Heinkel 111 loss-help needed!

[cheesey]

Hello all.

I have just been looking through some old notes (2004) and came across details of a WNr. plate taken from a He111 wreck which lies in the sea between Guernsey and Herm. The plate was removed by RAF divers during the 1980s along with an engine. A friend of one of the divers sent me some info and a very poor quality photo which I have since lost!

I asked questions about this particular subject around 4 years ago but didn't get much of a response. The details from the plate are as follows:

ARADO-flugzeugwerke
GmbH
Grenz (possibly Licenz?) Heinkel Rostock
TYP HE-111H wknr 23/205

Does this make sense? The plate was heavily corroded with bits missing so the info above is, I suspect, incomplete!

I am trying to match this to the following loss:

29/7/1940. He111. II./KG27. Sea off Guernsey. Aircraft ditched due to engine failure during operational sortie. Crew rescued from dinghy unhurt.

Is this the aircraft or possibly another? Has anyone crew details of the above loss?

PS: The engine was thrown back into the sea because nobody seemed interested in it at the time!

Thanks for any help...Steve.

[stephen f. polyak]

Steve,

I collect plates from Luftwaffe planes, so your post caught my eye. Apparently, Arado made and/or assembled components used on the He 111, and this data plate came from such an item (perhaps associated with the engine installation?). To my knowledge “wknr 23/205” is not an airframe main ID number, so the information on the plate can't be positively connected to a particular airplane. However, did the 29/7/40 loss involve a He 111-H? If so, since the plate indicates an H model, that may provide a loose connection at least.

Best regards,
Steve

[steve sheridan]

Hi Steve/ Stephen,
dont know if this is any interest to you, but i have a similar Heinkel 111H
from KG53 with the " Type He111H W.Nr 26/277.
This a/c was lost 1.6.40.
Im not sure whether this is a component W.Nr, or the main fuselage identity number.

Id welcome further clarification from other readers, or possibly David Ransome, an authority on all Heinkel 111 matters may know?

Best regs,
Another Steve!!

[David Ransome]

Hi,

Thanks for the compliment Steve, I try my best but wish I knew more!

I would agree that these plates are more likely to be from components made by Arado for the He111. Whilst, as always, I'm open to correction I have not yet come across one that could be tied to an aircraft with a similar number or where the digits formed part of the known aircraft WNr.

As Arado made components for other manufacturers I wonder if anyone has found similar plates in other types of aircraft?

Regards,

David

[cheesey]

Thanks for the feedback chaps!

I lost touch with the guy who provided the plate info some years ago so I don't know from which location on the a/c the plate came from. But, if the engine was raised from the sea bed then could it have been taken from an engine component?

Also, info on this loss taken from 'BoB:Then and Now' which states it was a 111H.

Thanks guys....Steve.

[steve sheridan]

Hi David, your very welcome!
Thanks for your views, and information.
Hopefully further research and records might become available, and perhaps these codes will establish identities of a/c not previously known?


Best regs,
Steve.