Dornier 17-P
Nationality: German
Serial number: 4414
Unit 2(F) 123
Call sign: N/K
Date of loss: 30/10/1939
Pilot Officer Peter 'Boy' Mould, DFC & Bar, of No. 1 Squadron had just finished refuelling at Vassincourt airfield in north-eastern France, when this aircraft flew over. He immediately took off in his Hurricane and using the supercharger override, climbed to 18,000ft where he caught up with his victim as Paul Richey recounted in his famous book, 'Fighter Pilot'
"He did an ordinary straight astern attack, and fired one longish burst with his sights starting above the Dornier and moving slowly round the fuselage. The Hun caught fire immediately, went into a vertical spiral, and eventually made a large hole in the French countryside. It exploded on striking the ground, and there were no survivors. The remains of a gun from the machine, together with a bullet-holed oxygen bottle now adorned our Mess."
Boy Mould did not survive the war. Taking command of 185 Sqn in Malta, he was shot down and killed intercepting an Italian raid on 1st October 1941. At that time his tally stood at 11 aircraft shot down.
A number of relics from the crash site, near to the small hamlet of Traveron, were recovered some 10 years ago, including those displayed here. Some of the identifiable items include a flight instrument or oxygen bottle gauge, a spark plug and an exploded 7.92mm machine gun round.
To view more parts of the wreckage recently acquired, click here.
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