1944 Camisette Air Crash
Encyclopedia
On 5 December 1944 a British
Dakota M.K.III aircraft number FL588 of the Royal Air Force
crashed on the Pic de la Camisette, a mountain close to the commune of Mijanès
, Ariège
, in the French Pyrenees
. It was on a military transport operation during World War II
.
The Dakota was piloted by three RAF pilots. In total twenty-three airmen were on board, including twenty members of the Glider Pilot Regiment
. Only six airmen survived the incident; sixteen died in the crash, another died within hours from his injuries. In spite of serious wounds, two of the survivors managed to reach the village of Mijanès to get help for the other survivors.
in West London. Two Dakota planes took off at 09:00 on 5 December on a course for Marseilles to transport 20 glider pilots to France who were trained to pilot Horsa
and Hamilcar
gliders to carry men and equipment.
Around 15:30 one of the Dakota aircraft crashed on the Pic de la Camisette (alt 2426m ), striking the north face above the Roc de la Musique before coming down facing south-east near a lake. The exact cause of the crash is not known, although it is known that the aircraft came down in a blizzard.
Seven pilots survived the crash initially, with varying degrees of injury - Major J.F. Blatch , staff sergeant Baker, staff sergeant Ainsworth, sergeant Wigmore, sergeant Dawkins and sergeant Henwood; staff sergeant A.S. Anderson died during the night from his injuries.
retraced the steps of the two airmen and discovered the plane wreck on the Pic de la Camisette. Amid the wreckage they heard cries for help and found the officers Ainsworth, Henwood, Wigmore and Dawkins in the fuselage of the plane, alive but too severely injured to move. With great difficulty, the villagers carried the airmen down from the mountain, following the Barbouillère stream through the snow. The injured men were then taken from Le Pla
by ambulance to Carcassonne
hospital.
The bodies of eleven men were recovered from the crash site between 10 and 19 December, and buried in Mijanès. The search was suspended due to adverse weather conditions, but in the spring of 1945 a further six bodies were brought down from the crash site after the snow had melted. All of the airmen who died in the crash were later reburied in the Mazargues
War Cemetery, Marseilles.
The airmen whose bodies were retrieved in the first recovery expedition in 1944:
The airmen whose bodies were retrieved during the spring of 1945:
Remains of flight FL 588 have been preserved and today are on display at the Château d'Usson
, a ruined medieval Castle noted for its association with the Cathars.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Dakota M.K.III aircraft number FL588 of the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
crashed on the Pic de la Camisette, a mountain close to the commune of Mijanès
Mijanès
Mijanès is a commune in the Ariège department in southwestern France.It is located close to two Cathar castles, the Château d'Usson and the Château de Quérigut....
, Ariège
Ariège
Ariège is a department in southwestern France named after the Ariège River.- History :Ariège is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from the counties of Foix and Couserans....
, in the French Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
. It was on a military transport operation during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
The Dakota was piloted by three RAF pilots. In total twenty-three airmen were on board, including twenty members of the Glider Pilot Regiment
Glider Pilot Regiment
The Glider Pilot Regiment was a British airborne forces unit of the Second World War which was responsible for crewing the British Army's military gliders and saw action in the European Theatre of World War II in support of Allied airborne operations...
. Only six airmen survived the incident; sixteen died in the crash, another died within hours from his injuries. In spite of serious wounds, two of the survivors managed to reach the village of Mijanès to get help for the other survivors.
The crash
FL588 originated from RAF NortholtRAF Northolt
RAF Northolt is a Royal Air Force station situated in South Ruislip, east by northeast of Uxbridge in the London Borough of Hillingdon, West London. Approximately north of London Heathrow Airport, the station also handles a large number of private civil flights...
in West London. Two Dakota planes took off at 09:00 on 5 December on a course for Marseilles to transport 20 glider pilots to France who were trained to pilot Horsa
Airspeed Horsa
The Airspeed AS.51 Horsa was a British World War II troop-carrying glider built by Airspeed Limited and subcontractors and used for air assault by British and Allied armed forces...
and Hamilcar
General Aircraft Hamilcar
The General Aircraft Limited GAL. 49 Hamilcar or Hamilcar Mark I was a large British military glider produced during the Second World War, which was designed to carry heavy cargo, such as the Tetrarch or M22 Locust light tank...
gliders to carry men and equipment.
Around 15:30 one of the Dakota aircraft crashed on the Pic de la Camisette (alt 2426m ), striking the north face above the Roc de la Musique before coming down facing south-east near a lake. The exact cause of the crash is not known, although it is known that the aircraft came down in a blizzard.
Seven pilots survived the crash initially, with varying degrees of injury - Major J.F. Blatch , staff sergeant Baker, staff sergeant Ainsworth, sergeant Wigmore, sergeant Dawkins and sergeant Henwood; staff sergeant A.S. Anderson died during the night from his injuries.
Rescue
The following morning, 6 December, the injured Blatch and Baker located Dawkins by following his cries of pain and attempted to bring him to shelter in the plane, but were unable to move him. In spite of having broken both his legs, Dawkins managed to drag himself towards the plane, where the other men gave him shelter in the wrecked fuselage. Blatch and Baker, who were barely able to walk, then went down into the valley to the village of Mijanès and sought help from the local inhabitants. A group of villagers from Mijanes formed a search party and went up to look for survivors, but were thwarted by nightfall and a fierce snowstorm. On 7 December, villagers from neighbouring ArtiguesArtigues, Ariège
Artigues is a commune in the Ariège department in southwestern France.-Population:Inhabitants of Artigues are called Artigois.-References:*...
retraced the steps of the two airmen and discovered the plane wreck on the Pic de la Camisette. Amid the wreckage they heard cries for help and found the officers Ainsworth, Henwood, Wigmore and Dawkins in the fuselage of the plane, alive but too severely injured to move. With great difficulty, the villagers carried the airmen down from the mountain, following the Barbouillère stream through the snow. The injured men were then taken from Le Pla
Le Pla
Le Pla is a commune in the Ariège department in southwestern France.-Population:Inhabitants of Le Pla are called Pléens.-References:*...
by ambulance to Carcassonne
Carcassonne
Carcassonne is a fortified French town in the Aude department, of which it is the prefecture, in the former province of Languedoc.It is divided into the fortified Cité de Carcassonne and the more expansive lower city, the ville basse. Carcassone was founded by the Visigoths in the fifth century,...
hospital.
The bodies of eleven men were recovered from the crash site between 10 and 19 December, and buried in Mijanès. The search was suspended due to adverse weather conditions, but in the spring of 1945 a further six bodies were brought down from the crash site after the snow had melted. All of the airmen who died in the crash were later reburied in the Mazargues
9th arrondissement of Marseille
The 9th arrondissement of Marseille is one of 16 districts or arrondissement of Marseille. This district is also considered to be the largest one in the city...
War Cemetery, Marseilles.
Airmen
Survivors of the crash:| Name | Rank |
|---|---|
| J.F.Blatch | Major |
| Baker | Staff Sergeant |
| Ainsworth | Staff Sergeant |
| Wigmore | Sergeant |
| Dawkins | Sergeant |
| Henwood | Sergeant |
| A.S. Anderson http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=2685703 | Staff Sergeant (Died during the night of 5 December from his injuries) |
The airmen whose bodies were retrieved in the first recovery expedition in 1944:
The airmen whose bodies were retrieved during the spring of 1945:
| Name | Rank | Registered Death |
|---|---|---|
| N.O Clements http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=2685752 | Lieutenant (Pilot) | 23/05/45 |
| A.S.Anderson http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=2685703 | s/sergeant | 25/05/45 |
| E.Wakefield http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=2685937 | Sergeant | 26/05/45 |
| W.P.Griffiths Afc http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=2685811 | Wireless Op | 28/05/45 |
| R.V.D Palmer http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=2685882 | Captain | 28/05/45 |
| A.J Cox http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=2685764 | Lieutenant | 19/06/45 |
Wreckage
Château d'Usson
The Château d'Usson is one of the so-called Cathar castles in what is now southwestern France. It is located in the commune of Rouze, in the Ariège département. It is sited upstream from Axat, along the Aude River gorge, carved out of the foothills of the Pyrenees. It is situated at 920 m in...
, a ruined medieval Castle noted for its association with the Cathars.
External links
- L'épave du C47 de la Camisette - photographs of a hiking trip to the Camisette crash site
- Crash du Douglas C-47 - type A-1-DK Skytrain - s/n FL588 (42-92220) NQ-Z - France Crashes 39-45