Loss 18 June 1940

[Andreas Brekken]

Hi.

There were four crewmembers onboard the aircraft, two officers as named, and two crewmembers of non-officer rank.

Daniel - how is the state of French archives with regards to records of German POW's taken during this period?

Regards,
Andreas B

[Laurent Rizzotti]

As on 18 June 1940 the French Forces were evacuating Brest, and the Germans entered the city the next day, I wonder if a report was issued at all by the French.

A possible source will be the local gendarmerie, that was often involved in searching and capturing downed aviators. I don't know if the gendarmes will be evacuated or ordered to remain at their post at this time of the campaign.

But given that the Germans occupied the area one or two days after the loss of the Ju 88 it is also possible that both crew evaded capture.

[Laurent Rizzotti]

I spoke a little too fast.

The following link, in French, is about this Ju 88 and tells that the crew were captured and mishandled by the French crowd. They were liberated after the arrival of the German troops and on 22 June came back to the site where they were beaten and two men, probably innocent, were arrested. One was later shot by a firing squad while the other was deported.

Source:
http://absa39-45.forumpro.fr/la-luft...-1940-t295.htm

I will now guess that there should be a trace of this in gendarmerie reports, and maybe German papers about the process survived too.

Best regards

Laurent