Heinkel HE 115C w/nr 2754 8L+GH
 

Trying to find info on this crash.

(1) Was the aircraft based in Norway or Holland
(2) It crashed in 16/Sept 1940 in Scotland, the crew were
Leutnant. Hans-Otto Aldus,; Hauptfeldwebel. Heinrich Kothe and Unteroffizier. H. Meissner
(3) 3/KuFlGr906 or 1/KuFlGr906?

Seems to be contradicting info where this plane came from, Stavanger or Schellingwoode

Can anybody help with any info / references?

Thanks

Re: Heinkel HE 115C w/nr 2754 8L+GH
 

I have the unit 1./KüFlGr 906 based at Norderney during that time (03.09.40 - 05.10.40).

Re: Heinkel HE 115C w/nr 2754 8L+GH
 

He started in fact from Ney around 20.00 german time , seems he made a crash-landing, a bit lost nd made some " Bodenberührung" around 22h00 brit. time, time was reported as un-clement that night .
Not to spoil the space is there anything new concerning a loss of Seenotfl.Kdo 3 . An He 59, lost in southern cost of Irland , or at least crew wounded , always on 16.Sept.40 ??



Rémi

Re: Heinkel HE 115C w/nr 2754 8L+GH
 

Hi

The aircraft I am interested crashed North of Aberdeen in Scotland. This was a seaplane (HE 115) so not sure Ney is correct

However some stories say the flight was from Stavanger, others Schellingwoode.

1./KüFlGr 906 based at Norderney, this is now a 3rd possibility

Regards

Alan

Re: Heinkel HE 115C w/nr 2754 8L+GH
 

"1./KüFlGr 906 based at Norderney, this is now a 3rd possibility" - that's not a possibility, it's a fact.

Re: Heinkel HE 115C w/nr 2754 8L+GH
 

Thanks Gerhard

The family of the person that found the crash in 1940 said thatvthe plane came from Stavanger. I wanted this checked hence asking.

Is there any sites you know of that lists aircrew names so i can find out about them.

Regards

Alan

Re: Heinkel HE 115C w/nr 2754 8L+GH
 

This is what you find at Luftwaffe-zur-See.de:

17.09.40
He115B2 8L+GH (wnr.2754) 100% loss 1./Kü.Fl.Gr.906
engl. Ostküste, bewaffnete Aufklärung, infolge Bodenberührung im Nebel in der Nähe von Aberdour, nördl. von Edinburgh abgestürzt.
(B) Ltn.z.S. Hans-Otto Aldus > PoW,
(FF) Hptm. Heinrich Kothe > PoW,
(Bf) Uffz. Herbert Meißner > PoW

Cheers, Pieter

Re: Heinkel HE 115C w/nr 2754 8L+GH
 

Suggest you look at my book Luftwaffe Bombers Battle of Britain as it contains an account by Aldus

Re: Heinkel HE 115C w/nr 2754 8L+GH
 

alanatabz, The correct unit of this loss is 1./ KüFlGr. 906 & the date as follows:

16 September 1940 1./ KüFlGr. 906 Heinkel He115C-1 (2754). Crew lost their bearings in deteriorating weather conditions during night armed-reconnaissance sortie over Kinnairds Head and flew into the ground near Aberdour 10.00 p.m. FF Hptmn Heinrich Kothe (Staffelkapitän) and BF Uffz Herbert Meissner both captured unhurt, BO Lt zur See Hans-Otto Aldus captured injured. Aircraft 8L+GH 100% write-off.

As has already been said, they took off from the German island of Norderney or 'Ney' for short.

RT, The only losses to Seenotflugkdo.3 that I have listed around this time are:

15 September 1940 Seenotflugkdo 3 Heinkel He 59 (1513). Crashed during heavy landing in the Channel off Dungeness during air-sea rescue mission 1.30 p.m. FF Uffz [ ] Bauer and rest of crew all rescued unhurt by German vessel Seelöwe. Aircraft TW+HO 100% write-off.

17 September 1940 Seenotflugkdo. 3 Heinkel He59D (1848). Damaged in collision with U-boat during storm while moored in Boulogne harbour. No personnel casualties. Aircraft NE+TA 30% damaged but repairable.

Nothing on 16 September 1940 nor anything off the south coast of Ireland I'm afraid.

Re: Heinkel HE 115C w/nr 2754 8L+GH
 

KTB der Marine is clear start from Ney, Norderney an other island, I presume ...north Ney ..but it could be a mistake , base is in Norderney

I hv to check the KTB also for the Irland's one, but I note that the day before, 15 th !! an Do 18 from Kü.Fl.Gr.406 crashed by start at the same place, they hv mixed something there, or I read a bit to hastly

Rémi

Re: Heinkel HE 115C w/nr 2754 8L+GH
 

Many thanks guys.

Does anybody have a picture I could use in a book of a Heinkel 115C? Ideally not copyrighted, and happy to credit the Source.

Re: Heinkel HE 115C w/nr 2754 8L+GH
 

I have a photo of the actual aircraft before the crash. PM me but suggest you have a look at my book first

Re: Heinkel HE 115C w/nr 2754 8L+GH
 

Hi Chris

I have just ordered the book "Luftwaffe Bombers Battle of Britain by Chris Goss"

Is that the book - red sort of cover?

Regards

Alan

Re: Heinkel HE 115C w/nr 2754 8L+GH
 

That is it

Re: Heinkel HE 115C w/nr 2754 8L+GH
 

As the crew of this aircraft all became POW's they were also interrogated by British authiorities. Items found in the wreck included ration cards from Norderney seaplane station. This along with other contemporary Luftwaffe documents, show that Staffel 1./906 was stationed in Norderney on 16. September 1940.

Re: Heinkel HE 115C w/nr 2754 8L+GH
 

Sorry, forgot to mention that He 115 W.Nr. 2754 actually was the last production He 115B model.

Re: Heinkel HE 115C w/nr 2754 8L+GH
 

...which is confirmed by Aldus

Re: Heinkel HE 115C w/nr 2754 8L+GH
 

Good to see you again, Seaplanes. Haven't seen you in a while.

Re: Heinkel HE 115C w/nr 2754 8L+GH
 

Update....

I have now been in contact with several people on this crashed Heinkel.

The aircraft's searchlight was "acquired" by one of the people who found the plane when it crashed, the light was fitted to a Ferguson Tractor in the 1950s at a nearby farm. The Tractor was then traded and believed to be somewhere in the West Coast of Scotland.

Some aluminium was taken from the plane, and it was made into a ring. The person who has the ring "somewhere" is going to dig it out and take a photo of it. The same person reckons he has the binoculars from the plane. Again he is going to dig them out to photograph.

Does anybody know where the RAF records would be for defusing bombs on the plane?

Re: Heinkel HE 115C w/nr 2754 8L+GH
 

I think you will be lucky in finding such records

Re: Heinkel HE 115C w/nr 2754 8L+GH
 

Can anybody help?

The crash date of HE 115 w/nr 2754 8L+GH

Was in Sunday 15th Sept 1940 at approx. 10pm, or was it 10pm on Monday 16th September 1940. I have conflicting info...

Re: Heinkel HE 115C w/nr 2754 8L+GH
 

alanatabz,

I sense that you are somewhat new to researching such events but you do seem to be going around in circles. Of course, not every source you consult is ever going to obligingly agree every detail (particularly eye-witnesses) & for sure there are volumes of misinformation masquerading as history duplicated on t'internet. But having asked for the facts of the matter from those who truly know you would do better to accept the information provided & move on. Refer to my post #9 - amongst others. If you still have doubts then maybe this is the wrong forum to pose them ?

Re: Heinkel HE 115C w/nr 2754 8L+GH
 

I tend to focus in more in other areas of WW2, The aerial side is fairly new to me.

I have listed it as 16th, as per your post. What has thrown me is :-

The son of 2 of the 3 people who assisted the Airmen says it was Sunday 15th, This was because this was the only day his mother had off to visit family (which was a Sunday) as on a Monday she would be working away. It also ties in with the son of another person who's father was visiting the area on a Sunday as he was at Church in the morning, again being the only day they had off to visit he stayed at the farm after the church service earlier in the day. The curator of the police museum up here has it on record it was Sunday the 15th.


Every other record (Battle of Britain Book), numerous website records say 16th (one actually says 17th).

Hence looking to recheck from any other sources

Re: Heinkel HE 115C w/nr 2754 8L+GH
 

Amen.

Re: Heinkel HE 115C w/nr 2754 8L+GH
 

Hello, all.

Loss record as recorded with sources:

http://www.aviationhistory.no/ref_db...?lossid=117004

In addition - havin read countless pages from ObdM units war diaries, the location Ney is often referring to Norderney as mentioned above. One small very important thing is left out in the previous entries in this thread:

When referring to Norderney this way, the writing was N'ey - obviously a way of shortening the text you were writing. If you are a clerk typing up references to Norderney 1000 times a day I am certain you welcome the use of N'ey for short.

Even if this could be confused with Ney - a small Dorf between Hahn (Lautzenhausen) and Koblenz - no Heinkel He 115 would ever take off from there! \

The dorf is so small that even the Google Streetview car has yet to pass through it... and it has been to Aurskog were I live... even if it is a few years back as all I can see from my current house is the foundation!

Regards,
Andreas B

Re: Heinkel HE 115C w/nr 2754 8L+GH
 

Thanks Peter, that's the info I was looking to see.

It would suggest 16th Was the date. I have a newspaper article now from 1959 about the crash, and it states 15th. This I think is what starts all the wrong date assumptions off.

Last question, does anybody know how old Aldus was at the time of the Crash, the others were 31 and 34.

Re: Heinkel HE 115C w/nr 2754 8L+GH
 

lan: It is not suggested that the date was 16 Sep, it was definitely that date which is what I said in my book. I am afraid that I cannot answer how old he was-he never told me that

Re: Heinkel HE 115C w/nr 2754 8L+GH
 

Hi All

Another question relating to this crash

KOTHE, Heinrich. 1940 Hptm. and pilot in 1./Kü.Fl.Gr. 906 (to 16.09.40). 16.09.40 Hptm,.
1./Kü.Fl.Gr.906 POW - He 115 C (8L+CH) sortie to Kinairds Head and struck ground in mist, crashed
vic near Aberdour, N Edinburgh. [b][u]01.04.42 promo to Hptm.(Tr.O.). 01.08.44 officially listed as a
POW or internee in a neutral country.

Would it be normal for a POW to be promoted?

Re: Heinkel HE 115C w/nr 2754 8L+GH
 

Promotion would be on time so yes. A late friend of mine was captured as an Oblt & promoted to Hptm on time in 1943