[Larry Hickey]

Hello,

Here at the EoE project we've now taken the Bf138 off the table of loss/damages for 17 April 1940. Based upon some excellent work by Göran Larsson, Peter Cornwell has now changed our entry as follows:

"17 April 1940 Scandinavian Campaign Delete & Add to 14 April 1940 KGr.zbV 108 Blohm und Voss Bv138A-0 (150). Engaged on re-supply mission from Dassower-See to Norway but diverted to Stavanger due to bad weather. Badly damaged by own AA fire on approach and forced-landed off Stavanger-See. FF [ ] Kröplin, FF Lt [ ] Dobberthein, BM Ernst Schröder, BF Hänschen Schröder, and two gunners; one crewman wounded. Aircraft BH+AT 60% damaged but repairable.
One of three pre-production Bv138A-0 flying boats engaged on this sortie, this aircraft had first flown the previous September as D-AFFE. Impressed into Luftwaffe service with a scratch crew drawn from E-Stelle (See) Travemünde it was later recovered and brought ashore at Stavanger. Reported damaged on 17 April in official German records. (Kröplin account via Goran)"

What we need help with now is the ID of the first names of FF [ ] Kröplin, FF Lt [ ] Dobberthein, and we can sew this up. We have located two photos of this aircraft on the dock at Stavanger-Sola.

Thanx for your assistance, and especially to Göran for working this one through. We still have not resolved the actual fates, or acquired usable photos of the He115s reported destroyed that day. Are they at the bottom of the harbor at the seaplane anchorage, or were they removed and salvaged by the Germans during the war? We've also located at least one photo of one of the burned out He59 Seaplanes. Still no luck on the 3./ZG76 Bf110 reported crashed on TO at the airfield.

Who has further info to help us document the events and losses that day?