Spitfire V EP615 lying in pieces at Willenhall on July 18, 1942. The author escaped from it with a few bruises, cuts and scratches. The Merlin engine has been wrenched away from the airframe and the starboard wing snapped off at the root by an oak tree.

Spitfire V EP615 lying in pieces at Willenhall on July 18, 1942. The author escaped from it with a few bruises, cuts and scratches. The Merlin engine has been wrenched away from the airframe and the starboard wing snapped off at the root by an oak tree.

Left, another view of Spitfire V EP615 after its forced landing at Willenhall. Right, the propeller ended up in the kitchen of this house.

Two further views of Spitfire V EP615 after its forced landing at Willenhall. The engine, left, came to rest very close to the house, and some of the propeller blades penetrated the wall of the kitchen.

A few feet further and this story could have had a very different ending. Remnants of EP615 scattered around the house at Willenhall.

A close-up of the cockpit area of Spitfire V EP615. As the aircraft careered forward, minus its engine, the blunt engine bulkhead hit an obstruction causing the fuselage to break in half behind the pilot's seat. The author managed to release himself and walk out of this mess

The diagram shows the layout of the gear drives in a Merlin. The skew gears are located between the lines pointing to the magnetos, and the main drive bevels are directly below.