Petworth Boys School bombing by Ju88

[nickle]

Can anyone help me with the German raider which hit Petworth Boys School on the 29th September 1942.

I've got everything I need from the schools perspective but all I have is that it was a lone Ju 88, painted black with a red swastika on the tail, flying low on a course to take it directly over Petworth House. When the bombs were released, they just missed the house, hit the trees in the grounds, one of which then ricocheted into the school which completely destroyed it.

I know nothing else about the aircraft but am after as much as I can get, or even a pointer in the right direction as to where to look.

Can anyone help?

Cheers,

N

[Chris Goss]

This is well known but the expert on such things, Andy Saunders, I believe has failed to identify the unit responsible. However, I would take 'painted black with a red swastika' with a pinch of salt

[Brian Bines]

I take it you have read this site :-http://www.gravelroots.net/petworth/12.html as Chris says the red swastika is suspect. The history of KG6 'Wir flogen gen Weten ' states a few Ju88's of I/KG6 took off from Creil at 1030 hrs on a nuisance raid to towns on the English South Coast. It shows that 3E+DH flown by an Oblt. Faulhaber landed at Creil at 1220 hrs, if the school was attacked in that time scale KG6 with its Ju88's would be a strong suspect.

[Chris Goss]

Brian could be right. I have a series of 'Tiefangriffe' mentioned in a German paper but all that is mentioned is Frome, airfield NW of Salisbury, town NE of Dover and Maidstone. Faulhaber, St Kap of 1/KG 6, and Lt Gerhard Lucke of 2/KG 6 were active over UK that day

[nickle]

Thankyou gentleman.

I've seen gravelroots, but this is just one of a few accounts. I have all sorts of accounts that it was a Heinkel 111 or a Ju88, it was being chased by a Beaufighter, it was jettisoning its bombs, it was coming from this direction, it was coming from that direction. "Did you actually see it...?" I'd ask only to be told "no" but that's "probably" what it was... My source, the best I have yet, actually saw it and is adamant. He recognised it first by the sound of its engines then, as he told me: “It appeared out of the rain and was flying low, about 150 feet, and even on a murky day like this, seemed to cast a dark shadow. The plane was a Junkers 88, but painted jet black, with a red swastika on the tail fin, quite unlike the camouflaged planes we saw normally.” I thought I was pretty good with a/c recognition, but he was explaining differences in types of German a/c that I had no clue about, so this is the best eye witness account I have and have no reason to disbelieve it.

Also, the time the school was hit would have been between 1100 and 1130 as many of the boys were outside having their break and two of the survivors I spoke to recall drinking their milk in their classroom at the time and the headmaster reading one of the broadsheets. Would that be consistant with your times?

If this does indeed put Oblt Faulhaber and Lt Gerhard Lucke in the frame, how can I dig a bit deeper? What became of them? I'm afraid I'm an absolute novice at this and am learning as I'm doing it!

Many thanks

Nick

[Brian Bines]

Hi Nick,

Just a few thoughts the Ju88 may have been painted in a splinter pattern of two shades of green on upper surfaces ( including blackgreen) with overpainted black undersurfaces. Viewed from the ground this may well have appeared to be an all black aircraft . The post by Chris shows aircraft of 2nd Staffel took part in the raid and their Staffel colour was red. There is a chance that the aircrafts individual id letter may have been painted in red on the fuslage side, it would not be beyond the realms of possibility that this may have given rise to the red swastika story. The gravelroots site just mentions a swastika without its colour, it would be quite easy to make mistakes on an aircraft coming out of the rain fast at low altitude.
Thats just my thoughts on some possibilities,

Regards

Brian Bines

[Chris Goss]

He 111 in daylight at low level would have been very unlikely if not suicidal. No mention of any combats with Ju 88 or He 111 and Beaufighters this day. Both survived the war

[Andy Saunders]

KG 6 are certainly the most likely, although I have never managed to positively identify the unit. Certainly a Junkers 88, though.

There are an amazingly high quality series of photographs of the aftermath and the sad funeral procession taken by a local photographer.

I have attached the Roll of Honour and a photo of the memorial for interest.

[nickle]

Gents, thankyou for such prompt and informed replies.

Brian, the paint pattern would seem a likely reason for believeing the a/c to be black. And with where the swastika usually is, in just a quick look but without actually seeing it, a number, I guess, could easily be mistaken for a swastika. But if a Staffel colour is red, what part is actually red? The lettering? I can recognise German a/c easily, but when it comes to detail like that, I wouldn't have a clue.

Chris, my 'eye witness' accounts turned out not to be so, but just what "probably" happened. Even as I listened to them, I was wondering why an He 111 would be heading for the deck instead of the low clouds having been found by absolute chance by an RAF fighter, see the tall chimneys in Petworth and take a well aimed shot at one of them as it tries to slip the fighter. And if that were so, I'd be looking for a crash report of an He111, as you said, in my limited understanding, it would have been suicidal. So all highly unlikely, but which eventually turned from probability into fact over the course of almost 70 years.

Could the timings of raids from specific bases and types of a/c put Faulhaber and Lucke into the pilots seat of that Ju88 do you think? It would be an educated guess on your parts gentlemen and I'll be following your evidence. Where can I go to find out about these two men, I mean, who do I contact in Germany as the internet will only give me so much. I've researched crews on KG55 and found it very difficult without the knowledge you both clearly have.

Many thanks,

Nick

[Chris Goss]

Without anything but circumstantial evidence, I would not attempt an educated guess. If both are still alive, I greatly doubt that they would be able to add anything. I was in touch with Hans-Joachim Faulhaber some years ago when he asked me to identify who shot him up in 1942-I have photos of both Germans but again, they might not be the ones involved