World War 2 Trivia

[Airframes]

On the right track Dave. My apologies, the escape bid was made in 1941, although they were both downed in September 1940. I've edited the original post accordingly.

 

[nuuumannn]

Whilst technically, the He111 of KG26 was the first enemy aircraft to be brought down on English soil (I have photos of it), it wasn't the first enemy aircraft brought down on English land. This was a He115, of 3/KuFIGr406, which collided with a radio mast on 6 December, 1939, and crashed onto the shore at West Beach, Sherringham, Norfolk.
Between the outbreak of war, and February 3rd 1940, a total of 19 other enemy aircraft, excluding the KG26 Heinkel, were brought down on Scottish or English land, and in immediate coastal waters.

Just back on this, although I've been overtaken by events, the first enemy aircraft to actually crash on British soil (as opposed to English) - the Ju 88s on 16 October 1939 went into the sea, was another Ju 88 of I/KG30 that was shot down by AA whilst attacking shipping in Scapa Flow the very next day, the aircraft exploded on Hoy, Orkney. I wonder, Terry if your 19 'enemy' aircraft also includes a Handley Page Hampden of 44 Sqn shot down by Spitfires of 602 Sqn off May Island in December 1939?

 

[Airframes]

Oops! Double post!

 

[Airframes]

Just back on this, although I've been overtaken by events, the first enemy aircraft to actually crash on British soil (as opposed to English) - the Ju 88s on 16 October 1939 went into the sea, was another Ju 88 of I/KG30 that was shot down by AA whilst attacking shipping in Scapa Flow the very next day, the aircraft exploded on Hoy, Orkney. I wonder, Terry if your 19 'enemy' aircraft also includes a Handley Page Hampden of 44 Sqn shot down by Spitfires of 602 Sqn off May Island in December 1939?

No Grant, only Luftwaffe aircraft.

 

[Njaco]

If you had read my BoB Day by Day thread, you would know!!!

 

[mikewint]

On November 24, 1941 from POW camp #15 in Shap (Eden district Cumbria, England. Two Luftwaffe pilots Heinz Schnabel and Harry Wappler stole a Miles Magister trainer aircraft which was low on fuel. They landed at another RAF base and refueled. After taking off again they soon realized that the aircraft had insufficient range to reach the Netherlands. Having no other choice they turned back and were recaptured.
Fighter pilot Heinz Schnabel was from 1/JG3 Jagdstaffell and Heinkel bomber pilot Oberleutnant Harry Wappler was from KG27

 

[stona]

I was thinking of the Dornier forced down by the Skuas as per redcoat's answer.
The crew were picked up by the destroyer HMS Somali and the aeroplane then sunk by gunfire from the destroyer. I'm not at home at the moment but I'll post details of the Dornier and crew in a couple of days when I get back.

Do 18 D-3, Wn.0731, coded M7+YK. The aircraft was with 2/KuFlGr.506.

It took off from Hornum in Germany on a reconnaissance mission but was intercepted by Skuas of 803 Squadron FAA. The Skuas damaged the rear engine forcing the Dornier to land in the North Sea in the area of the Great Fisher Bank.

Flugzeugfuhrer (pilot) Leutnant zur See Wilhelm Freiherr von Reitzenstein

Beobachter (observer) Leutnant zur See Ernst Korner

Bordfunker (wireless operator) Unteroffizier Walter Heckt

Bordmechaniker (flight engineer) Unteroffizier Fritz Schmalfeldt.

All were rescued by HMS Somali having taken to their life raft.

Cheers

Steve

 

[stona]

On November 24, 1941 from POW camp #15 in Shap (Eden district Cumbria, England. Two Luftwaffe pilots Heinz Schnabel and Harry Wappler stole a Miles Magister trainer aircraft which was low on fuel. They landed at another RAF base and refueled. After taking off again they soon realized that the aircraft had insufficient range to reach the Netherlands. Having no other choice they turned back and were recaptured.
Fighter pilot Heinz Schnabel was from 1/JG3 Jagdstaffell and Heinkel bomber pilot Oberleutnant Harry Wappler was from KG27

Well done. I should have remembered those two!

Here is a nice picture of a shepherd and his flock on Banks Farm in Kent.

In the background and seemingly of no interest to the shepherd, his dogs or the sheep is Schnabel's crashed Bf 109. On 6th September 1940 Schnabel had escorted some bombers to Croydon. On the return flight he was separated from the formation by "some Spitfires and a Hurricane", a technique familiar to that shepherd and his dogs as "shedding", which then shot him down.

Cheers

Steve

 

[Njaco]

Mike, your turn!

 

[Airframes]

Yep, Mike's got it.
They didn't actually land at another RAF base to refuel, but in a field on the Norfolk coast, after turning back over The Wash.
Here's the full story in a PDF.

 

[mikewint]

Name the luckiest or unluckiest (depending on your point of view) British soldier. He was captured by the Japanese in Singapore, sent to work on the Burma Railway, shipped to Japan on a "Hell Ship" which was torpedoed, survived burning oil and 5 days on a raft with no food or water, rescued by a Japanese Whaler, transported to Nagasaki where he was atomic bombed and survived

 

[GrauGeist]

I read about those two Luftwaffe airmen perhaps ten years ago or more, thought it was an interesting story and ranks up there as far as daring escapes go.

Sorry I didn't recall more details, though!

 

[stona]

... the first German aircraft to be shot down in England was a He111 on the 3rd Feb 1940 from II Gruppe of the ' Lion Geshwader' (KG26). It was shot down by Hurricanes from Blue Section, 43 Sqn. Their leader being Peter Townsend, the other pilots being Folkes and Sgt Hallows. It crash landed a mile or two from Whitby Town. Oberserver Peter Leushake and flight mechanic Johann Meyer were killed. Pilot Hermann Wilms and gunner Karl Missy survived although Karl Missy lost his legs through his injuries.

This was an He 111 H-3 of 4./KG 26, Wn.2323, coded 1H+FM.

It was shot down as you described. The pilot (Feldwebel Hermann Wilms) was wounded. Observer (Unteroffizier Rudolph Leushake) was killed. Gunner (Unteroffizier Johann Meyer) was also killed. Wireless operator (Unteroffizier Karl Missy) wounded, but my information is that he had a foot amputated rather than his legs.

The pilot attempted to set the crashed aircraft on fire but was prevented from doing so by civilians. There was a good intelligence haul as one of the crew was carrying his diary, contrary to regulations.


Both the aircraft mentioned by Nuuumaann crashed into the sea on 16th October.

4D+DH of 1./KG 30 went in four miles off Port Seton on the Firth of Forth in Lothian. The flight engineer (Obergefreiter Kramer) was killed. Interrogation of the surviving crew revealed that they had been told that they would be invisible to British RDF when flying in cloud !

4D+AK of 2./KG 30 went in off Crail, Fifeness in Fifeshire. All the crew apart from the pilot were killed. The pilot Hauptmann Helmut Pohle, Staffekapitan, was badly injured, including severe facial injuries. He spent two weeks in hospital in Edinburgh before being transferred to London where he was interrogated. He did not impress his British interrogators by giving a Nazi salute (which one British officer inadvertently returned ) and demanding that a telephone call be made to Berlin to arrange for a doctor to come to England to treat his facial injuries.
The interrogating officer was then Squadron Leader Denys Felkin, a friend of RV Jones, who gives an account in his book "Most Secret War".

The first aircraft to come down on British, albeit Scottish, soil was yet another Ju 88 A-1, 4D+EK, of 2./KG 30, on 17th October. This one came down on Hoy in the Orkney Islands. Only the wireless operator (Unteroffizier Fritz Ambrosius) survived. Two unidentified airmen from this aircraft still lie in Lyness cemetery, Hoy.

I post that photograph because whilst we write of victories and losses it's easy to lose sight of the fact that young men were losing their lives.

Cheers

Steve

 

[pattle]

Name the luckiest or unluckiest (depending on your point of view) British soldier. He was captured by the Japanese in Singapore, sent to work on the Burma Railway, shipped to Japan on a "Hell Ship" which was torpedoed, survived burning oil and 5 days on a raft with no food or water, rescued by a Japanese Whaler, transported to Nagasaki where he was atomic bombed and survived

Would this be the Scottish gentleman who was the subject of a recent tv documentary?

 

[pattle]

Just googled it, it was a 2011 Channel 5 documentary telling the story of Alistair Urquhart the forgotten highlander.

 

[Airframes]

Googled? Googled???

 

[pattle]

Yes I know that googleing is cheating, I remembered watching the documentary and it was just niggling me whether it was the same person.

 

[mikewint]

Pattle, never saw the TV but you are correct. Now it be your turn

 

[pattle]

What type of aircraft is pictured here?

 

[Airframes]

Hudson?