MIflyer
1st Lieutenant
There is a Youtube video on the Pembray incident, where an FW-190, where Luftwaffe pilot Armin Faber of JG2 landed an FW-190 at Pembrey in 1942. Calibran Rising did some investigation and found the following:
1. FW-190's from JG3 and JG2 scrambled in response to an attack by RAF Bostons with Spitfire escort.
2. One Boston was damaged by AA fire and lagged behind the others; the FW-190s went after that group.
3. One FW-190 collided with one of the Spitfire escorts while zooming up behind them to attack. The RAF pilot was killed and the Luftwaffe pilot was rescued by the RAF.
4. More Spitfires were scrambled. Two of these collided and another was shot down by Faber.
5. Faber was running low on fuel and, having suffered injuries in a previous accident as well as a broken leg while on leave, decided not to risk his life by either bailing out or crashing his airplane, and landed on the airfield. He did not think he was over France.
Item no. 5 is a conclusion by the author, who got to talk to a man who knew Faber as well as examine the official records, including interrogations of both the Luftwaffe pilots captured that day. The interrogation of the other FW-190 pilot revealed that he thought Faber was an idiot, but that was after he had been told about the capture of the FW-190.
Although Item 5 is certainly open to interpretation this information answers a question I have had for some time. One account of the capture of the FW-190 said that Faber had shot down a whole flight of Spitfires sent up to intercept him, and it would seem to be odd that a pilot that competent would get confused over his whereabouts. But in fact, while Faber did shoot down one Spitfire, the other three as well as an FW-190 were all lost in mid-air collisions.
1. FW-190's from JG3 and JG2 scrambled in response to an attack by RAF Bostons with Spitfire escort.
2. One Boston was damaged by AA fire and lagged behind the others; the FW-190s went after that group.
3. One FW-190 collided with one of the Spitfire escorts while zooming up behind them to attack. The RAF pilot was killed and the Luftwaffe pilot was rescued by the RAF.
4. More Spitfires were scrambled. Two of these collided and another was shot down by Faber.
5. Faber was running low on fuel and, having suffered injuries in a previous accident as well as a broken leg while on leave, decided not to risk his life by either bailing out or crashing his airplane, and landed on the airfield. He did not think he was over France.
Item no. 5 is a conclusion by the author, who got to talk to a man who knew Faber as well as examine the official records, including interrogations of both the Luftwaffe pilots captured that day. The interrogation of the other FW-190 pilot revealed that he thought Faber was an idiot, but that was after he had been told about the capture of the FW-190.
Although Item 5 is certainly open to interpretation this information answers a question I have had for some time. One account of the capture of the FW-190 said that Faber had shot down a whole flight of Spitfires sent up to intercept him, and it would seem to be odd that a pilot that competent would get confused over his whereabouts. But in fact, while Faber did shoot down one Spitfire, the other three as well as an FW-190 were all lost in mid-air collisions.
