Crash Site Supermarine Spitfire IX

Just east of this ‘The Fallen Airman’ memorial column, 18-year-old pilot Robert Wigley made an emergency landing here on 18 September 1944. His Spitfire IX of 118 Squadron had been hit by German anti-aircraft fire while on a mission for ‘Operation Market Garden’. Wigley survived the landing and was wounded and trapped in the plane. He was freed by Wakkenaars and taken to a Polish field hospital. A few months later, he was back active in his unit.

The memorial column is a tribute to all Allied pilots who contributed to our liberation during World War II. They paid a high price for this. Let's rembember them.

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Source

• Text: TracesOfWar
• Photos: Tom Van Der Borght