Bf109 loss 7th January 1942
 

Hi,

On 7th January 1942 two Bf109s were reported bewteen Plymouth and Ibsley. One of them suffered engine failure and the pilot baled out, being captured near Tracey Bovey.

Would anyone have any details of this pilot and the unit he came from?

Regards,

Alex

Re: Bf109 loss 7th January 1942
 

Uffz. Kurt Thune (umlaut over u) of 1/(F)123 b. 31-1-1920, crashed Lakemoor Farm at 1045 hrs. Thats all I have,

Regards

Brian Bines

Re: Bf109 loss 7th January 1942
 

This was the first recon 109 downed in the UK and (I think) the site was excavated by Phillipa Hotchkiss in the ?1980s. I gather the pilot visited the site at that time or soon after. Interestingly, Thune's film was retrieved from his camera, and developed at RAF Medmenham. The camera was left on after he suffered the engine failure, and in a rather graphic if pointless graph, Medmenham plotted his slow loss of height, pitch and yaw etc until the film ran out. There's a file on this (with pointless graph) in the PRO (UK National Archives), in Air 34 I think, though I cannot rremember the reference now, which is annoying. There has been some stuff on this loss before, which might be trawled up from the archive deep...


Best


Chris Going

Re: Bf109 loss 7th January 1942
 

Hi Chris, Brian

Thank you for your replies, much appreciated. I'll have a dig through the archives and see what I can find.

Alex

Re: Bf109 loss 7th January 1942
 

1.F123 BF109E-7 Wn4970 Uffz Thümer kurt

Re: Bf109 loss 7th January 1942
 

Hi RT,

Thanks for the additional info.

Alex

Re: Bf109 loss 7th January 1942
 

Just another small addition, Thune's plane had the markings 4U+SH (white S).

regards,
Tomislav

Re: Bf109 loss 7th January 1942
 

So right name is Thümer od Thüne ??

Re: Bf109 loss 7th January 1942
 

Alex

Not sure the extent of your interest but I have a file of various letters and documents relating to this incident. Cannot recall now what it contains as it must be 25 plus years old. I can dig it out and mail it to you depending on the level of your interest.

Andy

Re: Bf109 loss 7th January 1942
 

The level of our interest, dear Andy

rémi

Re: Bf109 loss 7th January 1942
 

???

Re: Bf109 loss 7th January 1942
 

Hi Tomislav,

Thanks for the extra info.

Andy,

The 263 Sqn ORB for 7th Jan 1942 states that two Whirlwinds were scrambled after two Bf109s. One of the bandits suffered engine failure and the pilot baled out and was captured.

My interest in the Bf109 was simply to determine the name of the pilot and what unit he was from. This would be added to my history of 263 Sqn.

However from the replies this would seem to have been an interesting event as it was a recce flight and was subsequently excavated. From a historians point of view it would be interesting to learn more about this episode.

Regards,

Alex

Re: Bf109 loss 7th January 1942
 

Hi Andy,

I think RT is meaning that everyone would be interested! Do you have a bulk photocopying facility? (Only joking!) Good to see you appearing on the TOCH site especially with all your aviation archaeology and research experience!

Regards,

David

Re: Bf109 loss 7th January 1942
 

Thks DR , to hv read between the lines


remi

Re: Bf109 loss 7th January 1942
 

Folks might like to know some of T's reconnaissance imagery taken on other sortiers survives. The usual places -Portsmouth, Plymouth etc. The quality of the interpretation is pretty execrable though -bog standard photo 'reading'. Incidentally the a/c was the last 109E downed over the UK.

Best


Chris

Re: Bf109 loss 7th January 1942
 

For the record (and if you're trying to find it on a map) it's Bovey Tracey, not the other way round.

Re: Bf109 loss 7th January 1942
 

Hi Nick,

Thanks for that, my mistake.

Alex

Re: Bf109 loss 7th January 1942
 

Hi Alex,
I never realised the whirlwinds had scrambled for this a/c.
The 109 was first excavated by DARRT, ( devon based recovery group) and later Kurt came to england,( invited by that group ), he stayed locally to the crash site, then spent a few days in torquay before returning to germany.
If you want more info I have a file of stuff also, crash report, etc, part extract of a pow interview, also somewhere video footage I made of him during his visit, but it will take sometime to find the box it is in.
The 109 was apparently a specialy modified E-7, not a field conversion, but apparently done in a factory in france.
Official crash site was mardoen woods, n/w buckfastleigh, apparently a lot was recovered and the fuselage (?) left from the local railway station.
The interesting part of the story i think is, that after landing kurt threw his personal leica camera over a hedge, and it was never found....
Cheers
jerry

Re: Bf109 loss 7th January 1942
 

Hi Jerry,

263 Sqn ORB Form 541 for 7th January 1942 reads:

P/O Blackshaw/P7011 and Sgt Lovell/P7003 were scrambled at 1055 to patrol base at 15,000ft. Two photographic ME109Fs were patrolling between Plymouth and Ibsley. One of these crashed through engine failure. Its pilot bailed out sucessfully and was captured near Bovey Tracey. Time down 1130.

As the Bf109s were mentioned in this entry I assumed the Whirwinds had been scrambled/vectored to intercept these two Bf109s.

Alex

Re: Bf109 loss 7th January 1942
 

Hi Alex,
You're right, I never connected the info together, a touch of the 'dooh', by me..
cheers
jerry