Spitfire X4260 - Hptm von Bonin I./JG 54 Claim – 6 September 1940

[Peter Cook]

A number of sources reproduce photos of Spitfire X4260 of 603 Squadron which force-landed near Guines airfield on 6 September 1940, with the pilot P/O Caister becoming a PoW. All of these sources state that it was the Bf 109 of Hptm von Bonin, Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 54, who forced Caister's aircraft down. However, I can't find a single source that lists this as a claim for von Bonin. It is not in the biographical and claims listings in Chris's Luftwaffe Aces of the BOB, or in Matthews and Foreman's Luftwaffe Aces, or in Prien's Jagdfliegerverbände, or Parry's BOBCA.

Any thoughts?

[Chris Goss]

From an article of mine:


The sixth RAF pilot to be captured was Plt Off Jim Caister of 603 Sqn. Caister was older than most of his contemporaries having been born in 1906 and after serving as ground crew in the mid-1920s, volunteered for pilot training after which he flew as an NCO in the Middle East. At the start of the war, he was posted to 603 Sqn and on 19 January 1940 he shared the destruction of a Heinkel 111. By 3 September 1940, had two plus four shared enemy aircraft destroyed and one shared damaged and for this, on 13 September 1940 he would be awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal after having been commissioned on 21 August 1940. His last kill was a Messerschmitt 109 off Dunkirk on 3 September as three days after that, his Spitfire was damaged in combat after he had strayed too close to the French coast. He was then escorted to crash-land near Guines by Hauptmann Hubertus Von Bonin, Gruppen Kommandeur of I/JG 54 (killed 15 December 1943) even if Von Bonin was not credited with the kill. After his capture, he was entertained by I/JG 54 after which he remained a POW until the end of the war and he died in 1994.

[Peter Cook]

Thanks Chris,

I still find it curious that Von Bonin made no claim. In fact, JG 54 made no claims and had no losses on 6 September, despite it being a 'busy' day for other Bf 109 units – JG 2, JG 26, JG 27, JG 51, JG 53, and I./ LG 2 all made claims.

Peter

[Chris Goss]

You know how regimented the Luftwaffe was for claim which would explain this. Either that or Von Bon8n was honest