Luft a/c shot down or crashed during the Battle of the Heligoland Bight: 18.12.39

[Larry Hickey]

Hello,

For the EoE project, we're doing research for a major painting on the above subject when 15 out of 22 British Wellington 1A bombers were shot down or crash-landed after attacks by Bf110Cs of I./ZG76, II./JG77, 3./JGr101 and 10.(N)/JG26 in what became known as the "Battle of the Heligoland Bight." This was on 18.12.39 off the north German coast following an attack on the Wilhelmshaven area.

I'm looking for photos of German a/c that participated in this air battle, including:

18 December 1939:

1) "2./ZG76 Messerschmitt Bf110C-1. Forced-landed at Wangerooge damaged by return fire during attack on RAF Wellingtons 20 km south-west of Heligoland 12.40 p.m. (Ff) Hptmn Wolfgang Falck (Staffelkapitän)and (Bf) Fw Alfred Walz both unhurt. Aircraft 15% damaged but repairable."

2) "2./ZG76 Messerschmitt Bf110C-1. Forced-landed at Jever damaged by return fire during attack on RAF Wellingtons 50 km north of Ameland 1.00 p.m. (Ff) Lt Gustav Uellenbeck and (Bf) Uffz Hans Dombrowski both wounded. Aircraft 15% damaged but repairable."

3) "3./JGr.101 Messerschmitt Bf109E-1 (6040). Crashed on landing at Kiel-Holtenau damaged by return fire following attack on RAF Wellingtons south-west of Heligoland 12.50 p.m. (Ff) Oberlt Dietrich Robitzsch (Staffelkapitän) wounded. Aircraft 100% write-off."

4) "3./JGr.101 Messerschmitt Bf109E-1 (3397). Crashed on landing at Westerland damaged by return fire following attack on RAF Wellingtons south-west of Heligoland 12.50 p.m. (Ff) Oberlt Rolf Kaldrack unhurt. Aircraft 25% damaged but repairable."

5) "6./JG77 Messerschmitt Bf109E. Forced-landed damaged by return fire following attack on RAF Wellingtons north of Wangerooge 12.30 p.m. (Ff) Lt Georg Schirmböck unhurt. Aircraft 10% damaged but repairable."

Also, does anyone know of any previous artwork that exists regarding this incident?

Who can help?

Regards,

[hihotte]

Found this artwork in my old artwork collection, for what it might worth for your project. The original is stretched over an entire A-4 sheet and has been published in an old Airfix catalogue. Also, in a crate down in my garage I have the (propaganda) brochures from the german part of view about this incidents with photos of the german participants and their a/c´s.

HorstAttachment 7417

[andy bird]

Hi Larry,

Two works of art oils one by German artist showing the 109's attacking Wellingtons, and a second by British artist held at RAF Museum London.