flew with 602 during the D day operation and was flight commander of b flight immediately prior to Raymond Baxter who replaced him when he was shot down at Pierfitte en cinglaise on 1st august 1944.He was Major Thoevald Johnsen RNoAF (824)DFC, USAirmedal ,a Norwegian pilot who married my aunty Tanya.
Russell Boyd Yes at the time of D day there were also a couple of free french pilots Remlinger and Clostermann. As a result of my researches I have visited the crash site 3 times on 1st august and met his wingman who saw the crash .It lead me to research 602 in depth and I have visited the squadron museum in Glasgow where I met the then curator Glen Niven who was wounded in the battle of Britain. My researches lead me to meet 2 other of his contemporaries over a 10 year period.Now I posess photos,letters and info including a couple from Raymond Baxter and Remlinger plus 2 eyewitness accounts from local french man .I also saw the remains of the port wing of his spitfire LO-B and have photographs of this. It took 3 trips from Australia where I reside ..I also made 1/72 scale 602 spits which I gifted to 602 museum on my 3rd visit. 602 is also famous at the battle of Normandy museum and it was the then curator who took me to the crash site and introduced me to the witness who also retrieved the remains and made the coffin.
nibornodrog Fascinating. I've been to the museum as well, a lot easier for me as I live near Glasgow! I, and a bunch of other guys, remember 602 as part of a group who fly a WW2 flight simulator online, we fly in computer generated 602 spitfires and sometimes others. We are part of a wider European group who all fly in "virtual" squadrons that represent their countries. If you want, pop over and say hello. We are always interested in people related to any of our represented squadrons. forum.europeanaf.net/forum.php
Russell Boyd Cool! I'm interested but with computers I'm a dinosaur at age of 71 I'm slow! I'd love to fly a virtual spitfire,especialy a MK IXB I have original spitfire pilot flying notes and reckon I could get in one and fly it. In 1955 when I was 11 I had the opportunity to sit in a spitfire at the local fire station in Maidstone Kent my "home" town though I claim to be scottish as my Dad is a Frazer and mum a McNiel (of Barra) my claim to fame How would I get to fly virtual spitfire?! My sister and daughter are residents of Scotland located at Stewarton (west of Glasgow) and Fort William respectively.I have Lion's Rampant and Glasgow's own besides other publications involving 602 due to researches into my uncle's life and death, At the moment I am in hospital away from home but the Boyd name seems to ring a bell re 602,was he a relitave of yours?
nibornodrog Hi, sorry for the delay, I missed this. Yes there was a Robert Boyd in 602, but no relation...I think, anyway! We fly virtual spitfires with PC flight simulators and a joystick. They are very realistic, which means also very hard to learn but a joy to fly AND dogfight in. The flight sim we use is IL-2 Sturmovik: Cliffs of Dover. Search that on RU-vid and you'll see how good it looks. There are other flight sims out there, even some for the Xbox, that can be picked quite easily for a quick flight.
