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X4338, P/O Eric S. Lock, No. 41 Squadron, RAF Hornchurch, United Kingdom, September-October 1940
Eric Lock joined No. 41 Squadron as a rookie
in June 1940. On August 15, he scored the first
of his 21 aerial victories during the Battle of
Britain, becoming the most successful Allied
fighter pilot of that battle. The Spitfire that
Eric Lock flew the most during the Battle of
Britain was X4338, with the code letters EB
-
E.
He scored four confirmed and four probable kills
with it. Lock’s Spitfire was severely damaged
on November 8 during a dogfight with several
Bf 109Es, after which he made an emergency
landing in a field. On November 17, Lock himself
was seriously wounded by fire from a Bf 109E,
sustaining injuries to his right arm and both
legs. Over the next three months, he underwent
15 major operations; he spent the following
three months recovering at a rehabilitation
center at the Royal Masonic Hospital, where
he was operated on again by the pioneer of
plastic surgery, Archibald McIndoe. He returned
to No. 41 Squadron in June 1941; in July, he was
promoted to Flight Lieutenant and appointed
commander of A Flight, No. 611 Squadron.
On August 3, while returning from a Rhubarb-
type mission, he attacked a German convoy near
Pas-de-Calais and has been missing ever since.
It is believed he was shot down by anti-aircraft
fire and crashed into the sea. Neither the Spitfire
Mk.Vb W3257 FY
-
E nor Lock himself were ever
found. At the time of his disappearance, he had
26 aerial victories to his credit, achieved during
25 weeks of operational deployment over the
course of a single year.
X4586, F/Lt John C. Dundas, 609. Squadron, RAF Warmwell, United Kingdom, October-November 1940
F/Lt John Charles Dundas of Yorkshire was the
older brother of G/Cpt H. S. L. “Cocky” Dundas.
Before the war, he worked as a journalist for
the Yorkshire Post, and in 1938 he joined No. 609
Squadron of the Auxiliary Air Force. In August
1939, he was called up for active duty and
fought with No. 609 Squadron at Dunkirk and
in the Battle of Britain. With 16 aerial victories,
he became one of the most successful fighter
pilots of both No. 609 Squadron and the Battle
of Britain itself. On November 28, off the Isle
of Wight, he engaged in combat with Bf 109s in
his beloved Spitfire X4586 PR
-
O, reporting over
the radio that he had just scored his 16th aerial
victory. Most likely, his victim was Major Helmut
Wick, commander of JG 2 and at that time the
Luftwaffe’s top active ace with 56 kills to his
credit. A moment later, however, Dundas himself
fell victim to Wick’s wingman, Lieutenant Rudi
Pflanze, also an ace from JG 2. Although Wick
was seen parachuting to safety, he was never
found, nor was his downer, Dundas.
KITS 06/2026
INFO Eduard
39
June 2026