II/KG53 He111H-3 (6843)

[Peter Cornwell]

That crew did not bale out, the aircraft belly-landed with the starboard engine on fire and that rapidly spread to engulf the entire aircraft which was burned out. It landed close to a searchlight post and the surviving crew were all rounded up by troops almost immediately so it seems unlikely that this can be the incident recalled by your eyewitness.

Stab II./KG53 Heinkel He111H-3 (6843). Starboard engine hit by AA fire during sortie to bomb Victoria Docks in London and bombs dumped on industrial target. Attempted to reach cloud cover but engaged by fighters and believed that attacked by P/O D.G. Williams together with other Spitfires of No.92 Squadron. Starboard engine caught fire and port engine damaged so belly-landed and burned out on Peasridge Farm at Frittenden, near Staplehurst, 3.00 p.m. Major Maximilian Gruber (Gruppenkommandeur), BO Oberlt Hans-Peter Schierning, and FF Oberfw Günther Schmidtborn all captured unhurt, BM Uffz Eugen Schilling and BF Fw Maximilian Nagl both captured wounded, HS Fw Andreas Grassl killed. Aircraft A1+GM 100% write-off.
Apart from Gruber, this was a 6 Staffel crew flying a 4 Staffel aircraft. Souvenir propeller blade recovered at the time donated to Lashenden Air Warfare Museum