OK I am doing some research on the basis of a story told to me by a man I was apprenticed too, as a boy. I knew him around 1980 - 1981 (or there abouts)
OK what I am asking for help with in researching:
This man went by the name of Joseph Lunthorp or Landthorpe or Landthorp (something like that). He I faintly recall, was shot down over France, became a prisoner of war, and after the war, he changed his name into a more anglicised (english and less germanic) last name. And then he immigrated to Australia, where he spent the remainder of his life as a welder, and he had a small white Datsun 4 cylinder car.
He was an ex ME 109 messerschmitt pilot during WW2. He had the matching black squadron insignia and ID number/s tattooed inside his upper left arm - because pilots were often badly burned and that was the generally one of the few area's that identifying marks would remain.
His squadron was the 7/JG 26 - Messerschmitt ME109
And one of his missions was to fly with about 6 (?) other planes through a train tunnel - with about 2 feet or 600mm clearance on each wing tip, and once at the other end of the tunnel, they had to drop their bombs onto a power station within a steep walled valley, while doing a steep bank and partial loop - before heading back into the tunnel. The planes were fitted with spot lights on each wing.
He said they had to train for he mission by flying their planes with only a few feet (prop clearance) above the ground - down straight roads lined with poplar trees.
This is such a rare and distinct mission, that it's always intrigued me - kind of like an itch you can't quite scratch. The ME-109 he flew (or similar) was in this image, second down with the red heart insignia.
s3.amazonaws.com/fineartofdecalsimages/CED48189.jpg
I have tried the German war archives - but they only deal in German. AND the issue is that there was an awful lot of bombing raids on all sorts of things, throughout all sorts of countries over such huge areas and in so many languages and nationalities.
The main criteria for searching is Messerschmitt ME109 (aircraft) and 2 or 3 Km of train tunnel (assumed). Mountains. And hydroelectric (assumed) power station.
This link I assume, does not contain the mission, but it's in that particular strategic initiative. The mission as far as I can recall,could have been nearly anywhere in Europe. However, Hitler and Co., were doing their very best to knock out the Soviet power stations, so as to bring their industries to a halt.
This is not to say that the mission occurred in the Soviet union, nor that a Soviet power station was the target of the mission - thus while it has a fairly high degree of probablility that the mission was to bomb a Soviet hydroelectric power station, it's not an absolute certainty.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Eisenhammer
This is also an extremely good read. On pages 16 and 17 - *The map is adapted from a German original enclosed with a list of Soviet electric power plants (thermal and hydro) issues in April 1943 by the War Economy Staff of the Wehrmacht High Command (Wehrwirtschaftssab im OKW : Liste der Industriebetriebe der UdSSR. Teil II: Elecktriziitaetswerke) And it shows some 40 power generation stations in an area of some 1000Km wide by 2000Km long.
https://www.rand.org/content/dam/ran...006/RM6206.pdf
To the best of my abilities, this is the only records I have found on the travels of the JG 7 / 26 squadron and it's combination and recombination with other squadrons AND a very basic list of their locations.
https://www.feldgrau.com/WW2-German-Jagdgeschwader-26
III. Gruppe:
Gruppenkommandeure:
Hptm Walter Kienitz, 23.9.39 - 31.10.39
Maj Ernst Freiherr von Berg, 1.11.39 - 5.6.40
Maj Adolf Galland, 6.6.40 - 20.8.40* He identified Galland as his commander from a picture when I was doing some research.
Maj Gerhard Schöpfel, 21.8.40 - 5.12.41
Hptm Josef Priller, 6.12.41 - 10.1.43
Hptm Fritz Geisshardt, 11.1.43 - 6.4.43
Hptm Kurt Ruppert, 7.4.43 - 13.6.43
Hptm Rolf Hermichen, 15.6.43 - 4.7.43
Maj Klaus Mietusch, 5.7.43 - 17.9.44
Hptm Paul Schauder, 18.9.44 - 26.9.44
Hptm Walter Krupinski, 27.9.44 - 25.3.45
Formed 23.9.39 in Werl from parts of I. and II./JG26. In 1.10.43 increased to 4 staffeln (9. - 12./JG26), with the 9./JG26 formed from the old 7./JG26, the new 10./JG26 from the old 9./JG26, and the independent 11. and 12./JG26 became part of the Gruppe. The old 8./JG26 had been redesignated 4./JG26 on 21.9.43 and became part of I. Gruppe. III./JG26 was disbanded on 25.3.45.
* 7./JG26 (Bf 109E) moved to North Africa on 9.2.41. Stationed at Gela 9.2.41 - 6.4.41, Tarent 6.4.41 - 8.4.41, Gela again 8.4.41 - 31.5.41 and Ain-el-Gazala 1.6.41 - 31.7.41. The staffel then returned to Liegescourt, joining the rest of III./JG26, and began conversion to Bf 109F.
A DIRECT set of links.
** 7./JG26 operated under JG54 in Russia, 17.2.43 - 7.43. Left France 17.2.43 and arrived at Krasnowardeisk on 28.2.43. Remained there until it returned to III./JG26 in July 1943. While 7./JG26 was in Russia, 4./JG54 was attached to JG26.
*** 10. and 12./JG26 was in Valenciennes until about 11.43.
You see there are power stations that have come and gone, many national records have disappeared, as have countries, national borders, governments, trainline closures etc., and it's been nearly 80 years since these events.
It's not to say that these records or memories cannot be found, but I am kind of out of my depth with this.
I will not die if I never ever find out about the location of this particular mission, but with Google Earth etc., I would probably be able to see the tunnel and power station, if only I could find out about the mission location.
If anyone can help me with this, it would be greatly appreciated.
Fingers crossed and hoping.