Den 9. maj 1945 blev SPI PM142 (AOD) skudt ned under en rutineflyvning i Langelandsbæltet, omkring her.
F/Lt, Pilot Lawrence McMillan blev dræbt. (Kilde: FT 85-80-47)

The Canadian Virtual War Memorial  skriver om Flight Lieutenant Lawrence McMillan. Hans kollega F/Lt P. G. Wigle skrev om deres sidste mission.
Mest sandsynligt startede de 2 Spitfires på en skibsrekognosceringstur i danske farvande fra Kastrup Lufthavn (her) nær København 4 dage efter at tyskerne havde overgivet sig. Det var en foto-flyvetur!

F/Lt P. G. Wigle fortæller at han ud for Spodsbjerg førte sektionen på 2 fly ned til dækhøjde ud for 4 tyske skibe med nazi-flag, der var på vej sydpå. Han førte sektionen rundt og passerede styrbords side af konvojen stadig i 50 fods højde og omkring 450 m fra skibene. "Kl. 17.00 så jeg bagud og så min Nr. 2 eksplodere i luften i et stort ildtæppe, og vraget styrtede straks i havet. På samme tid så jeg vandet mellem os blive ramt af nedslag fra maskingevær-ild."
Flight Lieutenant, Pilot Lawrence McMillan blev dræbt øjeblikkeligt.

3 tyske officerer blev arresteret ved ankomsten til Tyskland. Efter en uge blev de frikendt af en britisk militær domstol. (Kilde: Spitfire PM142 i Airwar over Denmark.)
Begivenheden skete 4 dage efter at krigen sluttede i Danmark!

Se Supermarine Spitfire - Wikipedia. 2 danske Spitfire-piloter fra RAF er begravet i Danmark. Se Jørgen Thalbitzer og Niels Juul Rysensteen Buchwald.
Airwar over Denmark har mere om dette fly og dets besætning.   Updated:  10 MAR 2026

On 9 May 1945 SPI PM142 (AOD) was shot down on a routine flight in the Langelandsbælt, about here.
Flight Lieutenant, Pilot Lawrence McMillan was killed. (Source: FT 85-80-47)

The Canadian Virtual War Memorial has this about Flight Lieutenant Lawrence McMillan. His mate F/Lt P. G. Wigle wrote a report about their last mission.
See that and much more in the Digital Collection at the bottom of the entry.
Most likely the 2 Spitfires on a shipping reconnaisance of Danish waters started from Kastrup Airport (here) near Copenhagen 4 days after the German surrender.
It was a photo reconnaissance flight!

F/Lt P. G. Wigle writes that off Spodsbjerg he led the section of 2 planes down to deck level of 4 German ships heading south with nazi flag flying. He led the section around and passed the starboard side of the convoy still at 50 feet and approximately 4-500 yards from the ships. "At 17:00 I looked behind to observe my
No. 2 explode in mid-air in a large sheet of flame and the wreckage immediately plunged into the sea. At the same time I observed machine gun strikes on the water between us." Flight Lieutenant, Pilot Lawrence McMillan was killed instantly.

3 German officers were arrested on arrival in Germany. After a week they were acquitted by a British Military Court. (Source: Spitfire PM142 in Airwar over Denmark.)
This event happened 4 days after the end of the war in Denmark!

This Supermarine Spitfire was from No. 400 Squadron.
See a Danish website about Supermarine Spitfire. 2 Danish Spitfire-pilots of the RAF are buried in Denmark. See J. Thalbitzer and N.J.R. Buchwald.
Airwar over Denmark has more about this plane and its crew.     Updated:  10 MAR 2026