Looking for photos of Ju 88D-5 F6+HH Werk.Nr. 430048

Ad: This forum contains affiliate links to products on Amazon and eBay. More information in Terms and rules

Bender

Recruit
3
2
May 20, 2026
Hello everyone!
Could you help me find photos of the Ju 88D-5 F6+HH aircraft with serial number 430048 and, if possible, photos of its crew?
If anyone has any additional information, I would be very grateful!
Thanks in advance!! 🤝
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hey. You should have a good chance of getting a pic. of the pilot Hptm Dr. Nikolaus Claus Büsen, who flew it on the day of the loss since he's awarded the German Cross in Gold and Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. I guess your a relativ since your name matches one from the crew on the 13. june 1942. Could also be that the Gendarmeri in Algira has tasken some pictures of the crashsite on the coast where it went down since it was Vichy area. The Allied Pilot of a Sea Hurricane that most likely "downed" the JU88 D-5 would be Commander Robert Michael Crosley who flew of the HMS Eagle and had encounters both 12 june and on 13 june 1942 "hit a Twin engined Fighter-Bomber"..... I do not have the Book "Malta: The Spitfire Year 1942" or "They Gave Me a Seafire" but this is likely the books that can confirm or dismis my guess regarding the Sea Hurricane pilot. I'll keep searching for pics. since you got me curious ;).... I found more information, and it seems that the encounter happened in the morning, probably between 07:30 and 08:30. The crew of the Ju 88 D-5 had almost certainly reported the convoy's position, because at 10:00 hours the fleet was attacked by Italian torpedo bombers. So, from the Axis point of view, the crew was successful in their task, but paid the ultimate price. Still no photo-findings but will look further...... A bit of a puzzel here... it seems like S/L Crosley (in a pair flying with L TJA King-Joyce) hit F6+HH but another pair S/L GW Parish and S/L AG Blanchard (from 813 sqn) got a "shared" for downing since they saw the JU88 crash at the coast of Algiers..... This is most likely since it does not appear that any other JU88 was lost on 13.6.42 in that area, plenty lost elswhere in the region so must be the same JU88 I think. It's written in "Fleet Air Arm Aircraft 1939-45"
 
Last edited:
Hey. You should have a good chance of getting a pic. of the pilot Hptm Dr. Nikolaus Claus Büsen, who flew it on the day of the loss since he's awarded the German Cross in Gold and Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. I guess your a relativ since your name matches one from the crew on the 13. june 1942. Could also be that the Gendarmeri in Algira has tasken some pictures of the crashsite on the coast where it went down since it was Vichy area. The Allied Pilot of a Sea Hurricane that most likely "downed" the JU88 D-5 would be Commander Robert Michael Crosley who flew of the HMS Eagle and had encounters both 12 june and on 13 june 1942 "hit a Twin engined Fighter-Bomber"..... I do not have the Book "Malta: The Spitfire Year 1942" or "They Gave Me a Seafire" but this is likely the books that can confirm or dismis my guess regarding the Sea Hurricane pilot. I'll keep searching for pics. since you got me curious ;).... I found more information, and it seems that the encounter happened in the morning, probably between 07:30 and 08:30. The crew of the Ju 88 D-5 had almost certainly reported the convoy's position, because at 10:00 hours the fleet was attacked by Italian torpedo bombers. So, from the Axis point of view, the crew was successful in their task, but paid the ultimate price. Still no photo-findings but will look further...... A bit of a puzzel here... it seems like S/L Crosley (in a pair flying with L TJA King-Joyce) hit F6+HH but another pair S/L GW Parish and S/L AG Blanchard (from 813 sqn) got a "shared" for downing since they saw the JU88 crash at the coast of Algiers..... This is most likely since it does not appear that any other JU88 was lost on 13.6.42 in that area, plenty lost elswhere in the region so must be the same JU88 I think. It's written in "Fleet Air Arm Aircraft 1939-45"
The German casualty record cards for this crew that I was able to find
 

Attachments

  • Page 1 (26).jpg
    Page 1 (26).jpg
    324.8 KB · Views: 31
  • Page 1 (20).jpg
    Page 1 (20).jpg
    251 KB · Views: 26
  • Page 1 (27).jpg
    Page 1 (27).jpg
    284.3 KB · Views: 28
Here is the most likely historical summary of the engagement :

The aircraft was a Junkers Ju 88 D-5, code F6+HH, Werknummer 430048, belonging to 1.(F)/122. The crew consisted of the pilot and Staffelkapitän Hauptmann Dr. Nikolaus Büsen, observer Unteroffizier Rudolf Ziegler, radio operator Feldwebel Hans Göhringer, and gunner Obergefreiter Heinrich Bender.

Their opponents flew from the carrier HMS Eagle. The aircraft were Sea Hurricane Mk. Ibs armed with eight .303 Brownings using deWilde incendiary ammunition. Notably, 801 NAS aircraft on HMS Eagle used a single large letter code like F or K, omitting the standard 7 prefix used by other carriers. The British pilots involved in the fighter screen during these days included Sub-Lieutenant Michael Crosley and Lt T.J.A. King-Joyce from 801 NAS, along with Sub-Lieutenant G.W. Paish and Sub-Lieutenant A.G. Blanchard from 813 NAS Fighter Flight.

The events surrounding F6+HH unfolded on June 13, when the Harpoon convoy bound for Malta was successfully located. Feldwebel Göhringer managed to transmit the vital coordinates back to Axis command. In response, HMS Eagle scrambled its available Sea Hurricanes. While Mike Crosley (801 NAS) engaged and claimed a 'probable' kill on a different reconnaissance aircraft early that morning (F6+EH), it was Sub-Lieutenant Paish and Sub-Lieutenant Blanchard from 813 NAS who intercepted Dr. Büsen's F6+HH. The two pilots shared the final kill as the damaged Ju 88 crashed on the Algerian coast near Algiers early on the afternoon of June 13.

Despite the loss of the aircraft, the crew accomplished their mission. Their transmission confirmed the convoy's position, leading directly to the massive, coordinated attack by Italian Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 torpedo bombers the following day, June 14, at 11:10 hours. The original German casualty cards reveal that Büsen, Göhringer, and Bender initially survived the crash in North Africa. However, they all succumbed to their severe wounds the next day, June 14, at a French hospital in Algiers city, with Büsen dying at 02:00 hours. The aircraft was a 100% loss.

This engagement perfectly illustrates the harsh realities of the Mediterranean air war, marking a tactical success for the Luftwaffe reconnaissance crew that ultimately cost them their lives against the Fleet Air Arm defense.

(I'll still try searching for photos of this specific crew, aircraft etc. The exact Sea Hurricane Mk Ib used by Crosley is not known, but the following planes were onboard HMS Eagle in June 42: V7505 - W9188 - W9223 - Z4876 - Z4923 - Z7153 - AE968).
 
Last edited:

Users who are viewing this thread

Back