He111 6/KG53 30-8-1940

[Brian Bines]

From Blitz Then and Now it has that on 30-8-40 A1+JP, 2782 made a forced landing with a dead pilot near Manston A/F with :-

Ff Fw. Fritz Eckert +
Gef. H.G. Kohler w - died
Gef. A Klapp POW
Gef. F Gluck POW
Fw. K Stockl POW

Could anyone help with the missing first names and crew positions please,

Regards

Brian Bines

[dp_burke]

You can grab the following glimps of Masons book,
Battle over Britain: a history of German air assaults on Great Britain, 1917-18 and and July-December 1940, and of the development of Britain's air defences between the World Wars

on google books

Fw.Eckert killed. Gefr.Hans-Georg Kohler wounded and died later. Gefr. Alberrt Klapp, Fw. Kurt Stock and Gefr. Friedrich Gluck made POWs

[Peter Cornwell]

6./KG53 Heinkel He111H-2 (2782). Attacked by fighters during sortie to bomb Radlett aerodrome and pilot killed. Possibly that engaged by F/L G.E. Ball and F/O N.K. Stansfeld of No.242 Squadron. Observer took control, dumped bombs in sea, and belly-landed on Goodman’s Farm near Manston airfield 4.35 p.m. FF Fw Fritz Eckert killed, BF Gefr Hans-Georg Köhler captured severely wounded - admitted to Ramsgate Hospital where died three days later, BO Gefr Albert Klapp and BS Gefr Friedrich Glück both captured wounded, BM Fw Kurt Stockl captured unhurt. Aircraft A1+JP 100% write-off.
Fritz Eckert was buried at St John’s Cemetery in Margate, Hans-Georg Köhler at St Lawrence’s Churchyard in Ramsgate.

[Brian Bines]

dp and Peter thank you both for your help,

Regards

Brian Bines

[steve sheridan]

Peter, without wishing to hijack Brians thread, do you have the loss details for sister a/c A1+GP lost on the same mission.
Raschmer, Rompert, Wagner, Schall and Fauerleber. I have this as lost off Sheppey?

Kindest regs,
Steve.

[Peter Cornwell]

6./KG53 Heinkel He111H-2 (6818). Starboard engine badly damaged in attacks by Hurricanes during sortie to bomb Radlett aerodrome and possibly that claimed by P/O K.H. Blair or P/O F. Surma of No.151 Squadron. Lost height and dumped bombs but eventually forced to ditch in the sea off the Isle of Sheppey 4.30 p.m. FF Uffz Gerhard Rascher, BO Uffz Werner Roempert, BF Uffz Hans Wagner, BM Uffz Arthur Schall, and BS Uffz Gustav Keuerleben took to dinghy and all captured unhurt. Aircraft A1+GP 100% write-off.

[steve sheridan]

Good afternoon Peter, many thanks for the information regarding the loss of A1+GP.

Kindest regs,
Steve.

[drailton]

He111 6/KG53 30-8-1940
I understand that the observer landed the aircraft. I am interested infinding which one of the crew was the observer. Am I right in thinking that an observer would not have been a gefreiter so the Stockl must have been the observer?

[Chris Goss]

Klapp was the Beobachter so it was he who landed the plane

[drailton]

That does surprise me, Chris. I had always understood that in
the Luftwaffe, in most cases, the observer was the aircraft captain, not the pilot and that the observer was trained in all aspects of the aircraft, i.e. radio, gunner and pilot. I also understood that Gefr. was the equivalent of an AC1 and Fw. was a Sergeant and that an Observer was unlikely to be an AC1.

Looking to be corrected on this if I have it wrong.