Dornier 217 E2 Dieppe August 19 1942
 

Hello,

I have just recovered a photo of a Dornier 217 E2 which crashed on August 19, 1942 between Berneval le Grand and Derchigny in Seine Maritime or Seine Inférieure at the time, on its return from mission.
The inscriptions that I could find

DO217 E2
?-227 166-12

Sorry, but I don't know if we can insert a picture...

Would you have any clues ?

Thanks in advance
François

Re: Dornier 217 E2 Dieppe August 19 1942
 

Crash-landings this day were:

KG 2: Varengeville (totally destroyed), Abbeville, 6km south of Dieppe (totally destroyed), Merville, Merville (burnt out), Le Treport (destroyed), Turnhout and Dieppe (destroyed)

II./KG 40: Rouen

All were E-4s no E-2s recorded as lost but this was obviously originally built as an E-2

Re: Dornier 217 E2 Dieppe August 19 1942
 

Do217E-4 (4277) from I./KG2 made a forced landing near Dieppe (20% damage). A Possible candidate for the picture?

Re: Dornier 217 E2 Dieppe August 19 1942
 

Good evening Chris and Steve,

Thank you for your information.

I just got the information from an eyewitness about the time of the crash. It happened at 11am.

In the 18 crashes of Do 217 that I was able to count from August 19, 1942, 7 have a schedule, including 3 at 11 am, and thus 11 without schedule...
In the 3 that crashed at 11h
5423 went down at Sauchay, for the 2 others 5447 and 5457, they were shot down in aerial combat by a Spitfire of 310 Squadron near Dieppe.
A Do 217 crashed in Great Britain.
So there are 10 more possible...

As for the Do 217 at Varengeville, according to the information I have, it would be under the football stadium.

I'm looking for the crash site of the Do 217 W. Nr 5459 U5+GP

Chris, do you have any more information on the Do 217s you mention?

Sincerely
François

Re: Dornier 217 E2 Dieppe August 19 1942
 

All I've got for 5459 is it was damaged by AAA and crashed 40km NNW of Dieppe.

Re: Dornier 217 E2 Dieppe August 19 1942
 

The location of the crash is not correct because I have the testimony of the only survivor and he indicates that he took shelter at the foot of a cliff. The furthest cliffs are 32km from Dieppe.
I was able to see parts of the plane which were recovered in a bunker in Sainte Marguerite sur Mer.
So the enigma of the crash site remains entirely...

Re: Dornier 217 E2 Dieppe August 19 1942
 

François: I do have aircrfat and crew details as no doubt so does Steve. What are you after?

Re: Dornier 217 E2 Dieppe August 19 1942
 

Good evening Chris,

For information I'm in contact with Raph Lemser who's the Hugo Lemser's nephew, the only survivor.

I still have to find the crash site because it is not 40km to the NNW because in Hugo Lemser's testimony, he said that he had taken shelter at the foot of the cliffs to protect himself, so it can only be as far as Ault because after that there are no more cliffs. Ault is 32 km from Dieppe. Parts of the Do 217 were found by a collector in a bunker at Sainte Marguerite sur Mer (10km from Dieppe and opposite Ault)

My tentative conclusion is that the plane crashed between Ault and Sainte Marguerite.
I would like to find the exact location.

I'm also trying to find the other three families of the crew members.

Thank you in advance for your help.
François

Re: Dornier 217 E2 Dieppe August 19 1942
 

I am afraid that the location of 40 km NNW is all that is in the records and most other locations are similarly vague. As for Fw Wilhelm Fritsch, it says he was killed at Dieffe which is a typo for Dieppe as similarly vague

Re: Dornier 217 E2 Dieppe August 19 1942
 

According to the testimony of Hugo Lemser, two airmen jumped by parachute before the crash of the Dornier, he and Fritsch.
During their descent by parachute, Allied fighters (Spitfires) fired at them. Fritsch was killed and his body was found near Berck. For Lemser, he was lucky because the bullet only made a hole in his trousers.