Junkers Ju 88R-1
Werk Nummer: 360043
Current Location: RAF Museum Hendon, London, England
Aircraft was built in 1942 as a Junkers Ju 88A-1 at either Rostock or Oranienburg. It was then converted sometime early 1943 into the R-1 standard.
On 9 May 1943, at 1503 hours the aircraft was assigned to IV./NJ3 at Aalborg, Denmark, when it took off with the crew of
Flugzeugführer (Pilot) Oberleutnant Heinrich Schmitt (age 29), son of the one-time secretary to the Weimer Republic's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Gustav Streseman. Bordmechaniker (Flight Engineer) Oberfeldwebel (Sgt) Erich Kantwill and Bordfunker (Wireless Op/Gunner) Oberfeldwebel Paul Rosenberger. Oberleutnant Schmitt and Oberfeldwebel Rosenberger had pro British sympathies and was working for British Intelligence. Both were motivated by experiences during the Spanish Civil War and being anti-Nazi, especially in regards to genocide.
At 1710 hours, Oberleutnant Schmitt made a false radio call to Night Fighter HQ at Grove, Denmark stating that the aircraft had a starboard engine fire. He descended the aircraft to below radar altitude and threw out several life rafts in order to make German SAR crews believe the aircraft had ditched in the water, and proceeded to fly the aircraft to Scotland.
The Ju88 was intercepted by aircraft from No.165 (Ceylon) Squadron, flying Spitfire VBs from Peterhead with a detachment at Dyce airfield near Aberdeen. The Squadron Diary records:
"Arthur Roscoe and Ben Scamen were scrambled today to investigate a raider plotted due east of Peterhead. The raider turned south and eventually started to orbit as though lost. The section identified the raider as a Ju88 and when Arthur approached, the Hun dropped his undercart shot off very lights and waggled his wings. Blue 1 waggled his wings in turn and positioned himself in front of the enemy aircraft - Ben Scamen flew above and behind and the procession moved off to Dyce aerodrome where all landed safely causing a major sensation".
Schmitt and Rosenberger co-operated fully with the British. Schmitt's' safe arrival in the UK was signaled to his father in Germany with the coded message `May has come' broadcast by the British propaganda radio station `Gustav Seigfried Eins' and the Luftwaffe learnt of the defection a month later when Schmitt and Rosenberger took part in propaganda broadcasts. Kantwill did not co-operate and was incarcerated as a POW.
This Ju88 was fitted with the latest FuG 202 Liechtenstein BC A.I radar. It was the first of its type to fall into British hands, complete with associated signals documents.