BRIEFING ROOM
ONE OF the most remarkable Second World War discoveries of recent years was the finding of a forced-landed RAF P-40 Kittyhawk which was accidentally stumbled across in the Egyptian Sahara during February 2012. After the passage of some six years, and agreat deal of mystery and intrigue, the aircraft has re-appeared on outside display at the El Alamein Museum following a ‘make over”which has attracted a great deal of negative comment.
Piloted by Flt Sgt Denis Copping of 260 Sqn, Kittyhawk ET574 went missing during a ferry flight on 28 June 1942. At the time of its loss the aircraft was being flown to a Repair and Salvage Unit to rectify damage inflicted by enemy action, plus the effects of a heavy landing earlier that day. The undercarriage could not be retracted and remained locked down for the duration of the flight. After becoming disorientated, Flt Sgt Copping ran out of fuel and crash landed in the Al Wadi Al Jadid desert, approximately 230 miles south west of Cairo. The Kittyhawk came down on a rocky escarpment, and in a particularly remote and desolate region. The flight took place during the first Battle of El Alamein and to date the remains of Flt Sgt Copping have been found. It…
