Luftwaffe over Scapa Flow

[Kevin Heath]

Hi Joe

It may well be the one you said?
I never paid any attention before to the airmen as my main interest was RN ships! But now I have an interst in aviation in WW2 I will pay more attention next time I am there..

all the best

Kevin

[ISLANDER]

Hi Joe,

It is believed that because of the explosion,the fire and the scattering of bodies, small remains of only two of the airmen were found but because they could not be identified they were buried as unknowns, though if it is the two graves of airmen from the Pegal Burn Ju-88 that are in Lyness, then I can`t understand why there is no date on the headstones as date of death is certainly known.

I looked in the `The Blitz - Then & Now` book for Herbert Kolberg but can find no mention, nor can I find another airman in there Uffz Fritz Heckert who was born in Abbendorf,Germany, 5/5/17 and died 28/12/41. Any ideas on this airman Joe?

Regards
Dave.

PS. Thanks to Jim Norton for the mention of that book "die dunklen jahre" by alexander steenbeck , which I gather is in German text, but of course pics contained would be of interest and google translator a help. Will have a look on that website.

[Joe Potter]

Hi Dave,
For info on Kolberg see The Blitz then and now, Vol 1, page 57, as with all bodies found at sea, or washed ashore, the date of death is usually given as when they were found, Fritz Hekert was a soldier, possibly a POW.
Regards
Joe

[odybvig]

10.5.1940
1 Do 18 from 1./406 shoot down by 3 british aircraft (north sea)
Oblt.z.S. Hans Ulrich Herman (died after rescue on RN ship)
Oblt. Rüdiger Wiethoff MIA
Ob,Feldw. Otto Broock POW
Uffz Kurt Momerte POW

Cant find your Do 18 from 15 may 1940, but this is likely the same


Best
Olve

[ISLANDER]

Thanks Joe & Olve,

Joe, I noticed re Fritz Heckert that you spelt his name without a `c` Hekert, yet on his headstone it is Heckert, could this be another man? or is the grave spelt wrong?

Olve, Looks like you could be right with that Do.18 and all I have at the moment so thanks for this, do you know the name of the RN ship by any chance that Oblt Herman died aboard?

Regards.
Dave.

[Joe Potter]

Dave,
I think the grave of Heckert is spelt correctly, its the same on the VDK website, its just my CWGC list of all known German burials in the UK that has spelt it wrong.
I notice that a Oblt Hans-Ulrich Hermann, born 29.01.1914-10.05.1940, is listed on the U-Boat memorial at Kiel, if this is the same man, he must have been buried at sea by the RN.
Joe.