The mangled remains of a Beaufort torpedo bomber of RAF Coastal Command lie in a crater near the summit of Hill of Wirren. The aircraft crashed 8 March, 1942, and belonged to 217 Squadron based at RAF Leuchars. The two man crew were both killed in the accident. The wreckage lies not far from that of an RAF Liberator which crashed some two and half years later.

On the night of 17 October, 1944, callsign "Sugar" of 547 Squadron took off from RAF Leuchars to conduct anti-U Boat patrols north of Cape Wrath. However, a defective compass resulted in this mission ending in tragedy in the Angus hills. Of the eleven crewmen, just four survived when the aircraft struck the hillside in poor weather. The largest part of the wreckage - a section of the fuselage - still remains at the site, whilst other smaller pieces lie strewn amongst the heather and peat near the summit.