The crash landing of Spitfire PT996 in Oisterwijk

In the morning of Friday October 20, 1944 at 10.35 hrs a British Spitfire crash lands in Oisterwijk.

The aircraft coming from the direction of the city Tilburg with engine failure makes a hard landing on its belly on the Oisterwijksebaan.

This fighter aircraft type Spitfire-MK IX was piloted by the French pilot F/LT. Pierre Gallay of Groupe du Chasse III/2, “Alsace” of the Free French No.341 Squadron.

Gallay had taken off that morning from airfield Wevelgem in liberated Belgium.

 

 

The experienced French fighter pilot Pierre Gallay underwent pilot training in the Royal Air Force, RAF at the beginning of the war.

He was forced to perform an emergency landing before in the beginning of his career in 1941.

It happened on September 28, 1941 in the UK near Chadwell in Shorpshire, when he flew at 5 FTS (Flying Training School) from an airfield in Cosford.

Pierre Gallay then flew a Hawker Hurricane fighter aircraft on a training's mission from RAF Cosford. 

During the course of this flight he got lost and had to make an emergency landing (perhaps because of lack of feul) in the English Chadwell in Shorpshire.

Fortunately Pierre Gallay was not injured during this crash landing and returned back to his base unharmed .

After his training period at the beginning of 1942, Pierre Gallay was transferred to GC1, "Alsace" in Damascus, Syria, in the Middle East.

In October, 1942 the free French pilots of GC1 and GB1 returned back to England and was Pierre Gallay eventually transferred to No.341 squadron "Alsace".

 

 

In the morning of October 20 Pierre Gallay (callsign, Yellow 1) flew together with pilot Michel Brunsshwig (callsign, Yellow 2 ) on a reconnaissance mission over the area around Tilburg.

During an attack on a German army vehicle at the Wilhelmina Canal in Tilburg the Spitfire of Pierre Gallay and Michel Brunsshwig where attacked by German anti-aircraft guns (FLAK) covering the sky’s on edge of Tilburg.

Because of this attack his aircraft became seriously damaged and he was forced to land immidiatly because of serious damage to his engine.

He did this by following a straight line away from the railway bridge over the Wilhelmina Canal and to descent into to direction of Oisterwijk where he eventually crash landed.

Pierre Gallay crash landed on the middle of the Oisterwijksebaan just past the intersection Laagheukelomseweg/Oisterwijksebaan near the farm of the van Riiswijk family.

The hard belly landing caused significant damage to his aircraft in witch some parts broke of the machine such as parts of the coolers and air intake at the bottom of the machine.

He also damaged the undercarriage and even the onboard machine guns came of out of the wings by the violent crash landing and fell on the ground in front of the aircraft.

The four propellers broke away and where found yards away in the vicinity of the aircraft.

This indicates however that his propellers were still turning during the crash landing because otherwise the propellers would have only have been bent on impact or only one or two would have broken of.

The holes of the anti aircraft fire impact were clearly visible over the entire end of the fuselage.

 

 

Pierre Gallay is able to quickly leave and abandon his aircraft and hides himself in a nearby ditch waiting what would be next.

He is a witness of the events that followed shortly after when curious citizens of Oisterwijk approached his aircraft.

After a while he is able to flee in to the direction of a cafe called 'Mie Pieters ' with the assistance of a Dutch citizen.

In the direct surrounding of that café he is then hidden in a barn with the help of the local underground where he stays hidden for a couple of hours.

 

 

In Oisterwijk was during the occupation, the underground responsible for the hiding and transporting of many other allied airmen and personnel that found themselves behind enemy lines due to their early landings.

During Operation Market-Garden forinstance the local underground of Oisterwijk is able to help and hide many allied paratroopers, the 'Airborne’s’, Air Force and RAF personnel as other allied servicemen on the heather between Oisterwijk and Boxtel.   

This area called 'Huisvennen’ consists of woods and moors and is part of the heather called ‘the Kampina’.  

Pierre Gallay is not hidden here however, instead the underground brought him to Tilburg where he is housed and hidden with a Tilburg family.

 

 

After on October 20, when Pierre Gallay leaves his damaged Spitfire behind him in search for a better place to hide himself, in an effort to not be caught by the Germans, more and more locals turn up at the crash location to have a close look.

The Germans also appear on site in order to investigate the aircraft.

They do not find that much of interest and because they, now and then feel the need for a gesture of good will against the locals, they give them permission for a closer look at the aircraft.

These locals after a while start doing this 'looking’ with the help of a hammer and screwdriver to get their hands on a nice souvenir to take home to remember this event.

Soon a real spectacle unfolds but the Germans who are standing as a group in front of the aircraft would quickly regret their decision for their gesture for locals to let them look around.

 

 

At some point a small boy is able to climb into the cockpit and fouls around with the controls and switches onboard the aircraft.

As a result, the boy accidentally triggers the still present other onboard cannons that are still in the wings and operational and a salvo of 20mm bullets is fired into the direction of the group of Germans standing in front of the aircraft.

Apart from the onboard machine guns that were broken from the wings there where still more heavy cannons in the wings.

This particular version of the Spitfire was equipped with multiple cannons and machine guns in the wings.

In addition to four browning machine guns in the wings also two heavier 20mm hispano cannon where carried.

After this shooting accident the Germans stopped the spectacle immediately with everybody in the area sent home.

The Germans then point a safety guard near the aircraft and leave.

 

 

After a few day’s when reports come in that the Scottish army is closing in on our village the German guards of the Spitfire toss a grenade in the aircraft that completely destroyed the cockpit.

After this act the guards return to the village to be added to the defense of Oisterwijk against the Scots.

Only then its again possible for locals to approach the Spitfire for a close look.

 

 

I know that around that period a young Oisterwijker was able to take out the entire pilot seat to take it to his home as a souvenir.

Years the seat stood as a souvenir in his bedroom besides his bed.

According to an agreement he made the seat would have gone to a museum but sadly this agreement would not stand after he passed away and family members ‘lost’ this pilot seat.

Also a young Oisterwijker that was one of the first to arrive on the crash location took a souvenir home.

It was a large part of the undercarriage namely the right wheel cover.

 

 

Pierre Gallay stayed hidden well in Tilburg with the help of the underground until the end of the war when Tilburg was liberated on October 27 and Pierre Gallay is able to get back to his squadron. .

He arrived with his squadron on 29-10-1944, 9 days after his emergency crash landing in Oisterwijk.

Pierre Gallay stayed with his unit until 17-01-1945 and then leaves the Free French Air Force.

 

 

Unfortunately, Pierre gallay was killed on April 10, 1950 when he crashed an experimental aircraft called the SNCAC NC. 1080.

This prototype aircraft designed for aircraft carriers was a single seat aircraft and was flown by Pierre Gallay that for unclear reasons crashed with the aircraft.

The aircraft was destroyed beyond repair on which the development was stopped immediately.