Pilot surviving warplane crash in WW2 Pacific

aruna · Jan 7, 2021

Here's the scenario as it stands: the pilot is and experienced one, English. He flew in Europe and has now been transfered to fight the war in Asia, where his family lives, where he grew up (Ceylon).

Right now in the ms, the family has had notification that his plane has crashed, and that he's been killed. There's no doubt. Apparently, other pilots in his squadron saw his plane go down in a fireball, no parachute escape. As the story stands, he's dead, end of story.

But I now want to add a final twist: he is NOT dead. But I want them still to have been informed he's dead, their belief to be unshakeable. It's important. But I want him to have survived. Somehow recued, perhaps living on an island near Java or something, and turning up in early 1946, after the war is over, out of the blue.

How do I do this? I have absolutely no knowledge of warplanes, piloting, survival, etc. The fireball, the method of crashing, the location (doesn't have to be over the ocean), can all be changed. The death notification and confirmation have to stand. And I need some plausible of what happened to him. Perhaps he lived with native Javans or something. All scenarios will be considered! Thanks in advance!

ldlago · Jan 7, 2021

aruna said:
I have absolutely no knowledge of warplanes, piloting, survival, etc.

The premise sounds interesting. I think you can write a great story if you do the research. I would stick with it. The research is key if you want it to be believable. Maybe you can find personal journals and diaries of World War II pilots. Put yourself in the cockpit. One new discovery will lead to another and another.

Averhoes · Jan 7, 2021

Consider this - the reason the other pilots believe that he is dead is they saw no parachute.

BUT - he was able to bail out before the plane exploded. He had trouble with his parachute and could not get it deployed until he was very low - just a few hundred feet off the ground. That is why his comrades did not see the chute opening - they were looking high and the chute actually opened a couple of minutes later - down low.

The Japanese were in the habit of killing downed allied airmen, so your pilot will be motivated to hide out in the jungle. Maybe locals find him and help him? (but if the locals find him - they would tell him in August/September 1945 that the war is over). Maybe a local finds him, helps him for some months, then the local is caught and killed by the Japanese - your pilot flees deeper into the jungle and misses the fact that the war has ended?

waylander · Jan 7, 2021

Low level bailout, chute didn't fully open so his comrades didn't see it but it did enough to give him a survivable landing in the sea, picked up by native fishermen

cbenoi1 · Jan 7, 2021

The plume of smoke trailing behind the fighter grew bigger and darker. They watched it roll slowly to the left until it arced downward, inverted, into its final dive into the lower cloud layer. They heard the faint thud as they chased down one last enemy airplane out the sea. They came back to investigate but with the drop tanks gone and what little was left in the main, they could only afford one low pass. So they lined up as if a final parade a hundred feet above the deck in a slow flight configuration.

There wasn't much to see. A barren beach patch surrounded by a handful of palm trees with crater spewing flames and smoke dead center. Debris covered in soot all around. Not a single step in the sand coming out from the wreck. The Yanks called it "buying the farm".

Steve watched his mates zoom back above the cloud layer and cursed himself for having opened his chute too soon.

-cb

aruna · Jan 7, 2021

Averhoes said:
Consider this - the reason the other pilots believe that he is dead is they saw no parachute.

BUT - he was able to bail out before the plane exploded. He had trouble with his parachute and could not get it deployed until he was very low - just a few hundred feet off the ground. That is why his comrades did not see the chute opening - they were looking high and the chute actually opened a couple of minutes later - down low.

The Japanese were in the habit of killing downed allied airmen, so your pilot will be motivated to hide out in the jungle. Maybe locals find him and help him? (but if the locals find him - they would tell him in August/September 1945 that the war is over). Maybe a local finds him, helps him for some months, then the local is caught and killed by the Japanese - your pilot flees deeper into the jungle and misses the fact that the war has ended?

Yes -- I prefer him to be found by locals. He isn't a very nice guy and not necessarily in a hurry to get home. Maybe found a local woman and shacked up with her for a few years without telling his folks -- would be typical. Thanks!

waylander said:
Low level bailout, chute didn't fully open so his comrades didn't see it but it did enough to give him a survivable landing in the sea, picked up by native fishermen

Very good.

ldlago said:
aruna said:

I have absolutely no knowledge of warplanes, piloting, survival, etc.

The premise sounds interesting. I think you can write a great story if you do the research. I would stick with it. The research is key if you want it to be believable. Maybe you can find personal journals and diaries of World War II pilots. Put yourself in the cockpit. One new discovery will lead to another and another.

Click to expand...

Yes! I bought this book soon after posting, which sounds fascinating: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004HD686G/?tag=absowrit-21

cbenoi1 said:

The plume of smoke trailing behind the fighter grew bigger and darker. They watched it roll slowly to the left until it arced downward, inverted, into its final dive into the lower cloud layer. They heard the faint thud as they chased down one last enemy airplane out the sea. They came back to investigate but with the drop tanks gone and what little was left in the main, they could only afford one low pass. So they lined up as if a final parade a hundred feet above the deck in a slow flight configuration.

There wasn't much to see. A barren beach patch surrounded by a handful of palm trees with crater spewing flames and smoke dead center. Debris covered in soot all around. Not a single step in the sand coming out from the wreck. The Yanks called it "buying the farm".

Steve watched his mates zoom back above the cloud layer and cursed himself for having opened his chute too soon.

-cb

Click to expand...

Excellent! I might quote you on that, and then get sued for plagiarism!

Thanks everyone! These are ALL excellent tips and food for thought. I'll be writing this scene tomorrow and can't wait!

frimble3 · Jan 7, 2021

As to being saved by locals, the Solomon Islanders were well known as 'coastwatchers', and part of that was rescuing downed airmen. I imagine others would be inclined to do the same, particularly in areas where there was a Japanese presence - as conquerors, they did not make themselves popular.
And, if he was on an outlying island, maybe there just weren't many ways off. If he was in no rush to get home, he may have made no effort to hitch a ride on the occasional ship.

After all, he's on a tropical island, with friendly locals, if not a local girlfriend. Nothing at all like dear old England.

Al X. · Jan 8, 2021

A parachute can be hard to see from a distance, even if you're looking for it, and you're looking in the right place. It could easily be obscured by a smoke plume, low clouds, terrain, etc... that part is easy enough to deal with.

tallus83 · Jan 9, 2021

A pilot would not bail out at a low altitude. A partially open chute would still make him hit the ground at a high speed. A water landing would allow him to use the inflatable life raft seat cushion. The biggger issue with a land crash is the japanese finding a crashed plane and no pilot body.

WeaselFire · Jan 9, 2021

Several things: 1) A fireball in the sky means a dead pilot or a parachute. Ditch that part. 2) In the Solomons, he'd be reported to the authorities. On a Japanese held island, he's likely to be captured and/or killed. There are/were a ton of islands not occupied by Allies or Japanese. 3) In most native cultures of the area, if he "shacked up" with a native girl, he would not be allowed to leave and might be killed. 4) A lot of indifferent natives were in the area and might accept a downed pilot and provide food or medical aid. And 5) You picked a decent book to get you started. Jeff

frimble3 · Jan 10, 2021

WeaselFire said:
3) In most native cultures of the area, if he "shacked up" with a native girl, he would not be allowed to leave and might be killed.

That could be interesting - 'First he escaped the Japanese, now he has to escape the in-laws.'

aruna · Jan 16, 2021

Hoping you can help me with a final tweak, now that I've got some idea as to the details. I'm having this pilot based at Trincomalee, Ceylon, at the China Bay Airport. I'm having him fly either a Hurricane or a Spitfire, both of which could take off from there:
https://internationalaviationhq.com/2020/10/14/hurricane-vs-spitfire-wwii/

Thinking that the crash occured somewhere in the Bay of Bangal, near the Andaman Islands or Nicobar islands. He would have been flying in a squadron. Now I don't know anything about flying in squadrons so I asked Wikipedia and they said there would be 12 planes in a squadron "[FONT=DDG_ProximaNova]sometimes divided into three or four flights," .
[/FONT]So does that mean there could have been less than 12 planes in his squadron, which is what I'd prefer?
I have read the relevant parts in the biography mentioned above, which is excellent. But that pilot was in a crew with several other men. So it's a bit different.

The main thing I need to know: if the plane is hit, how much time would the pilot have to deploy his parachute, before the plane explodes?

I guess that's the main question. I do have a bit of anxiety over the exact scenario, but since his story will be told in dialogue (later to his parents) I don't need a moment-to-moment description of what actually happens.
I just feel a need to mention a new more vital points. Any help much appreciated!

aruna · Jan 17, 2021

How does this sound:

‘So. We were on our way over to Burma, my squadron of Spitfires,’ he began, ‘We were somewhere over the Bay of Bengal when the Japs attacked. It was a vicious attack. I saw two planes go down, and then my own caught fire, engulfing the cabin in flames. The rip cord to release my aircraft canopy failed, but I managed to force it off. I scrambled out of the plane. It plummeted to the sea in a ball of fire, spiralling down. I tried to release my parachute but had trouble with that, too. It refused to deploy until I was very low - just a few hundred feet away from the water. That’s why the other pilots didn’t see the chute opening: they were looking high and the chute actually opened a couple of minutes later - down low. I was lucky—it happened pretty close to the Andaman Islands. I saw the outline of land and I was able to swim to shore.’
‘But didn’t the Japs find you?’
‘Well, if they did I wouldn’t be here to tell the tale,’ he replied. ‘The Nips killed downed airmen without a second thought, and they had already occupied the Andaman and the Nicobar islands; it could have been a leap from the frying pan into the fire. But this was one of the smaller, remote islands. The Japs hadn’t bothered with it. I was lucky. I managed to survive on coconuts for a day. I had a few burns and I was worried they’d get infected so I went in search of help so I explored the island –cautiously, of course, in case I ran into Japs. But there were no Japs. I found a village. The villagers took care of me. They had herbs that healed my burns. They had no contact with the other islands, no contact with the Japs. Nice people.’

Bufty · Jan 17, 2021

In an earlier post I saw this -

Yes -- I prefer him to be found by locals. He isn't a very nice guy and not necessarily in a hurry to get home. Maybe found a local woman and shacked up with her for a few years without telling his folks -- would be typical. Thanks!

I don't know the character but how is he delivering this?

Is he arrogant, full of himself, and simply relating what he thinks are pertinent facts, with no sense of reliving any element of fear or danger as he relates events? That's how it reads to me.

Do you want it all covered in just two paras? No back and forth or drawing out of information he's reluctant to give?

waylander · Jan 18, 2021

How many planes depends on the mission and how many serviceable aircraft and pilots they had available. If you want fewer then just say that they sent all the serviceable aicraft.

aruna · Jan 18, 2021

Bufty said:
In an earlier post I saw this -
I don't know the character but how is he delivering this?

Is he arrogant, full of himself, and simply relating what he thinks are pertinent facts, with no sense of reliving any element of fear or danger as he relates events? That's how it reads to me.

Yes -- he'd very arrogant. And really, how he survived in all the detail, and the fear and the danger, isn't pertinent to the story -- this is near the end and they (family) are just glad to have him back, and that's the main purpose of the scene. His ordeal doesn't need to be drawn out; as in showing not telling -- there's something else going on much more important, yet it has to be explained.

SapereAude · Jan 19, 2021

aruna said:
Hoping you can help me with a final tweak, now that I've got some idea as to the details. I'm having this pilot based at Trincomalee, Ceylon, at the China Bay Airport. I'm having him fly either a Hurricane or a Spitfire, both of which could take off from there:
https://internationalaviationhq.com/2020/10/14/hurricane-vs-spitfire-wwii/

Thinking that the crash occured somewhere in the Bay of Bangal, near the Andaman Islands or Nicobar islands. He would have been flying in a squadron. Now I don't know anything about flying in squadrons so I asked Wikipedia and they said there would be 12 planes in a squadron "[FONT=DDG_ProximaNova]sometimes divided into three or four flights," .
[/FONT]So does that mean there could have been less than 12 planes in his squadron, which is what I'd prefer?
I have read the relevant parts in the biography mentioned above, which is excellent. But that pilot was in a crew with several other men. So it's a bit different.

The main thing I need to know: if the plane is hit, how much time would the pilot have to deploy his parachute, before the plane explodes?

I guess that's the main question. I do have a bit of anxiety over the exact scenario, but since his story will be told in dialogue (later to his parents) I don't need a moment-to-moment description of what actually happens.
I just feel a need to mention a new more vital points. Any help much appreciated!

Canopies weren't released by pulling ripcords. Ripcords are on parachutes.

Do some more research on how the English organized their air units during WW2. I wasn't there, but I did serve in the U.S. Army. Terminology can get confusing. Armies are organized in a layered hierarchy: division, then brigade, then regiment, then battalion, then company, then platoon, then squad. I'm thinking that a squadron might consist of several flights (or maybe it would have been a flight consisting of several squadrons?)

Here you go -- Wikipedia to the rescue: https://worldwartwo.wikia.org/wiki/Royal_Air_Force

So, from larger to smaller, it went Command --> Group --> Station --> Wing --> Squadron --> Flight

A wing was two or more squadrons. A squadron is currently around 12 aircraft, and a squadron may be split into two or more flights. So you could make him a member of a 6-plane flight.

The main thing I need to know: if the plane is hit, how much time would the pilot have to deploy his parachute, before the plane explodes?

There's no simple answer. Do what you need for the story. In WW2, fighter aircraft weren't equipped with rockets and missiles like they are today. Their armament was machine guns, so it all depended on where the plane was hit and by how many bullets. The engines were always on the nose, and both the Spitfire and the Hurricane were single engine. If the attack damaged his engine, he would essentially then be flying a glider and he would have plenty of time to bail out. If the Japanese used tracer ammunition and they hit a fuel line or a fuel tank, the heat of the tracer would (or "could") ignite the fuel (which for propeller aircraft in WW2 was high-octane gasoline, not jet fuel -- which is basically kerosene), or possibly the engine oil.

It would probably take a hit to a fuel tank to create a fireball explosion. More likely either the engine was knocked out or the control surfaces (wing, rudder, or elevators) were damaged so badly that the plane wasn't controllable.

Pilot surviving warplane crash in WW2 Pacific

aruna

On a wing and a prayer

ldlago

Averhoes

waylander

Who's going for a beer?

cbenoi1

aruna

On a wing and a prayer

frimble3

Heckuva good sport

Al X.

tallus83

WeaselFire

Benefactor Member

frimble3

Heckuva good sport

aruna

On a wing and a prayer

aruna

On a wing and a prayer

Bufty

Where have the last ten years gone?

waylander

Who's going for a beer?

aruna

On a wing and a prayer

SapereAude