Bv 138 losses

[Seaplanes]

According to my information, the following details can be given for these BV 138s:

18.11.40
Unit: 2./906 Brest
Aircraft: BV 138A-1 W.Nr. 386 St.kz. NA+LQ Verb.kz.8L+HK
Location: Missing while on a reconnaissance sortie west of Ireland.
Crew all missing: Lt.z.See Heinz Claus (B); Uffz. Karl Böcker (F); Uffz. August Gross (Bf); Uffz. Karl Jenal (1.Bm); Uffz. Paul Gems 82.Bm).

25.11.40
Unit: 2./906 Brest
Aircraft: BV 138A-1 W.Nr. 381 St.kz. KG+EE Verb.kz.8L+CK
Location: Forced landing in Pl.Qu. 8495, in the sea off the Blasket Islands, Ireland. The Aircraft was sunk by gunfire from its own crew.
Crew all interned in Curragh Internment Camp, Ireland. Oblt.z.See Konrad Neymeyr (B); Uffz. Wilhelm Krupp (F); Uffz. Erwin Sack (Bf); Fw. Hans Biegel (Bm); Obgefr. Ernst Kalowski (Bs).

15.05.41
Unit: 2./906 Hörnum
Aircraft: BV 138C-1 0310023 St.kz. CB+UC Verb.kz.8L+BK
Location: 100% damaged during take-off at Hörnum seapl.station. Cause believed to be material fatigue.
Crew: Lt. Hans Joachim Fried (F) injured; Obgefr. Johann Wirringa (Bf) injured; Ofw. Georg Klare (1.Bm) injured; Uffz. Friedrich Braun (2.Bm) injured; Obgefr. Helmut Hahn (Bs) killed.

15.02.42
Unit: 3./906 Tromsö (Norway)
Aircraft: BV 138B-1 W.Nr. 2003 St.kz. NA+LY Verb.kz.8L+EL
Location: 100 damaged during take off from List auf Sylt seapl.station for a transfer flight to Tromsö.
Crew: Oblt.(M) Hellmuth Bogumil (B) killed; Fw. Hasso von Arnim (F) killed;
Fw. Werner Geissner (Bf) injured; Ofw. Hans Eckstein (Bm) killed; Uffz. Gerhard Schreck (Bs) injured; Uffz. Karl Klein (passenger) injured; Uffz. Adolf Selzner (passenger) injured; Obgefr. Hermann Voss (passenger) injured.

05.08.42
Unit: Luftzeug Amt 2/XI (See) Travemünde. (Aircraft had been taken over from 3./406 in Tromsö for transfer to Germany).
Aircraft: BV 138C-1 W.Nr. 0310043 St.kz. BD+EE Verb.kz.K6+CL
Location: 100% destroyed about 8 km south of Vaeröy Island on a transfer flight fropm Tromsö to Schleswig.
The entire crew and passengers were reported missing. Ob.fahnr. Ernst Reichelmann (F); Ofw. Heinrich Straub (Bm); Uffz. Bernhard Wolff (Bf); Uffz. Karl-Heinz Haugwitz (Bf); Hpt.fw. Ewald Berger (passenger 3./906); Obgefr. Gustav Hreschich (passenger 3./906); Uffz. Toni Kremer (passenger 3./406); Uffz. Berry Elmer (passenger 3./406).

08.01.43
Unit: 3./906 Tromsö
Aircraft: BV 138C-1 W.Nr. 0310121 St.kz. DF+NA Verb.kz.8L+AL
Location: 5% damaged by a beaching gear at Tromsö seapl.station.
Crew: No casualties reported.

09.01.43
Unit: Fl.Führer Schule C 17 Pütnitz
Aircraft: BV 138A-03 W.Nr. 150 St.kz. BH+AT (ex. D-AFFE).
Location: 90% damaged at Pütnitz when colliding with He 111E W.Nr. 1310 during landing.
Crew: No casualties reported.

02.02.43
Unit: 3./906 Tromsö
Aircraft: BV 138C-1 W.Nr. 0310105 St.kz. PG+KE Verb.kz. K6+IL
(The aircraft was ex. 3./406 but the crew came from 3./906)
Location: 100% when shot down by a RAF Bristol Beaufort M/235 Sq. near Marstein north of Bergen (Pl.Qu. 06 Ost/51741).
Crew: Ofw. Alois Schmid (F) killed; Lt.(M) Klaus Volk (B) killed; Uffz. Heinz Marks (Bf) killed; Uffz. Paul Bender (Bm) killed, Obgefr. Fritz Otten (passenger from 1./906) missing.

19.03.43
Unit: 3./906 Tromsö
Aircraft: BV 138C-1 W.Nr. 0311022 St.kz. not confirmed (i believe the one cited from Luftwaffe Verband Magazine is "believed to be" if you read the whole article). Verb.kz. not known.
Location: 30% damahed when hitting underwater rock while taxying on the water off Andenes (Norway) during an anti-submarine patrol.
Crew: No casualties reported.

10.08.43
Unit: 3./406 Billefjord (Norway)
Aircraft: BV 138C-1 W.Nr. 0311025 St.kz. not confirmed as above. Verb.kz. K6+FL.
Location: Missing in Pl.Qu. 27 Ost/9282 in the Norwegian Sea. Believed shot down by enemy (Soviet) aircrtaft near a German convoy, approx. 45 km. east of Gamvik (near Hammerfest).
Crew all killed: Lt.(M) Werner Siefmund (B); Ltn. Hermann Greinert (F); Uffz. Hans Birkner (Bf); Obgefr. Ferdinand Schmidt (Bm); Uffz. Karl Baber (Bs).

10.08.43
Unit: 3./906 Tromsö
Aircraft: BV 138C-1 W.Nr. 0310133 St.kz. DF+NM Verb.kz. not known
Location: 10% damaged during catapult take-off from Tromsö.
Crew: No casualties reported.

[Andyf]

BTW nice page http://home.swipnet.se/our_stuff/Planes/Losses.htm
Andrzej

[Knut Larsson]

Hello Bjørn Seaplane

WNr. 310 105 was not brought down by a Bristol Beaufort.

Pilot was probably Sgt Wigmore from 235 SQN in a Beaufighter plane at 13:02, who I think correctly was allowed by RAF 1 Bv 138 destroyed "at Hjeltefjord, Norway".

Knut

[Seaplanes]

Hi Knut !
You are absolutely correct. It was not a Beaufort but a Beaufighter of 235 Sq. This unit apparently flew the Beaufighter VI C from September 1942 to July 1943. The location of this loss can be more of a speculation. Both Germans and Brits were quite often playing around with Norwegian geography. Whereas Hjeltefjorden is a long fjord to the north west of Bergen, Marstein is a well known light house south west of Bergen. Confused ?

[Andyf]

Hi!

Russian list of losses http://arcticwar.pomorsu.ru/sky/luft.../Bv138loss.htm

BTW Maybe could someone tell me if Bv138, exhibited in a diorama by Danemarks Flyvemuseum (Helsingör), has pilots' cockpit at all? I would like to see main panel

Cheers
Andrzej