[Peter Cornwell]

Both sides of this debate having now presented their respective arguments, I am pleased that we are finally able to consider each case with better objectivity.

One the one hand, Arnaud Gillet gives us ‘Furie’, a characteristically robust defence of his original proposition that GC III/7 shot down three RAF Fairey Battles and a French LeO 451 rather than the four Hs126 as claimed on 14 May 1940. However, I feel that he throws more heat than light on the subject while offering little by way of additional evidence to support his (inevitably) controversial viewpoint.

Many Souffan on the other hand, in his recent Avions #177 article, presents a cogent, well-considered, and coherent version of events that I find entirely plausible. Also, the supporting evidence he provides is compelling. So I am entirely satisfied that I was wrong to accept Arnaud Gillet’s account (albeit with reservation) when compiling The Battle of France Then & Now and am more than happy to concede the fact. In my opinion, Many Souffan is to be congratulated on finally setting the record straight on this issue.

However, I must dispute his assertion that all losses to Hs126 units attached to Panzer Divisions were reported through Army rather than Luftwaffe channels. This is an over-simplification which in no way satisfactorily explains how the four Hs126 losses on 14 May 1940 (apparently) do not figure in the Luftwaffe QM General’s Returns of the period. It is also demonstrably incorrect for every one of the Heeraufklärungs units that he cites as experiencing losses on 14 May 1940 routinely reported other losses in the Luftwaffe QM General’s Returns (under a Gen.d.Lw.b.d.H. heading) between 12 and 19 May 1940. So I remain at a loss to understand why certain losses seemingly went unreported other than to speculate that those aircraft losses not involving personnel casualties were simply not notified by the Heer units concerned ?