Royal Air Force- 2nd Tactical Air Force, 1943-1945. An RAF officer examines pieces of wreckage from the first German jet fighter to be shot down by the RAF, as Royal Engineers prepare to drain water from the crater left by its impact in a field south-west of Nijemegen, Holland, in the search for further remains. The aircraft, a Messerschmitt Me 262 flown by Hauptmann Hans-Christoff Buttman of (J) 51, had fallen to a patrol of five Supermarine Spitfire Mark IXs of No. 401 Squadron RCAF, led by Squadron Leader R I A Smith, on the previous day.

---

Size: 2711px × 1843px
Photo credit: © piemags/archive/military / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: 2, conflict, military, war, world, ww2