Spitfire Mk. XI - Off Langeland                                                           Updated: 17 MAR 2021

Airman Surname Init Rank Service Sqdn P_link Plane Operation Crash_site Crash_d Buried_d C_link At_Next
e777867.htm McMillan L F/Lt RCAF 400 p479.htm SPI Mk XI Other Off Langeland d090545 e777 e777.htm NO KNOWN


Den 9. maj 1945 blev SPI Mk XI 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.

Til nu har ingen kilder fortalt AirmenDK hvad der dernæst skete med de tyskere, der var indblandet. Dette var 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.

On 9 May 1945 SPI Mk XI 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 hours 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.

So far no sources have told
AirmenDK what happened next to the Germans involved. This was 4 days after the end of the war in Denmark!

Vintage Wings of Canada has the story of Manitoba Ghost Lakes with details about McMillan Lake named after Flying Officer Lawrence McMillan.
The story of how he was killed is told with a number of details. "In any event, it is clear that McMillan was murdered as, at this time, the Germans had surrendered."

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.