Flight of Spitfire IX PL216 and Lieutenant J Carcopino on 1944-07-30
On 1944-07-30, Pilot J Carcopino (Lieutenant, RAF) with an unknown service number, flew a Spitfire IX with serial PL216 Z for this duty: Sweep. His mission was not completed. Circumstances of the aircraft loss: Crash landed near Falaise. This aircraft was a part of squadron no. 329. The location for the map is Falaise, France. Circumstances at the end of this mission for Carcopino: he was killed. There is no commemoration location known.
Info by Roland Carcopino:
About Spitfire PL 216 and Lt Carcopino :
His Spit was 5A (number of 329 Squadron) with code Z, serial number PL216.
He crashes not at Falaise but at Livarot (Calvados) while strafing and diving in a wood, at 3.20 PM
It was his 2nd mission for that day, the first at 7.00 in the morning with 11 other pilots of the 329S was to cover 700 Lancaster and Halifax bombers.
The second mission was a fighter sweep from Chartres to Evreux with 10 other pilots, to cover bombing target by Mitchells.
He was the chief of Blue section (Blue 1), with 3 other pilots: Blue 2 Sergent Camus (Spit IX 5A-V serial PK 994), Blue 3 Lt Carpentier (5A-R, NH 598) and Blue 4 Sergent Debrot (5A-X, NH 540).
Firstly, the section attacks enemy vehicles and then Carcopino attacks an enemy transport 5-10 miles at the south-east of Falaise.
Then the section flies above Livarot. Blue 2, see being alone, gain altitude and see Carcopino diving in a wood. Despite around search from other Blue section pilots, Carcopino is not seen anymore.
He had 1067 flight hours and this mission was the last of his 89 war missions.
His body, buried at Livarot, was transferred by his wife a few years later in Corsica, at Coti-Chiavari, her family's village near Ajaccio.
He was born in Tunis (Tunisia) on 1916-01-26. His father and mother were born in Corsica, at Sarrola-Carcopino, a small village near Ajaccio.
After being a bachelor in mathematics in 1934, he joined the French Air Force to learn piloting, at Ecole de l'Air in Salon de Provence. After 2 years of the training period and advanced training, he joined in September 1939 the Fight Instruction Center of Chartres, then Groupe de Chasse (squadron) II/6 on 1940-05-10 to take part to the French Campaign.
He flyed Morane 406, then Bloch MB 152, on which he shoot down a Messerschmitt 109.
After GC II/6 disbending at the end of June, he was posted to GR II/14 (Groupe de Reconnaissance) in Avignon, flying Potez 63, where he married Marie-Isabelle Prunetti.
At the end of June 1941, he joined GC I/2 "Cigognes", re-formed after being disbanded 12 months ago.
He flew Dewoitine D520.
GC I/2 was posted in North Africa in November 1942, where he stood until the end of December 1943, before going to England, reached on 5th January 1944, to form the 329 Squadron in the Wing 145 (the Free French Fight) with 340 and 341 Squadrons.