KGr100 He 111 damaged 14 August 1940

[Peter Cook]

I am trying to establish the correct Staffel and call sign for a He 111 of KGr 100 that was damaged in an incident in the early hours of 14 August 1940. Parker's Luftwaffe Crash Archive lists the aircraft as He 111H 6N +-K of 2/KGr100, from which the gunner Uffz Friedel Dörner baled out and was taken prisoner near Balcombe in Sussex. Parry's BoB Combat Archive has a loss listing that identifies it as He111H-3 6N+HK of 2/KGr100, but in the text that describes the mission flown by KGr100, he states that "Two He111s had engine trouble, one jettisoned its bombs, and He111 Wn.5252, 6N+CA, force landed between Bénodet and Pointe de Mousterlin, France. One man baled out of 6N+BH over Balcombe, West Sussex." The Kracker Luftwaffe Archive has a biography of Dörner's pilot Fw Kaufmann, and assigns him and the rest off the crew to 1 Staffel with the call sign of 6N+BH with Werk No 6873. Which is correct: 2 Staffel 6N+HK or 1 Staffel 6N+BH?

[Chris Goss]

This has been discussed before on 12 OCH and is confused. Dörner was apparently 2 Staffel. His intelligence report made no mention of the aircraft codes. The confusion with KGr 100 losses has been 14-15 Aug and 15-16 Aug. One came down on the beach at Hourtin (well known photo 6N+DH), 6N+DL force-landed near St Brieuc. Dörner was said to be in 6N+BH, Wk Nr 6873 and a flare ignited in the aircraft injuring Lt Paul Seebauer and Fw Adalbert Kneier but not the pilot Fw Kaufmann. Quite a but in The First Pathfinders" by Ken Wakefield which also adds to the confusion

[Peter Cook]

Thanks Chris, especially for the tip re. The First Pathfinders – just ordered it on Amazon!

Peter

[Chris Goss]

Very old book (1981) but good for its time

[Peter Cook]

I have also ordered Ulf Balke's Kampfgeschwader 100 Wiking book, with a pub date of 1981. Is there a more recent title on this unit? I have Manfred Griehl's German Elite Pathfinders: KG 100 in Action, 2016, but that is primarily a photo album.

Peter

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by Peter Cook

I have also ordered Ulf Balke's Kampfgeschwader 100 Wiking book, with a pub date of 1981. Is there a more recent title on this unit? I have Manfred Griehl's German Elite Pathfinders: KG 100 in Action, 2016, but that is primarily a photo album.

Peter

Jean-Louis Roba’s “La Kampfgeschwader 100, L’Escadre au Drakkar” came out in 2015. It covers the unit’s whole history.

If you just want KGr. 100’s operations over Britain in 1940 then Ken Wakefield’s “Pfadfinder”(1999) is excellent but it might be hard to find.

[Peter Cook]

Thanks for the tip Nick, I have ordered the Wakefield book from Abe Books, they have a number of copies.

Peter