The Eagles Over Europe Project

[Larry Hickey]

Hello,

I'm trying to determine the date of a funeral at Mannheim AF, Germany, for a Bf110 crew from V.(Z)/LG1. There have been several photos of this sold on eBay, one with "Mannheim" written on the back. I want to profile one of two unit aircraft used in the funeral ceremony for their fallen comrades, Bf110C L1+FH. Based upon the number of personnel present, it would appear that a substantial number of personnel from at least one Staffel were present at the ceremony. The date of this funeral is important because it may put a date on the use of the light blue (65) over spray that had been applied to the fuselages of the two ceremonial aircraft.

http://ihra.smugmug.com/photos/i-5cP...-5cPHtHw-L.jpg

http://ihra.smugmug.com/photos/i-36s...-36shTBH-L.jpg

http://ihra.smugmug.com/photos/i-Jp5...-Jp5N6wh-L.jpg

There were only two crews that were lost which would most likely be associated with this loss:

22 April 1940: 15.(Z)/LG1Messerschmitt Bf110C-1. Crashed into houses near Mannheim-Sandhofen and burnt out following engine failure on maintenance test flight. (FF) Oberlt Walter Clausen (Staffelkapitän) and mechanic killed. Aircraft 100% write-off.


If this crew, the photos of the funeral could have been taken within a couple of days of the crash.



After the beginning of the WC on 10 May, V.(Z)/LG1 transferred from Mannheim to Wiesbaden on 13 May, and on to Ste Marie, Belgium, on 21 May.



A 13 Staffel crew was lost near the unit airfield at St Marie, Belgium, in L1+EH on 21 May 1940:

21 May 1940: 13.(Z)/LG1 Messerschmitt Bf110C (3524). Believed elevators jammed on take-off causing crash 1km south-west of Ste-Marie on escort sortie for KG2 attack on Persan-Beaumont airfield 6.00 p.m. FF Oberfw Alois Stegemann and BF Uffz Georg Solluch both killed. Aircraft L1+EH 100% write-off.



Unless the unit sent the remains of the Stegemann crew back to Mannheim for the funeral, and there were still enough unit personnel there to account for the photos, this would seem too late for the funeral in the photos. Other photos of the Stegemann crash confirm that L1+EH carried the light blue over spray seen on L1+FH, the first dated evidence for this camouflage in the unit. However, based upon several photos of unit a/c known to have been taken early in the WC, the 15 Staffel loss on 22 April seems too early for this camouflage change to have started. Several other photos show the unit's Bf110s in standard green upper surface camouflage during the beginning days of the WC.



So does anyone have any other photos which show this funeral at Mannheim, and especially that might show the tail of L1+FH, that is partly obscured in these photos? I'm hoping that additional photos might also provide either the date of the funeral or the names of the crewmen being buried, thus confirming a date for the new camouflage scheme.


Can anyone help?