Luftwaffe casualties in Ireland 1940
 

Can anyone identify the two Lw airmen washed ashore in County Galway on 12 November 1940 ? Any names or ID numbers in Irish records of the period ? What happened to their bodies & where were they buried ? Many thanks.

Re. LW casualties in ireland 1940.
 

Hallo Peter,

The two Luftwaffe airmen in question are;

1/ OberLt. Theophil Schuldt.

His body was found washed ashore on 12 November 1940 at Aillebrack beach, near Ballyconneely, County Galway. He was buried on the 13th in Ballyconneely Protestant Cemetery.
Born 28 July 1913 at Eisenach.
ID No. 7/62753

2/ RegRat. Dr. Johannes (Hans) Sturm.

His body was found washed ashore also on 12 November 1940 on Dynich(sic) (Dinish ?) Island, near Lettermullan, Co. Galway. He was buried on the 14th in Kiggaul Roman Catholic Cemetery, near Lettermullan.
Born 27 July 1909 at 'Haag/Obb.'
ID No. 58240/ ?

Both men were reinterred in the German War Cemetery at Glencree, Co. Wicklow during June 1959. They were part of the crew of a FW 200C from I./KG 40 lost on 22 October 1940 off the west coast of Ireland.

The above information is from File G2/X/0466 held in the Irish Military Archives, Dublin and also from a list of the German dead in Glencree (source unknown, but looks like the German equivalent of the CWGC).

Peter you helped me several years ago, also with a BoB query. Thanks again. Hope the above helps.

Martin Gleeson.

Luftwaffe casualties in Ireland 1940
 

Many thanks. Glad to have been of help. Please get in touch again off-line.

Luftwaffe casualties in Ireland 1940
 

The Blitz T&N list this aircraft as W.Nr. 0024 F8+OK. Nowarra lists 0024 as damaged 27 April 1942. Any idea Peter, as to identity of the Condor? Incidentally an A.I.I. (k) report of the interrogation of another Condor crew states that Dr Sturm was one of the most prominent Weather Frogs.
Regards to Peter and Martin,
Tony Kearns

27 Apr 42 ac was 0025 according to my records

Lw casualties in Ireland 1940
 

Tony,

Thanks for the input. Chris Goss has already provided you the answer. You may have been puzzled as to why I was querying something I clearly already knew from the entry in Blitz T&N ? Truth is I was actually trying to establish exactly what the 'indications that the unit was KG77' RAF Intelligence refer to in their A.I.1(k) Report No.8/1941. It turns out to be the ID number of Reg Rat Dr Hans STURM who,as you rightly say, was a fairly senior weather frog who obviously served in KG77 prior to his attachment to KG40. Thanks again.

Luftwaffe casualties in Ireland 1940
 

Many thanks Chris and Peter,
Tony Kearns

Re: Luftwaffe casualties in Ireland 1940
 

Hello Folks,

has anyone the full names and ranks of the crew for this aircraft, in addition to the men above?

I have simply:
Fw. BERGHAUS +
GRUBER +
PLOEGER +
Gefr. GRESSEL +

Was it F8+OK or F8+DK?

Edit: I forgot this more recent posting on the subject.
http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showth...hlight=ireland

Thanks
Dennis

Re: Luftwaffe casualties in Ireland 1940
 

Dennis,

This is where I am at present regarding this loss:

2./KG40 Focke-Wulf Fw200C-2 (0024). Crashed in the Irish Sea during weather reconnaissance sortie. FF1 Oberlt Theodor Schuldt (Staffelführer) and Reg. Rat. Meteorologe Dr Hans Sturm both killed, FF2 Fw Walter Berghaus, BF1 Fw Friedrich Gruber, BM Fw Friedrich Hoeger, and BF2 Gefr Walter Grässle all missing. Aircraft F8+OK 100% write-off.
The body of Theodor Schuldt was found on Aillebrack beach, near Ballyconneely, on November 12. Dr Hans Sturm was found washed ashore the same day on Dinish Island, near Lettermullen, County Galway.

Re: Luftwaffe casualties in Ireland 1940
 

Thanks very much Peter,

I can't even recall where I got my spellings at this stage. I'll update my site at first opertunity and give you a mention.

Much appreciated. Dennis

Re: Luftwaffe casualties in Ireland 1940
 

Thanks for the interesting data

Re: Luftwaffe casualties in Ireland 1940
 

Hello Peter,
One aspect of this incident which confuses me is the location of the crash ie the Irish Sea. Schuldt and Sturm were both washed ashore, as Martin mentions, not too far from one and other on the WEST Coast of Ireland (approx. half way up the coast). If the crash did occur in the Irish Sea it would be most likely that any bodies washed ashore would be either the Irish East Coast or the North West coast of the UK. In one particular example some bodies of a Heinkel crew whish crashed in the St George's Channel having drifted were washed ashore near Kinsale Co. Cork on the South Coast of Ireland. That is about as far west as I have ever come across.
The Irish coastwatchers did observe " a large aircraft believed to be German off the coast of Kerry " early in the morning (07.30 Irish time). It was tracked passing the Shannon Basin and up along the west coast before heading west into the Atlantic. This route was not unusual for the Condors.
I would really appreciate the expertise of a nautical person well versed in the tides and currents around the Irish Coast.
Regards
Tony K

Re: Luftwaffe casualties in Ireland 1940
 

Very good point, again my incapacity to read things properly.

Would they have been sending out regular signals of their position/situation or am I thinking of weather flights.

Re: Luftwaffe casualties in Ireland 1940
 

It was a recce/weather sortie, Sturm was a weather Frog and observations would have been reported regularly.

Re: Luftwaffe casualties in Ireland 1940
 

I wondered if Peter or others had any further comment on his location of crash in the 'Irish Sea' for this aircraft rather than in the Atlantic?

Just to clear up any confusion.

Re: Luftwaffe casualties in Ireland 1940
 

Dennis,

I totally accept the very good point raised by Tony Kearns and have consequently amended my records on this incident as follows:

2./KG40 Focke-Wulf Fw200C-2 (0024). Crashed off the west coast of Ireland during weather reconnaissance sortie over the North Atlantic, cause unknown. FF1 Oberlt Theodor Schuldt (Staffelführer) and Reg. Rat. Meteorologe Dr Hans Sturm both killed, FF2 Fw Walter Berghaus, BF1 Fw Friedrich Gruber, BM Fw Friedrich Hoeger, and BF2 Gefr Walter Grässle all missing. Aircraft F8+OK 100% write-off.
The body of Theodor Schuldt was found on Aillebrack beach, near Ballyconneely, on November 12. Dr Hans Sturm was found washed ashore the same day on Dinish Island, near Lettermullen, County Galway.