He111 shot down 17 June 1940

[Brian]

Hi guys

Just to add to the confusion, I am currently reading Jonathan Fenby's The Sinking of the Lancastria, and he writes:

"A Hurricane fighter flew in with the sun behind it to attack a German plane machine-gunning men in the water.... Having hit the enemy aircraft the Hurricane flew off - its pilot believed to have been George Berry.

"A survivor reported seeing the Luftwaffe plane floating in the water fifty yards from him. The crew stood on the wing as men from the Lancastria shouted 'Murder the bastards!' But one of the Germans brandished a Luger pistol, and the British (survivor?) kept away until he was picked up by a Royal Navy destroyer."

A word appears to be missing from the final sentence!

However, should this account be accurate, it would suggest (a) that the Hurricanes arrived after the sinking (b) that a Luftwaffe machine ditched.

Cheers
Brian