[Andy Saunders]

Am a bit confused by Trevor Baxter's note that Intelligence AI(k) sources give blue fish on a yellow shield for the 8.10.1940 Stansted House crash. That is at complete variance with what I have from AI(g) source which actually says nothing of the sort.

The photo depicts the 8th Staffel emblem according to the late Fritz Pons and was a yellow shield with red fishes and, possibly, a thin red outline. Copy of AI(g) report also attached which confirms colour details of shield.

As an added bit of detail a local newspaper report says: " A German bomber exploded on crashing near a stately home yesterday, strewing parts of the machine and its crew for a considerable distance through adjacent parkland. Little of any significance could be found of this Nazi raider.......... although a nearby Army unit triumphantly carried away an squadron emblem of three red leaping salmon which had been painted by the crew onto the bomber's nose". (sic) The report also talks of an RAF Officer who rushed from the house and was killed by machine guns bullets as the bomber crashed.

I have also added an image of an 8/KG 55 souvenir booklet.

As an afterthought, I believe that Fritz Pons told me the emblem was some kind of a play on German words. Something to do with a German expression for "Three Fish" meaning something like the English expression "A piece of cake"...meaning simple, or easy to do. Perhaps one of our German friends could put some meaning to this? Dreifisch??