Help with early nightfighter loss

[Larry Hickey]

Hello,

The EoE team is in the process of transcribing the combat mission and aircraft data from several hundred German aircrew flight logs from the 1939-40 war period. This is to supplement our efforts to acquire and translate into English all the KTBs that are known to exist from all Luftwaffe combat and combat support units from this same period. This effort has yielded hundreds of new entries or revisions to our loss/damages/casualty listings in our comprehensive EoE Luftwaffe loss DB, including the following:

"9 July 1940: 1./NJG1 Dornier Do17. Abandoned during night fighter sortie from Düsseldorf 12.30 a.m. Exact circumstances not recorded. FF Fw Adolf Iburg and BF Uffz [ ] Hagmeier both baled out unhurt. Aircraft 2N+CH a write-off.
Iburg was an instructor at the Zerstorerschule Düsseldorf recently formed from elements of I./ZG1. He later transferred to day fighter operations and was shot down and captured on 20 October while flying with 9./JG54."

1) Peter Cornwell thinks that this listing of a Do17 might be an erroneous reference to a Bf110. Can anyone confirm one way or the other? Only two crewmen would suggest a Bf110, and this was a former Zerstörer combat crew but the FB entry says this was a Do17.

2) Can anyone supply any additional details about what happened?

3) Can anyone supply the first name for Uffz Hagmeier?

As a note, anyone who has copies of Luft FB from the 1939-40 period that they would be willing to make available to the project, your help would be much appreciated. This is one of the ways that we are filling in large amounts of data on mission times, target locations and plane coding information/WNr that has been lost when most of the KTBs and mission records from the WC/FC and the Battle of Britain were lost during the war. If my TOCH PM mailbox is full, which it almost always is, just post your name here to contact you, and I'll return a PM you with my direct email address. We can then correspond to see if we already have any particular FB in our DB or not. Many members of this board have already contributed their FB collections to this effort, and I thank them, but we know of many more FB that we don't yet have and there are probably many more that we don't even know exist. We believe that by pooling our efforts, this will result in a much more complete and accurate history of that period, to the overwhelming benefit of everyone involved in researching this field.

As always, thanks for your help.

Regards,

[Marcel Hogenhuis]

Hello Larry,

There is nothing wrong with Do17Z at the 1./NJG 1, they had several Do17Z's and I will soon come back to you with more details because these Do17's were transferred soon to another Staffel, temporarily led by Oblt. Streib.

All the best, Marcel (FlH.Venlo, I./NJG 1, He219 project)

[Larry Hickey]

Marcel,

Thanks for your info; I'll await your further report on this matter.

Regards,

[Marcel Hogenhuis]

Hello Larry,

According to an unpublished (but authentic in WW-2 written) chronic of the I./NJG 1, the I./ZG 1 minus 1./NJG 1 was moved from Le Havre to Düsseldorf on 20 June 1940 for their new task: nightfighting. Already that evening the few crews with nightflying experience flew the first exercise flights.
Before Falck was ordered to Wassenaar to get the order to errect NJG 1, the I./ZG 1 got a 4th Staffel with Do17Z nightfighters 'with special equipment' (not specified unfortunately, MH).
On 25th June 1940 the first nocturnal combat mission(s) were flown, without any contact with RAF Bomber Command. On 28th June however the first interception succeeded and a fierce battle developed. The Do17Z-10 with Uffz. Hugo Schwarz was hit and he made an emergency landing near Grefrath in Germany, just east of the border near Venlo.

The next reference to Do17's with the I./NJG 1 gives also a clue to the nature of the special equipment mentioned above: on 9 October 1940 the I./NJG 1 departed from all their Do17Z, equipped with Spanner and these were sent to Deelen to the II./NJG 1.

Here the involvement of Do17Z's at the I./NJG 1 ends. In 1943 the unit got one Do215 and early 1944 one Do217 as replacement before the I./NJG 1 converted to the He219.

All the best, Marcel

All the best, Marcel

[Larry Hickey]

Marcel,

That certainly confirms the activities of Do17Zs with the unit. Still no details of the July 9th loss, however. Is there any references in unit records to an interception on that night?

What does "equipped with Spanner mean?

This material you've posted will be invaluable in helping us to explain the early development and operations of the night fighter forces for the EoE project, and I thank you for it.

Warm regards,

[Chris Goss]

Spanner Anlage infra red sensor

[Larry Hickey]

Chris,

Thanx. Makes sense.

Regards,

[Marcel Hogenhuis]

Hello Larry,

Haven't checked his function but there was a Heinrich Hagmeier with the 4./NJG 2 in 1942 (shows my quick reference name list of the Hans Höhler list of losses of nightfighter units), will be back soon to you.

All the best, Marcel

[Peter Cornwell]

Marcel,

Almost certainly the correct Heinrich HAGMAIER. Many thanks.

[Larry Hickey]

Marcel,

Based upon the information you've posted here, Peter C. has modified our EoE DB entries on these two items:

"29 June 1940 Home Front Amend: I./NJG1 Dornier Do17Z Kauz. Crash-landed 3 km east of Mönchengladbach following attack on RAF bomber. BM Fw Ludwig Born badly wounded – died early next morning, FF Uffz Hugo Schwarz badly wounded – admitted to hospital in Mönchengladbach, BF Fw Gerhard Palm slightly wounded – admitted to hospital in Düsseldorf. Aircraft 30% damaged but repairable.
First casualties recorded by this night-fighter unit newly-formed at Düsseldorf-Lohausen on June 22 with aircraft and crews largely drawn from 2. and 3./ZG1although this particular crew originated with II./KG76. Loss reported in Luftwaffe records as being 1./ZG1.

9 July 1940 Home Front Amend: I./NJG1 Dornier Do17Z Kauz. Abandoned during night fighter sortie from Düsseldorf 12.30 a.m. Exact circumstances not recorded. FF Fw Adolf Iburg and BF Uffz Heinrich Hagmeier both baled out unhurt. Aircraft 2N+CH a write-off. (FB via RS)
Iburg was an instructor in this night-fighter unit newly-formed at Düsseldorf-Lohausen on June 22 with aircraft and crews drawn from 2. and 3./ZG1. He later transferred to day fighter operations and was shot down and captured on 20 October while flying with 9./JG54. From 20 July, specially equipped Dorniers of the unit would form the cadre of 5./NJG1 designated for long-range night-intruder missions over Britain."

If you or anyone else has anything to add, including the Staffel for both the 29 June and 9 July 1940 incidents, I'd appreciate hearing about it. If anyone on the British side of the story can ID the aircraft that were, or might have been involved in these incidents, I'd also like to hear from them.

Thanx,