[Stéphane Lehuédé]

Hello

According to this site, the 206 Sqn Hudson could have been shot down by a He 111 of I./KG 40 flown by Ltn Wilhelm Schmitter.

http://aufhimmelzuhause.com/id101.htm

1 July 41
Leutnant Schmitter and his crew flying a He.111 take off at 04:14 hours from their base in Bordeaux-Merignac to undertake a long range reconnaissance and weather collecting mission into the North Atlantic. Their mission takes them into the area of the Altantic just west of Ireland before returning to their base. On their return trip Schmitter and his crew encounter a Lockheed Hudson IV of RAF Coastal Command in the vicinity of the Brest Peninsular..

The Hudson, flown by pilot officer John Bendix of 206 Squadron was flying a cross over patrol from their base in St. Eval. It would appear that Schmitter came across the Hudson and took P/O Bendix and his crew by surprise. This is reflected in the letter written to Bendix family by 206 Squadron Wing Commander who wrote "..I regret to inform you that no further news has been received of your son, nor in fact of any member of his crew, neither is there any record of any unusual wireless messages having been received from his aircraft during his last patrol. We believe that the aircraft, of which your son was captain was shot down by enemy fighters while carrying out a patrol in the vicinity of the Brest Peninsular, this would account for the lack of wireless messages since the Wireless operator would be manning a gun station at the time.." This presupposes that Bendix wireless operator/air gunner (Sgt. Smith) needed to man his weapon immediately versus relay a message of incoming hostile aircraft.. Schmitter did record this victory in his Leistungsbuch (1st victory) which would be his first of four aerial victories.(feindflug no.121)3,4