One of those eccentrics the British always find at a time of need

Adrian Warburton, 10 March 1918-12 April 1944.

In 1943, Americans meeting Warburton for the first time “were amazed at the much-decorated officer attired in dirty grey flannels, an oil-stained tunic and topped by a mop of long unkempt blond hair when he came out to greet them at Luqa airfield.He had just ‘returned from the dead’ after being missing for three days. While photographing Bizerte his plane was disabled by flak. He struggled on to Bone (in French territory) and landed unhurt. After being kept under lock and key for two days suspected of being a German agent he was able to establish that he was British and was given a French plane to fly to Gibraltar. There he changed it for a Spitfire and flew back to Malta, picking up his cameras and film at Bone and shooting down a Ju88 on the way. When he landed at Malta his first remark was - allegedly- ‘Sorry I'm late’".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrian_Warburton

16 December 2002

‘Prominent WW2 pilot Adrian Warburton recovered’

‘Remains found in shot-down aircraft in a Bavarian field’

“Munich - The mortal remains of a prominent British soldier of the second world war have been discovered not far from the village of Egling an der Paar (Landsberg am Lech district) in Upper Bavaria. According to reports in the news magazine Focus, the British reconnaissance pilot Adrian Warburton and his machine have been found in a wheatfield. Warburton was considered one of the Royal Air Force's greatest fliers.

"’He was still in the cockpit, about 2 metres below ground’ said a historian who took part in the dig. His aircraft had rolled on its back immediately before the crash and the cockpit struck first. Both propellers had bitten deeply into the ground. The cockpit of the Lockheed Lightning was apparently ‘completely crushed’. Only a few splintered and charred bones survived of the pilot.

“Wing Commander Adrian Warburton, known to his comrades as ‘Lawrence of Arabia of the skies’ (can this be true?) had been posted missing on the 12th of April 1944, after he failed to return from a reconnaissance mission over Germany. In Britain he was considered the ‘most valuable pilot in the RAF’ and took part in two attempts to abduct the Nazi General Erwin Rommel. As one of the first specialist photo-reconnaissance pilots he helped to prepare the invasion of Sicily in July, 1943. In May next year, Warburton is to be buried with military honours in a war cemetery on the Tegernsee.”

http://www.pprune.org/archive/index.php/t-75513.html

There are many sites that mention Warburton. He is particularly famous for shooting down five Italian airplanes while flying a Martin Maryland reconnaissance bomber.