German aircrew shot down over UK

[Peter Cornwell]

As mentioned, of course there were several cases of abuse (and worse) in Britain during 1940. The British are not immune from such irrational behaviour and when passions are running high you can forget about their 'stiff upper lip' and 'playing the game with a straight bat'. Sang-froid is French.

One of the better-known incidents took place at Kennington Oval on September 15, 1940, when a frenzied crowd of civilians (mainly women) attacked Oberlt Robert Zehbe of 1./KG76 a fact conveniently glossed-over, or deliberately ignored, during the making of a recent TV programme that preferred to perpetuate errors and repeat myths ad nauseam. One only has to track the fates of 'missing' German aircrew from aircraft that crashed in this country to find cases that defy rational explanation other than foul play but, understandably, these tend to be not too well documented officially. Conversely, there are also cases where the local hear-say suggests gruesome tales of the violent maltreatment of prisoners that does not stand up to any proper investigation. Witness the fate of the crew of the He111 down on East Wittering beach on August 26, 1940, who were supposedly shot dead as they emerged from the aircraft - an urban legend laid to rest in After The Battle magazine No.23.

So yes, these things happen in any so-called civilized country in war-time. The fact that they remain unpublicised so long after the event is largely due to the fact that documented history tends to be the preserve of the victors.