Quite Frankly, lads and lassies, I do not know if this is the chaps name, I do not know if the following story is true, I suspect some, or most of it, is some kind of Irish Air Corps myth.
It all began on a summers day in 1941 with 1 officer and 3 NCO’s who were apparently bored out of their respective trees, and collectively, or otherwise, decided that they would fly to occupied France and volenteer themselves to fly for the German Air Force.
So they took off in a Walrus,[N18], a biplane amphibian aircraft with one engin and set course towards France. The RAF caught them south of the Isle of Wight and the crew of the N18 were invited to land on British soil. Some days later the aircraft and it’s 4 crewmembers were returned to Ireland.
The Walrus was put back into service, while the 3 NCO’s served time in the nick before being returned to duty, Lieutenant Thorpe, was court-martialed, his commission was revoked, and he, too, spent some time in prison.
This is where a weird story gets even weirder. Upon his release, the now Mister Thorpe, travels to the UK and joins the RAF, where he spends the rest of the war as a very successful ground-strike/fighter pilot, flying Typhoons/Tempests.
Believe it, or believe it not!
Ok, I have not been able to unearth the names of any of the NCO’s, or Mister Thorpe’s christian name, and I do not know why the RAF would enlist a chap who nicked an aircraft, and attempted to fly to their enemy with it. If anyone knows anything else about this, do, please, post it!!!
It all began on a summers day in 1941 with 1 officer and 3 NCO’s who were apparently bored out of their respective trees, and collectively, or otherwise, decided that they would fly to occupied France and volenteer themselves to fly for the German Air Force.
So they took off in a Walrus,[N18], a biplane amphibian aircraft with one engin and set course towards France. The RAF caught them south of the Isle of Wight and the crew of the N18 were invited to land on British soil. Some days later the aircraft and it’s 4 crewmembers were returned to Ireland.
The Walrus was put back into service, while the 3 NCO’s served time in the nick before being returned to duty, Lieutenant Thorpe, was court-martialed, his commission was revoked, and he, too, spent some time in prison.
This is where a weird story gets even weirder. Upon his release, the now Mister Thorpe, travels to the UK and joins the RAF, where he spends the rest of the war as a very successful ground-strike/fighter pilot, flying Typhoons/Tempests.
Believe it, or believe it not!
Ok, I have not been able to unearth the names of any of the NCO’s, or Mister Thorpe’s christian name, and I do not know why the RAF would enlist a chap who nicked an aircraft, and attempted to fly to their enemy with it. If anyone knows anything else about this, do, please, post it!!!
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