FW200 lost fleeing to Spain 21 April 1945

[Kiwikid]

I have read claims that the Deutsch Luft Hansa Fw 200B-2, D-ASHH 'Hessen', crashed on high ground while overloaded with the last Nazi leaders attempting to escape from Berlin on 21 April 1945.

I have a number of questions. Most obvious I guess is who was aboard ?
Anybody know please ?

There were 5 crew and 16 passengers. Where in Spain were they fleeing to ?

Was this aircraft part of Operation Seraglio. The mass evacuation of Hitler's Chancelery staff from Templehoff airport ?

Did this aircraft really collide with high ground or was it shot down by a P-61 or Mosquito night fighter ?

Where did it crash ?

What were the compromising diplomatic documents which Hitler said were aboard this aircraft ?

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

I have read claims that the Deutsch Luft Hansa Fw 200B-2, D-ASHH 'Hessen', crashed on high ground while overloaded with the last Nazi leaders attempting to escape from Berlin on 21 April 1945.

I have a number of questions. Most obvious I guess is who was aboard ?
Anybody know please ?

There were 5 crew and 16 passengers. Where in Spain were they fleeing to ?

Was this aircraft part of Operation Seraglio. The mass evacuation of Hitler's Chancelery staff from Templehoff airport ?

Did this aircraft really collide with high ground or was it shot down by a P-61 or Mosquito night fighter ?

Where did it crash ?

What were the compromising diplomatic documents which Hitler said were aboard this aircraft ?

It is actually covered in the book:

KG 200 The Luftwaffe's Most Secret Unit by Geoffrey J. Thomas Barr Ketley

The book goes about the mission and the crew who were to fly the aircraft. The aircraft was actually a Ju 290, not a Fw 200. The flight however never actually took place. The pilot Hptm. Heinz Braun and his crew waited at the aircraft and on the 30th of April.

On May 2. Braun flew his aircraft to Koeniggratz in Czechoslovakia and waited for further orders. On my May 8, he loaded his aircraft with women and children that were fleeing form the Russian advance. He flew the aircraft to Munich where he landed and surrendered to US Forces.

His account of the surrender was so:

"On the Czech-German border, we were intercepted by two P-51 Mustangs in extremely bad weather while flying low. By rocking the wings and lowering the landing gear, we were able to avoid an attack and subsequently flew unhindered to Muenchen-Riem where we were able to land on a narrowly marked out runway free of bomb craters."

In Munich he surrendered the aircraft with 70 women and children on board.

The book even has an actual picture of a photo copy of the actual passenger manifest for the flight to evacuate high ranking nazi's on 21 April. As stated however the flight never happened.

Here is a list of names on the manifest:

Der Fuehrer
Reichsminister Dr. Goebbels
Frau Goebbels und Kinder (6)
Reichsleiter Bormann
SS-Gruppenfuehrer Mueller
SS-Gruppenfuehrer Fegelein
General der Infantrie Burgdorf
Botscafter zbV Hewel
SS-Oberstubf. Betz
SS-Stubf. Dr. Stumpfegger
SS-Hauptstuf. Gross
Frl. Braun
Fr. Manzialy

4 Mann Begleitkdo (RSD)

 

[pohlstein]

If you are still interested in the story, I have researched it, assembled all known facts and dug out new facts from archives.

The posting above is correct in the facts on that Ju-290 crash, but the Focke Wulf Crash happened on April 21 in Bavaria, near Binabiburg. It did happen. The marks of the plane where 3 engines and the fuselage ran straight into the ground are still visible in the forest! The 4th engine with part of the outer wing came down about 300 meters away from the plane. The plane was burning.

The people on board the not overloaded plane board a mix of mostly Lufthansa employees and their families (women and at least 1 child), 2 spanish diplomats and some persons from german intelligence (which was SS by then)

There is a passenger list, but it lacks the intelligence people.

 

[davebender]

I'm surprised more Luftwaffe aircraft didn't fly to Spain rather then Norway. 1945 Spain could have acquired a nice collection of state of the art aircraft.

 

[tyrodtom]

Norway was one heck of a lot closer than Spain, plus you didn't have to fly over hostile territory to get there.

But of course Norway wasn't likely going to be friendly territory for X-Nazis after the 3rd Reich fell apart.

 

[davebender]

Norway wasn't likely going to be friendly territory for X-Nazis after the 3rd Reich fell apart

That's what I'm thinking. Spain is safe and Norway isn't. So go to Spain if your aircraft has enough range.

 

[grog]

I know this is an old thread but can you post the passenger list?