Photographs to be identified / Need help.

[Chris Goss]

In respect of photo 6, taken from my forthcoming book:

Sitting on the beach near Calais is Ju 88 A-5 F, Wk Nr 0495 coded VG+DS of 3.(F)/11. In the mid-afternoon of 24 March 1941, Plt Off Bob Spurdle and Sgt Bill Dales of 74 Sqn were patrolling off Ramsgate when they spotted a lone Ju 88 flying south-west. Both pilots gave chase with Spurdle opening fire after which the Ju 88 turned towards France in a shallow dive. Bill Dales now chased but was disappointed when the German aircraft entered cloud. However, when they both emerged from cloud, he was only 300 yards behind so he immediately opened fire, closing to 200 yards, breaking away to starboard and then attacking from that side and from below. Firing a two second burst, he saw bullets entering the fuselage and noticed the port wheel was slightly down and both engines were emitting white and brown smoke. When Bill broke off six miles off the French coast, the German aircraft was just above the surface of the sea and the engines appeared to be "...only ticking over...". Both RAF pilots returned to RAF Manston in Kent and all that they claimed was a Ju 88 probably destroyed. Ofw Gerhard Lilienthal (F) and Ofw Johann Reiniecken (BF) were both wounded and the aircraft was so badly damaged that it never flew again. Wk Nr 0495 first flew at Bernburg on 30 September 1940 and was so new on its unit that codes had not been applied .

[Norbert Schuchbauer]

GQM reports on 21-12-41 with Ber. e) [correction e)] that Ofw Lilienthal and Ofw Reinicken were corrected from wounded to unhurt. They must have recovered from wounds and maybe back to flying status.

Regards,
Norbert

[John Vasco]

After close examination, the Bf 110 is a 'D' variant. A very rare bird indeed - radar on such an early variant...