Does anyone know info on Hauptmann Hajo Hermann, Staffelkapitan of 7/KG30
 

Barrage Balloon collisions: "One of the most remarkable escapes from a balloon 'strike' happened on Monday July 22nd 1940 over Plymouth and was made by Hauptmann Hajo Hermann, Staffelkapitan of 7/KG30 who, in trying to avoid a balloon, actually stalled on top of it, but with unbelievable luck was able to gain control of his Junkers Ju 88 again after falling off the balloon upside down"
From http://www.ne-diary.bpears.org.uk/Bck/BSeq_01.html#B1.
Interesting website of a NE War Diary including many incidents..chronologically researched including Bombing, aircraft crashes, deaths with locations and dates and times..

Does anyone know info on Hauptmann Hajo Hermann, Staffelkapitan of 7/KG30 and what became of him did his luck hold or was he killed later?

Re: Does anyone know info on Hauptmann Hajo Hermann, Staffelkapitan of 7/KG30
 

Hello:

Re: http://www.ww2.dk/Lw%20Offz%20-%20G-...Apr%202014.pdf

compiled by Larry deZeng and Doug Stankey:

HERRMANN
, Hans-Joachim ("Hajo"). (DOB: 01.08.13 in Kiel). (RES, DKG). 05.33 joined the
police. 01.08.35 trf to the Luftwaffe as a Lt. and trained as a bomber pilot Summer 1936 trf to 9./KG
253. 08.36 trf to the Legion Condor in Spain (to 04.37). 01.06.38 promo to Oblt. 09.39 Oblt., in 7./KG
4. 10.04.40 Hptm., He 111 (5J+KR) crashed to unknown cause in an accident (Lüneburg?). 31.05.40
Oblt. in 7./KG 4, ditched offshore after dive brakes failed and fighters attacked while he was attacking
shipping off Dunkirk. 20.06.40 appt Staka 7./KG 4. 28.09.40 awarded the Ehrenpokal. 13.10.40 Oblt.,
awarded Ritterkreuz, Staka 7./KG 4. 19.10.40 severely WIA while landing at Amsterdam-Schiphol, Oblt.,
Staka 7./KG 4 - recuperated until end of 11.40. 19.12.40 promo to Hptm. 02.41 rejoined his unit, now
called 7./KG 30. 1941 Hptm., Kp.-Chef 1. Flugh.Betr.Kp./KG 54 (to 1941). 04.41 Staka 7./KG 30.
06/07.04.41 struck the munitions ship
Clan Fraser
in Piraeus harbor - resulting explosion destroyed 11
ships. 23.05.41 appt Ia op/IX. Fliegerkorps. c. 09.41 Hptm., appt Kdr. III./KG 30 (to 19.07.42).
01.01.42 promo to Maj. 05.06.42 Hptm., awarded DKG, III./KG 30. 09.07.42 trf to
Luftwaffenführungstab to head a section dedicated to technical and tactical development. 01.03.43 in
RLM (L.In.2). 06.43 set up JG z.b.V. (later JG 300) for
Wilde Sau
single-engine night fighter operations
over Germany. 03/04.07.43 Maj., Nachtjagdversuchskommando. 02.08.43 Maj., awarded Eichenlaub,
Kommodore JG 300. 01.09.43 approved for promo to Obstlt. pending establishment of RDA. 26.09.43
appt Kdr. 30. Jagddivision (to 16.03.44). c. 01.12.43 concurrently appt Inspekteur der Nachtjagd (to
15.03.44). 02/03.01.44 Oberst Stab/JG 300. 23.01.44 awarded Schwerter, as Inspekteur der deutschen
Luftverteidigung. 16.03.44 appt Kdr. 1. Jagddivision (to 31.08.44). 01.05.44 promo to Oberst. 02.09.44
trf to Fhr.Res. 08.12.44 Oberst, re-appt Kdr. 1. Jaddivision? 06.02.45 Oberst, appt Kdr. 9. Fliegerdivision
(J) (to 08.05.45). 03.45 said to have been the nominal commander of Sonderkdo. Elbe? 11.05.45
captured by the Soviets. Credited with 9 air victories in more than 320 combat missions and sank 65,000
GRT of shipping. 10.55 released from Soviet captivity. (n.d.) post-war he studied law in Düsseldorf.
Defended Holocaust deniers, including David Irving. †05.11.2010 in Düsseldorf.

A major biography (or autobiography?) of Hermann has been published.

Re: Does anyone know info on Hauptmann Hajo Hermann, Staffelkapitan of 7/KG30
 

Hermann's autobiography is titled "Eagle's Wings". The incident Larry describes (via deZeng & Stankey) for 10-Apr-40 occurred at Fl.Pl. Oslo-Fornebu per his bio (p.58). There may be a photo of that machine amongst the photos of the wrecked aircraft at that location from that time.

He 111, , BLOEDORN, Hptm. Erich (B)/HERRMANN, Oblt. Hajo, , III., 7., KG 4, , , , , 10-Apr-40, Stkp. Crashed after landing. Ran over an enbankment due to short runway., B RK, F RK, EL & S. Herrmann states he left aircraft through the tail section 'which was reaching up towards the sky'., X.Fl.Korps/Norwegen, Herrmann, Eagle's Wings, p.58; Kaiser, Die Ritterkreuzträger der Kampfflieger, V.1, p.102-103, , Fl.Pl. Oslo- Fornebu, b, F, 2nd B Ofw. Laska?, , (Hptm. BLOEDORN was the Stkp., and also a recipient of the RK.)

There is also a photo of his overturned Ju 88A-1 (WNr. 5128, '5J+AR) from 19-Oct-40, in which he was injured. This is from a series of KG 4 e-Bay photos from 5-6 years ago.

Re: Does anyone know info on Hauptmann Hajo Hermann, Staffelkapitan of 7/KG30
 

Jim,

We have these two incidents in the EoE Loss DB as:

10 April 1940: 7./KG4 Heinkel He111P. Landed with full bomb-load on short runway at Oslo-Fornebu and overran the end wrecking the undercarriage and eventually coming to rest off Oksenøyveien. FF Oberlt Hajo Herrmann and rest of crew all unhurt. Aircraft 5J+KR damage state not recorded.

We have four photos of this incident in the EoE Photo DB.

18 October 1940: 7./KG4 Junkers Ju88A-1 (4128). Crashed on dusk take-off from Amsterdam-Schiphol due to burst port tyre. FF Oberlt Hajo Herrmann (Staffelkapitän) fractured lumbar vertebra and concussed, BS Oberfw Helmut Stiefelhagen also badly injured, two other crewmen slightly injured – all admitted to hospital in Amsterdam. Aircraft 5J+AR 80% damaged - write-off.

Note that we have this listed as 18 October rather than 19 October. We have five photos of this FL in the EoE Photo DB, showing the a/c with the new 7 Staffel insignia. These photos were sold on eBay on 17.06.04.

Does anyone know the names, ranks and crew positions of the two slightly injured men on the crew of the 18 October incident?

Regards,

Re: Does anyone know info on Hauptmann Hajo Hermann, Staffelkapitan of 7/KG30
 

Herrmann led a small force of 3 Ju88s of 7./KG4 against a target in Newcastle on Tyne in the late afternoon/early evening of 2 July 1940.. At about the same time, an enemy aircraft aimed four bombs at oil storage tanks at Jarrow. The bombs missed and exploded in a workers’ residential district, causing a number of casualties.

It is not known for certain whether the aircraft responsible was one of the Ju88s led by Hajo Herrmann. However, Military Intelligence in Newcastle suggested that one of those aircraft had retired out to sea, '..gained height, turned and glided from a bearing of about 70º from Jarrow in a direct line for the oil tanks, which were undoubtedly the target, (but) the bombs were released too late'.

When the three crews returned to Bad Zwischenahn they were interrogated by a Provost Marshal, who informed them that information from Hitler's Headquarters indicated that '.German aircraft had carried out a terror raid on the civilian population of Newcastle at about 5.00pm that day..' and that the Provost Marshal had been instructed to find out who was responsible.

Can anyone shed any more light on this incident: the crew/aircraft responsible, the consequences for the crew responsible...?

Bill Norman
(website: www.billnorman.co.uk)

Re: Does anyone know info on Hauptmann Hajo Hermann, Staffelkapitan of 7/KG30
 

Larry,

Thank you for the updated information. jlp