He111s III/KG3 and KG53 in late 1944

[Brian]

Hi Rob

Do you have any information on other III/KG3/KG53 crash sites in Holland July-December 1944?

Cheers
Brian

[Tony Jones]

Brian

There is an AIR 40 file at the PRO which gives a month by month crash location for every German a/c in France, Belgium, Holland and later on Germany. This list continues into 1945. I copied all these last week

Tony

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by Tony Jones

Brian

There is an AIR 40 file at the PRO which gives a month by month crash location for every German a/c in France, Belgium, Holland and later on Germany. This list continues into 1945. I copied all these last week

Tony

Do you mean AIR40/45?

[Tony Jones]

Nick

That's the one

Regards

Tony

[Brian]

Many thanks, Tony, that sounds really interesting. Hope to be at Kew later this week.

Cheers
Brian

[Brian Bines]

From NVM's there were nine losses in Holland, France and Belgium between July and August 1944 from KG 3. In 8th. Oct a He 111 of 1/KG 3 crashed at Groet, on 23rd. Oct. one of 1/KG 53 crashed off Zandvoort and on 5th. Nov. one of 2/KG 53 crashed at Kotwijk. Other crashes occured in Germany and Denmark in the period,
Regards
Brian Bines

[Nick Beale]

It's not really true to say that National Archives AIR40/45 contains "a month by month crash location for every German a/c in France, Belgium, Holland and later on Germany."

What it contains is a series of reports from RAF (and later Allied) Air Technical Intelligence Teams on enemy aircraft that were shot down, crashed, were abandoned or captured on territory held or overrun by Allied forces.

You will look in vain for much from Holland because a big area of the country remained in German hands until the last and there is nothing much from anywhere but Northern Germany either. Also they seem to have lost interest in cataloguing wrecked aircraft quite soon after the war ended.

There are however masses of wrecks on British soil, in Normandy and casualties of the Ardennes/Bodenplatte operations. More details on some of these aircraft can be found scattered throughout other 2 TAF files. For Africa, Sicily and Italy you need to go to the AIR23, AIR24 & AIR51 series.

The website of the Luftwaffe Archives Group (www.lwag.org) has more about this topic.

[Jaap Woortman]

According to the loss list of the Dutch Study Group Airwar 1939-1945 the following He 111 crashes of KG 3/53 have taken place in the Netherlands.

26‑07‑1944 Eindhoven/Acht He 111 5K+GT W.Nr.161230, 9./K.G.3. Flugzeugabsturz durch Beruehrung mit Hochspannungsmast. Pilot Uffz. Günter Rohne. Time 0.10 hrs.

31-08-1944 Gilze(Vossenberg) He 111 W.Nr. 16771 of 8./KG 3. Time 0500 hrs. Pilot Uffz. L.Gruber.

19-09-1944 Scharl(Fr.) He 111A-1 W.nr. 610571 of 8./KG 53. Time unknown. Pilot Fw. H.Holz.

07-10-1944 Groet(Heereweg) He 111H-16 W.Nr.160969 of 8./KG 53. Time 20.00 hrs. Pilot Fw. L.Gall.

9/10-10-1944 IJsselmeer(Vrouwenzand) He 111 III./KG 53 100% Bruch.

09-10-1944 Nyemirdum/Kippenburg He 111 100% Bruch. KG 53 Pilot Fw.A.Schmidt.
09-10-1944 Nyemirdum/Kippenburg He 111 100% Bruch. KG 53 Pilot Fw. V.Kappel. Collision between the both.

19-11-1944 IJsselmeer(near Molkwerum) He 111H-16. 100% Bruch. 5./KG 53. Pilot Fw. R.Ripper.

25-11-1944 Texel(16 km. from) He 111H-16 W.Nr. 110304. 1./KG 53. Time 05.10 hrs. Pilot Fw. K.Hillmann.

27-11-1944 Hillegom. He 111. Unit unknown, could be from a TG. No more information available.

Jaap Woortman
Secr. Study Group Airwar 1939-1945.

[rob van den nieuwendijk]

Hello all,

Regarding 27 Nov 44 - no crash in Hillegom - a member of a German ground unit was killed - Fsch Jg Rgt 15.

On 4/5 Nov 44 - He 111 H 16, W/nr 8540, A1 + GK, 2./KG 53 - near Katwijk - Antennenberührung und Notlandung harten Aufschlag. Feindflug gegen England. Crew: Pilot: Obfhr Karl Heinz Mallach (+), Obs Ogefr Paul Röhl (+), gunner Uffz Karl H Welzel (+) and gunner Ogfr Anton Kartak (wia).

Is there any more data available on 23 Oct 44 crash near Zandvoort?

Regards
Rob