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Old 24th September 2011, 14:47
F19Gladiator F19Gladiator is offline
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Re: Unidentified FW 200C Condor losses in 1940 from I./KG 40

Hello Martin,
A few words on the three Fw 200 lost in April and May 1940

According to reference 1 (see below):

21.04.1940 Loss of Fw 200C Oberleutnant Karl Beckhaus. Besides a crew of six also a war reporter was lost over the North Sea after a mission to Narvik had to be abandoned after meeting bad weather and icing conditions at Vestfjorden. Aircraft F8+CH turned south and is reported lost since then.

25.05.1940 Fw 200C piloted by Oberleutnant Helmut Schöpke was on a mission towards Narvik by three ‘Condors’ that day when attacked by Flying Officer Francis Grant Ede of 263 Sq RAF in his Gloster Gladiator over Harstad. The Condor caught fire and emergency landed around 11.00 a.m. at Finnøya in Hammarøy with one crew dead and the other becoming POWs. Two other wounded crew members were taken to hospital. No a/c identity given

29.05.1940. Skarsfjord power station was attacked by two ‘Condors’ during midday. F.O. Neville Banks of 46Sq RAF in a Hurricane attacked the ‘Condor’ flown by Oberleutnant Günther Thiel which caught fire and went into the sea at Dyrøy in the Solbergsfjord at 4.p.m. and exploded during the landing with the loss of all six onboard. F.O. Banks was shot down and killed the same afternoon. In a caption to a colour side view profile the author comments that this aircraft might be Fw 200C-1 F8+BH of 1./KG 40 which is resting at the bottom of the sea between Senja and the mainland.

Br
Goran

References:
Article Part I: ‘Condor Over Norge i 1940’, Ulf Larsstuvold. Norwegian magazine Flyhistorie Nr.19, 2011.
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