Luftwaffe crashes near Leatherhead - Epsom in BoB

[Larry]

Its a bit of a long shot I know, to ask if anyone on this forum has actually plotted the site of each Luftwaffe plane that crashed in the Battle of Britain.

The reason I ask is that I have a bent and broken Iron Cross (1st or 2nd Class?) that was recovered from the wreck of a Luftwaffe aircraft in the Battle of Britain somewhere in the Leatherhead - Epsom area.

Presumably the wearer died in the crash as it is broken and bent, which suggests the wearer hit the ground very hard - unless it by chance fell off just before he bailed out.

So which Luftwaffe aircraft crashed in the Leatherhead - Epsom area where a crew member (or members) died and who were holders of this award, which might give me a name.

The attached photo shows an identical medal but mine has no ribbon and looks like it has been hit by a hammer!

[Chris Goss]

A bit of a strange one as aircrew would wear the EK II ribbon not the medal

[Larry]

Chris,

Sorry I've just realised my mistake - the medal has a sturdy clip on the back and it never had a ribbon! I used a photo off the web to show what the medal basically looked like.

So it is the kind of Iron Cross that is typically seen clipped just below the wearer's left brest pocket.

[John Vasco]

EK I.

[Peter Cornwell]

Larry,

I have documented every Luftwaffe crash in the UK during 1939/40 and you can find details of them all listed in The Blitz Then & Now Vols 1 and 2 published by After The Battle 1987/8. Available from most public libraries.