In the shadow of Djouce Mountain’s sweeping peaks and mist-covered trails lies a forgotten story—one not of hikers or climbers, but of survival against extraordinary odds.
A Flight of Hope
On August 12, 1946, a French military Junkers Ju 52 aircraft set out from Paris with 21 Girl Guides and five crew members aboard. Their destination: Dublin, Ireland. The young girls were guests of the Irish Girl Guides, part of a post-war goodwill visit to rekindle cultural ties and spirit after the horrors of WWII.
As the aircraft neared the Irish coast, it encountered worsening weather. Rain lashed the metal fuselage, and thick mist obscured the mountainous landscape of County Wicklow. Disoriented and flying too low, the plane struck the upper slopes of Djouce Mountain.
The Crash
The impact was violent—three engines and the landing gear were torn off—but astonishingly, the fuselage held. Even more incredible: there was no explosion or fire. All 27 passengers survived.
Injuries varied, and the shock was immense, but quick thinking and resilience emerged as the true story of the day.
The Search for Help
The aircraft’s captain, Capitaine Christian Habez, and Chantal de Vitry, the French Girl Guides leader—who was injured herself—set out through heavy rain and rugged terrain to find help. After hours of hiking through mist-covered Wicklow wilderness, de Vitry reached the Mount Maulin Hotel near Powerscourt. Rescue teams responded rapidly, and the rest of the passengers were soon located and treated for injuries.
A Legacy Remembered
Though largely forgotten in popular history, the Djouce Mountain crash stands as a powerful tale of resilience and calm under pressure. Author Suzanne Barnes later published a book titled When Our Plane Hit the Mountain, bringing survivor testimonies and archival material back into the public eye.