Wreckage of WWII Spitfire Excavated from Salisbury Plain

News September 4, 2013

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(Arpingstone, Public Domain)

WILTSHIRE, ENGLAND—A Spitfire aircraft shot down in 1940 is being excavated from the Salisbury Plain by a team of archaeologists, injured soldiers, and veterans. Pilot Officer Paul Baillon of the 609 Squadron survived the crash, but was killed a month later when he was shot down while flying over the Solent. “This site has yielded traces relating to the sacrifices of airmen from the 1940s and it has been a real privilege to re-tell the story of Paul Baillon,” said Richard Osgood of England’s Defense Infrastructure Organization.

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