Trying to resolve mystery of crew deaths for 4./KG55 He111 loss of G1+DM on 12.05.40

[Larry Hickey]

Hello,

Several photos exist of the following He111:

"12 May 1940 Western Front: 4./KG55 Heinkel He111P-2. Engaged by Sgt Farnes, Sgt McKay, and Sgt Morfill of No.501 Squadron near St-Hubert during sortie to bomb rail targets near Rethel. Pursued south-west and belly-landed at ‘Buisson Roualet’, near Machault, (France) 2.45 p.m. FF Lt Hans Junk, BF Uffz Heinz Thöne, BM Uffz Wilhelm Ege, and BS Gefr Harald Wendt all killed, BO Uffz Ernst Rasper captured wounded – later released. Aircraft G1+DM 100% write-off. (Photos)"

This creates a mystery, as Peter Cornwell notes above. The photos show an a/c that made a good wheels up landing quite intact, although with numerous bullet holes from a fighter attack conducted from the rear. The condition of the aircraft is not consistent with the death of four of the five crewmen and the wounding of the fifth. This suggests that at least some crewmen may have been killed after the a/c force-landed. Alternatively, at least some may have been captured, and were killed in an effort to evacuate the POWs to Britain around the time of Dunkirk.

Does anyone have any information that would explain the deaths of these crewmen and what happened to them after the forced landing?

[Black6]

I wonder if this is another case ?

On 20 May 1940 a Bf110 of 9/ZG26 was shot down by French fighters near Luchy, France. Its pilot, Uffz Wilhelm Ross (born 27 Jan 1917 at Duisburg) and gunner both baled out, the gunner landed injured and both were captured by French soldiers and civilians. The Pilot was pushed around a little and then shot in the head and killed.

[Pieter H]

Hi Larry,

Peter Cornwell and I have discussed this quite entensively before in this forum. It started with the discussion which He111 with a murdered crew was seen by SqnLdr Halahan of No.1 Sqn on his return voyage after being shot down over Belgium. This was then my analysis:
Let's again get back to the original question: which could have been the Heinkel of which Sqn Ldr Halahan supposedly witnessed the decapitasion by Senegalese troops.
What seems to be facts:

• Halahan was shot down on May 12 around 09.30 local time by Bf109's of I/JG21
• He came down west of Maastricht, where he said to witness a fight between french and german tanks
• he was reported back to his base at Berry-au-Bac, which is close Reims
• the Heinkel of which the crew was killed landed near the road along which Halahan was returning to Reims

Now it becomes trickier, but let's give it a try:

• ·As already suggested, Halahan landed somewhere in the area between Hannut and Waremme, where at that moment the Pz Rgt 5 and 6 had broken through the belgian defenses along the Albert channel. No big tank battles took place on the early morning of the 12th, that would take place on the 13th just west of Hannut against de french Corps de Cavalerie.
• The voyage of Halahan from the Waremme area to Reims was not a short one, and to be able to get back (probably late) on the 13th he must have taken the main roads. However these were full of troops marching up to the front as well as fleeing refugees. To make the trip in 2 days he must have taken the main roads behind the front line. The most logical path is then Waremme-Namur, behind the 9th Army towards Philippeville and then Montherme, then Charleville-Mezieres, and there Vouziers-Reims.
• I checked the French order of battle, and there was only 1 Army that contained a large and distinct contigent of Senegalese troops: The 1st and 3rd Division d'Infanterie Colonial (DIC) of the 2eme Armee. This Army had positions starting on the left side just above Sedan, along the frontier to the east. The 3eme DIC was operational and probably positioned along the frontier, but the 1eme DIC was part of the reserve. Given the situation at the front this unit was probably moved towards the front at Sedan around the 12th or 13th of May
• Now the Heinkel. The list of Heinkel losses on May 12 provided by Peter Cornwell shows that no Heinkel landed in the area just behind the 9eme Armee front west of the Meuse in Belgium. So my conclusion is that it then must have been a Heinkel either in France of on the 13th. For a Heinkel in France that landed along the probable road of Halahan there is one candidate: the machine of 4./KG55.
• This Heinkel, G1+DM, made a fairly intact belly landing at 14.30 on May 12 in Machault, a place right along the route from Vouziers to Reims. The book "Batailles Aeriens and Rupture sur la Meuse" of Jacques Sacre shows a picture of the plane which shows it made a good belly landing.
• However, of the crew (Lt Johannes Juenk, Uffz Ernst Rasper, Uffz Heinz Thoene, Uffz Wilhelm Ege, Gefr Harald Wendt) all but the 2nd were reported killed. Rasper was wounded and made PoW. Now this is strange, that of a plane which made a nice belly landing the whole crew died. To me this is therefore a likely candidate for the incident IF it happened at all.
• There are also KG55 Heinkels that landed roughly in the same area on the morning of the 13th, but none of these have "unexplained" crew faiths.
• One contradiction to be solved then: it seems unlikely that Halahan was at Machault only 4 hours after being shot down, a distance of a few hundred kilometers. My interpretation is that Halahan did not witness it himself, but saw of course the plane, the corpses and probably heard the story from people around. In other words a hearsay story. Interestingly, IF it happened Uffz Rasper should have been able to say something about it.

After this post I was contacted by a descendent of Ernst Rasper, who quoted me the following from a letter of Ernst to his brother:

It was Pentecoste sunday - during the mission the He111 was attacked by 3 planes and "pushed aside" . The radio operator was wounded - the left engine stopped and as the attack went on the pilot was hit deadly in his head. Ernst took over -the other engine caught fire and he turned the plane upside down in order to pretend a fall - which worked as the 3 planes left the scene. As everybody was wounded , nobody could leave the plane and therefore he decided to bring the He111 down. He landed the plane at a grassland, which suddendly appeared in front of them. The crash caused another death - the mechanic and the gunner - the others had been wounded . Ernst and the radio man left the plane - but civilians and french police came shooting to the crashed plane. Both surrendered - and had to go away from the plane into a certain direction. Then the radio man was shot in his rear.
Ernst described furtheron how he survived as a POW.

Interestingly, the local French people that murdered the Bordfunker, later probably invented the cover-up story that colonial troops had done this, probably making convenient use of the fact that these troops indeed passed through the area towards the Sedan front. A nasty piece of history falsification and racism combined.
Anyway, the summary should thus be:

4./KG55 Heinkel He111P. Attacked by Sgt Farnes, Sgt McKay, and Sgt Morfill of No. 501 Squadron south-west of St-Hubert during sortie to bomb rail targets near Rethel. Pursued toward Maubeuge and finally crashed at ‘Buisson Roualet’, near Machault, 2.45 p.m. FF Lt Johannes Junk killed during the Hurricane attacks, BF Uffz Heinz Thöne wounded, after landing and surrendering killed by French civilians, BM Uffz Wilhelm Ege and BS Gefr Harald Wendt killed in the crash landing. BO Uffz Ernst Rasper captured wounded, later returned to his unit. Aircraft G1+DM a write-off.

Regards, Pieter

[Larry Hickey]

Pieter,

Your information from the the Ernst Rasper letter would seem to account for the high number of deaths on this crew. I'll be interested in seeing Peter Cornwell's assessment of this. This may well clear up the questions about this a/c. My deep appreciation for sharing the results of your research with us.

[Peter Cornwell]

The letter from Ernst RASPER to his brother settles the exact fate of this crew and resolves the apparent anomaly of so many deaths in what appeared to be a relatively good belly-landing. HALAHAN's hearsay account is an interesting 'tie-in' and Pieter provides a most persuasive rationale for this which echoes the story fabricated about the He111 down at East Wittering on 26 August 1940 (see After The Battle No.23) - co-incidentally another G1+DM . Nice work Pieter - thorough and diligent as ever.

[Larry Hickey]

Hello,

To bring this to conclusion, thanx to Pieter H., Peter Cornwell has now revised our EoE Loss entry as follows:

"12 May 1940 Western Front Amend: 4./KG55 Heinkel He111P-2. Engaged by Sgt Farnes, Sgt McKay, and Sgt Morfill of No.501 Squadron near St-Hubert during sortie to bomb rail targets near Rethel and port engine destroyed. Harried south-west with starboard engine alight and finally belly-landed at ‘Buisson Roualet’, near Machault, (France) 2.45 p.m. FF Lt Hans Junk, BF Uffz Heinz Thöne, BM Uffz Wilhelm Ege, and BS Gefr Harald Wendt all killed, BO Uffz Ernst Rasper captured wounded – later released. Aircraft G1+DM 100% write-off. (Photos)
Post-war testimony of the only survivor confirms that the pilot was killed and the rest of the crew all wounded during the fighter attacks. Though the observer, Ernst Rasper, managed to get the aircraft under control neither the mechanic, Wilhelm Ege, nor gunner, Harald Wendt, survived the subsequent belly- landing. Rasper and Thöne then came under fire from local police and civilians as they emerged from the aircraft and Heinz Thöne was shot in the back after they had surrendered."

I think that this case has been very satisfactorily resolved. When I posted this question, I thought it unlikely that this would ever get a satisfying resolution, but it proves the collective research power of cooperation between the many researchers who are looking at such issues and digging out the answers. There are many such problems yet to be solved.