[cheesey]

Hello all.

On the 5th November,1940 a Bu131 (WNr.4494) belonging to 1.(F)/123 crashed on the island of Jersey.Cause unknown! The pilot, Oblt.Werner Franken, attempted to bail out but his chute failed to open and he fell to his death. The incident happened on the NW corner of the island at a place called Rozel. Local witnesses stated at the time that the pilot appeared to leave the a/c for no apparent reason!

I have some questions about this incident!

Has anyone any additional information on, or photos of the pilot?

There are some local sources that suggest there may have been two crew onboard, one of which fell into the sea! Could this be true?

Also, why were 1.(F)/123 in possession of a Bucker 131? Was it a squadron hack, a training a/c or did it fulfill some other role?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.......Steve.