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Boulton Paul Defiant dig in Somerset
Boulton Paul Defiant
RAF Serial: N3391
307 Squadron
Pilot: Sgt. W. Dukszto (survived)
Gunner: Sgt. J. Banys (survived)
Date: 24th April 1941
Place: Charlton Musgrove, Somerset
An excavation of a Bolton Paul Defiant took place in Wiltshire during December 2008. The Defiant,
N3391, from 307 Squadron based at Colerne, was on a night patrol on 24th April 1941 – at the height
of the night Blitz.
The Merlin engine and hub were the deepest finds and had been driven 3 meters into very hard clay. Most of Defiant’s structure had either been left on the surface or had been burnt in the fire that followed the crash
different from Hurricane or Spitfire blades, narrower and more
pointed
The Merlin engine began to vibrate badly, and the crew, Sgt. W. Dukszto and Sgt. J. Banys, bailed out. The pilot’s parachute became tangled in the gun barrels of the turret, but he was able to free himself and they both landed safely.
of the wreckage, several components from the cockpit, including
the blind flying panel and part of the main instrument panel
were discovered forced into the back of the engine
The Defiant went into a vertical dive and crashed in a field near Charlton Musgrove, Somerset.
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