Went to the National Archives to look at the 683 Squadron ORBs. Found 20 entries for PL893 dating from 7 December 1944 to 21 January 1945. Here are a few of those entries…
So here we have a similar case as for PL896. As a potential serial number for the plane Brodby crashed in, it’s looking really unlikely. Without relying on the Movement Card (yet to be received) or the accuracy of its transcription on Avialogs, between 20 September and 7 December, the wreck of PL893 would have needed recovering, completely repairing, and putting back into service. The resources simply weren’t there at the time to do anything like this. Plus, what would be the motivation? The salvage value of a smashed plane must surely have been fairly low when factories were still tooled up to produce a new one, especially when you factor in the costs of that salvage and renovation.
hewasahero 