[Pieter H]

Hi Larry,

A creative idea, but I'm afraid this is little too wild scenario. In my view it is without doubt that the Ju88 of ObLt Bee/hrmann crashed in Leidschendam. I quote from a book on the history of that village:

"At 05.30 [on May 10] a German fighter [sic] aircraft crashes while on fire in the Tedingerbroekpolder near the Middenweg. Over Zoetermeer it has been hit. A member of the crew is wounded and transported to the Voorburg hospital St Antoniushove, the other one, pilot Oberleutnant Behrmann [with h] is taken prisoner by the police and led to captain Otto [Otto was the local military commander in Leidschendam]."

I'm almost certain that the author quotes from local files. So:
- a Ju88 came down in the Tedingerbroekpolder on May 10 early morning
- the pilot was ObLt Behrmann, other descriptions of wounded crew etc fit. It suggests that the local authorities, when writing the pilots name in their files, have copied his ID card, which suggests Behrmann is the right writing. But admittedly only speculation, no hard proof.

Then on the picture at least I see a clear lower right part of an N as fourth a/c code letter. The third letter is more difficult to discern. Originally I thought it was a B, but it could be an A as well.
- this indicates a 5./KG30 aircraft, at least originally

- according Peter all crew members had 4. Staffel ID's.

If I combine all these statements as facts the story would be that Behrmann and his 4. Staffel crew were flying a 5. Staffel a/c. We see similar cases of apparently last minute transfer of aircraft between units also in KG4 for the attack on Holland, where units apparently did not have the time to repant the correct codes.

On the writing of Behrmanns name, what was his fate? Most of the Luftwaffe air crews captured during the first two days of fighting were collected and succesfully transported to Englnad and from there on to Canada. Is there no register of the German PoW's in Canada to check Behrmann's name? In the Luftwaffe officers list it says he was promoted to Hauptmann on 1-2-42, but this could of course have happened in Canada too. Just an idea.

I have unfortunately no pictures of the Hazerswoude crash.

Regards, Pieter