Need info on two Luft. pilots from II./KG30 that attacked the Lancastria on 17.06.40
 

Hello,

Two of the 14 pilots from II./KG30 that participated in the attack on, and sinking of the troopship "Lancastria" on June 17, 1940, are known to me. One was Peter Stahl, who had just been assigned to the unit on June 15th. Can anybody provide his rank at the time and to which Staffel he was assigned? He apparently made no claim of damage to the "Lancastria" that day. He later wrote a book, "The Diving Eagle", "KG 200, the True Story."

In Stah's book he refers to a 5./KG30 pilot, "Uffz. Geffgen," whose Ju88 was shot up by a French fighter during that mission and subsequently belly landed at Le Culot AF Belgium, with 75 bullet holes. Does anyone have his first name, and/or know anything about his combat career with 5./KG30?

Does anyone know of any photos that have survived of the 5./KG30 Ju88 belly landed at Le Culot after this mission?

Are the names of any other pilots from II./KG30 who participated in the attack that day known? Lt. Werner Baumbach was a notable pilot with 5 Staffel during the WC/FC, but I believe that he was on a special assignment elsewhere at the time of the Lancastria mission.

We are considering doing a combat painting of this attack for the EoE Project, and I'm gathering all possible information on it from both sides.

Thanx,

Re: Need info on two Luft. pilots from II./KG30 that attacked the Lancastria on 17.06.40
 

Hi Larry,


I hope this link may be useful to you:


http://www.lancastria.org.uk/General...eder_i_30.html




Ed

Re: Need info on two Luft. pilots from II./KG30 that attacked the Lancastria on 17.06.40
 

Ed,

Thanx for the reference. I already was aware of this. I have this report on the German attack claims but unfortunately, it doesn't ID the specific a/c or crews that made them. That's the problem.

Regards,

Re: Need info on two Luft. pilots from II./KG30 that attacked the Lancastria on 17.06.40
 

The Diving Eagle, 15 June 1940 entry :
P.46 : ..."I am detailed to 5.Staffel again."...
P.47-48 : ..."and our Staffel is participating with Feldwebeln Kühnast, Lorbeer and Erkens and Unteroffizier Stahl. So this will be my combat debut."...

Re: Need info on two Luft. pilots from II./KG30 that attacked the Lancastria on 17.06.40
 

udf_00

Thanx, this certainly answered that part of my question. Does the entry P.47-48 refer to his combat debut on June 15th or the Lancastria attack on June 17th?

Regards,

Re: Need info on two Luft. pilots from II./KG30 that attacked the Lancastria on 17.06.40
 

June 15th, an evening attack on the port of Cherbourg, seven Ju 88s led by Hauptmann Peters.

Re: Need info on two Luft. pilots from II./KG30 that attacked the Lancastria on 17.06.40
 

udf_00,

Thanx! This now gives us the names of five of the seven pilots for 5./KG30 for the 15.6.40 mission. Hptm Peters, presumably the StaKap, Fw Kühnast, Fw Lorbeer, Fw Erkens and Uffz Peter Stahl. I suspect that the other two could have been officers. Does Stahl's book provide the first names of any of these pilots and provide the names of other members of the Staffel during this period? I believe that one of them may have been Lt Willi Erkens. Is he mentioned anywhere? Lt Wolfgang Mann from 5 Staffel was badly injured when he was shot down on 16.6.40. Is his name mentioned? He couldn't have been on the Lancastria mission, but his name helps build out the Staffel pilot's roster for mid-June, 1940.

I did a quick check on Hptm Peters, a relatively common name, and I find no likely candidate for him in the Luft Officer's Career Summaries, nor did he subsequently get promoted to GrKdr of II./KG30. He also doesn't appear to have been a casualty through the end of 1940. Any further info on him, especially his first name? It appears that we can reconstruct the roster of at least eight of the pilots from 5 Staffel during this period. From that we may be able to locate Award & Decorations material on some of them which would point to participation on and/or success during the 17.6.40 Lancastria mission.

A further problem with the Lancastria mission is that there were likely other pilots/crews from Stab II./KG30, as well as from either 4. or 6. Staffel on the mission, since 14 aircraft were known to have participated.

Good progress here.

Regards,

Re: Need info on two Luft. pilots from II./KG30 that attacked the Lancastria on 17.06.40
 

Larry: Have you seen my Sea Eagles book Vol 1? There is a photo of Uffz Willi Erkens & his crew & Ju 88 on page 19 & pages 24-25 mentions the involvement of I/KG 30 that day particularly Hptm Arved Crüger & Oblt Sigmund von Gravenreuth (hence the wounding of 3 crew from 3 Staffel in attacks on the Loire Estuary)

Re: Need info on two Luft. pilots from II./KG30 that attacked the Lancastria on 17.06.40
 

Hello,

Chris is right. Willi Erkens was an Uffz as of 27.4.40, not a Lt. as I indicated above. This reduces the names of known 5 Staffel pilots from this period to seven. Lt. Werner Baumbach, another well-known member of 5./KG30, was away on a special assignment during this period and is not included in this total.

Chris, I now believe that the 3./KG30 crew attacked and damaged the 20,000-ton "SS Oronsay" in an earlier attack on the Loire Estuary that day. Luftwaffe records make it virtually certain that the attack on the "Lancastria" was conducted by 14 Ju88As from II./KG30, including a/c from 5 Staffel. Several pilots from that attack wave claimed hits on or near the "Lancastria." Unfortunately, we don't know the names of the pilots making the bomb damage claims. It appears to me highly likely that certificates such as you published for Uffz Willi Erkens for his 27.4.40 ship attack were issued to each of those pilots claiming bomb damage on what turned out to be the "Lancastria." However, whether we ever find any of them is impossible to know at this point. Probably very unlikely.

Regards,

Re: Need info on two Luft. pilots from II./KG30 that attacked the Lancastria on 17.06.40
 

10 May 1940 :
Reported to II./KG 30 at Oldenburg with crew of Uffz Gross B, Uffz Harras Bf & Gefr Arndt Bs. Meeting with Leo Krantz.

11 May 1940 :
Tried to join Leo Krantz in 1./KG 30, but detailed to 5./KG 30 which sustained heavy losses, 2 StaKa and 3 crews are missing. ( total 5 crews ??? )

14 May 1940 :
Reported to 5./KG 30's StaKa Oblt Schneider.

17 May 1940, Perleberg :
Transfered from 5./KG 30 to 4./KG 30 under Hptm Haas.

15 June 1940 :
Detailed to 5./KG 30 again.
Flew with Fw Friedrich in a kette led by Fw Lorbeer to Le Coulot.
T/O Le Coulot (with half-full tanks) at 1630 to Amiens.
T/O Amiens (with full tanks) at 1900.
(I'm not that sure that Hptm Peters was from 5./KG 30)

16 June 1940 :
T/O Le Coulot (dicey with full tanks) at 1245 to attack a bridge at Tours.
With Lt Mann in a kette led by Oblt Stoffregen followed by a rotte of Fw Erkens and Uffz Schröder. (again mention of his crew member Gross). Landed at 1710, Lt Mann missing.

17 june 1940 :
T/O at 1500.
(Only mention of two new??? members of his crew, Moritz and Jupp and of Uffz Geffgen skid-landing on his 4x250 Kgs underwing bombs.)