Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine Flak queries 1940-1944

[Theo Boiten]

Dear all,

During the research for the Nachtjagd War Diaries 2nd edition, we have documented almost 2,000 Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine victory claims over Bomber Command aircraft at night during 1940-1945. We have been able to match the large majority of these claims to actual Bomber Command losses. However, we still have a list of Bomber Comand aircraft that were shot down by Flak, for which we have not been able to trace the actual Flak unit/units.
I am hoping that, by publishing the list on this forum, that readers may be able to help filling these last remaining gaps in our research and give me the identities of the following Flak units:

5-6 June 1940
-9 Sqn Wellington P9232: hit by unidentified Flak and crashed near Simonshaven, SW of Rotterdam.

29-30 June 1940
-61 Sqn Hampden P4341: hit by unidentified Flak and crashed near Schipluiden, SSW of Delft ca. 04.00 hrs.

7-8 July 1940
-61 Sqn Hampden P4390: hit by unidentified Flak and crashed on road Bad Bentheim – Nordhorn, time unknown.

22-23 July 1940
-58 Sqn Whitley N1472: hit by unidentified Flak and crashed at Kreuzkrug near Oesterholz ca. 02.00 hrs.

11-12 August 1940
-51 Sqn Whitley P4983: severely shot up by unidentified Flak, force-landed on Jever airfied at 05.54 hrs.

12-13 August 1940
-83 Sqn Hampden P4340: hit by unidentified Flak and crashed near Mesum, SSE of Rheine.

16-17 August 1940
-149 Sqn Wellington R3174: whilst trying to escape from searchlights and unidentified Flak flew into a hillside at Einberg near Coburg, time unknown.

11-12 September 1940
-44 Sqn Hampden P1338: hit by unidentified Flak and crashed into Weser River near Blexen at 23.00 hrs.
-38 Sqn Wellington (no serial known): hit by unidentified Flak and crashed near central railway station of Oostende at 02.20 hrs.

18-19 September 1940
-99 Sqn Wellington P9242: hit by unidentified Flak and crashed at the Stahlwerkplatz in Osnabrück at 22.55 hrs.
-106 Sqn Hampden P1259: shot down by unidentified Flak over the Elbe Estuary, no time known.

21-22 October 1940
-10 Sqn Whitley T4152: shot down by unidentified Flak and crashed 2 km. SW of Wohlmutshausen near Forchtenberg, time unknown.

14-15 November 1940
-58 Sqn Whitley T4239: hit by unidentified Flak and crashed at Timmeitz, NE of Uelzen, time unknown.
-44 Sqn Hampden X2996: hit by unidentified Flak and exploded over Berlin-Dahlem, crashing into the Podbielskiallee in Dahlem, time unknown.
-77 Sqn Whitley T4338: hit by unidentified Flak and crashed 1 km SE Hönow, ENE of Berlin, time unknown.
-58 Sqn Whitley T4174: hit by unidentified Flak, crashed into barracks in Säntisstrasse in Marienfelde, S. of Berlin, time unknown.

19-20 November 1940
-prob. 49 Sqn Hampden X3024: hit by unidentified Flak and crashed into sea near Horm Island, 2 km east of Guernsey at 19.45 hrs.
-149 Sqn Wellington N2774: hit by unidentified Flak, crashed at Glasow, Kreis Teltow in Berlin at 05.20 hrs.

7-8 December 1940
-9 Sqn Wellington R3220: hit by unspecified Flak of the II. Flakkorps and crashed at Stene/Oostende, time unknown.
-50 Sqn Hampden X3004: shot down by unspecified Flak of the II. Flakkorps off Oostende, time unknown.

8-9 December 1940
-61 Sqn Hampden X2975: hit by unidentified Flak and crashed at Erftwerk, Vollrath near Grevenbroich at 22.25 hrs.

10-11 December 1940
-50 Sqn Hampden X3117: hit by unidentified Flak and crashed at Macken, time unknown.

8-9 April 1941
-61 Sqn Hampden AD827: hit by unidentified Flak and crashed in the target (Kiel) area.

26-27 April 1941
-9 Sqn Wellington R1281: hit by unidentified Flak, ran out of fuel and force-landed at Arriën nr. Ommen at 05.30 hrs.

25-26 July 1941
-102 Sqn Whitley Z6866: hit by unidentified Flak and crashed at Maurik, N. Tiel at 02.35 hrs.
-35 Sqn Halifax L9507: hit by unidentified Berlin-based Flak and crashed near Brieselang, 7 km. NE Wustermark, time unknown.

6-7 August 1941
-11 OTU Wellington Z8807: hit by unidentified Flak nr. Rotterdam, force-landed at Oud-Beijerland ca. 06.30 hrs.

18-19 August 1941
-51 Sqn Whitley Z6566: hit by unidentified Flak of the 7. Flak Division, crashed at Dorweiler, west of Köln at 03.30 hrs.

22-23 August 1941
-106 Sqn Hampden AE220: hit by unidentified Flak and crashed near Plankstadt, 5 km. West of Heidelberg at 02.12 hrs.

24-25 October 1941
-51 Sqn Whitley Z6874: hit by unidentified Flak during outward-bound flight over Calais, crashed near Pihen-lès-Guînes, probably at around 20.30 hrs.

7-8 November 1941
-78 Sqn Whitley Z9151: hit by unidentified Flak and crashed at Rhinow, 19 km N. of Rathenow at 04.55 hrs.

8-9 November 1941
-75 Sqn Wellington Z8942: caught in searchlights, hit by unidentified Flak, crashed and exploded at Zuidland, SW of Rotterdam at 22.15 hrs.

29-30 July 1942
-149 Sqn Stirling BF320: hit by unidentified Flak, crashed at Rodenhof, Saarbrücken, time unknown.

9-10 August 1942
-102 Sqn Halifax BB211: hit by unidentified Flak, crashed at Elbergen, south of Lingen-Ems, time unknown.

11-12 August 1942
-106 Sqn Lancaster W4109: hit by unidentified Flak, exploded violently in mid-air and crashed twixt Waldesch and Dausenau an der Lahn at 01.30 hrs.
-57 Sqn Wellington BJ830: hit by unidentified Flak and crashed at Hagen, Philipshöhe ca. 03.30 hrs.
-405 Sqn Halifax W7748: hit by unidentified Flak and crashed at Duisburg-Neuenkamp, time unknown.
-75 Sqn Wellington BJ625: hit by unidentified Flak and crashed into a hill side at Neuss, time unknown.

27-28 August 1942
-408 Sqn Hampden P1244: hit by unidentified Flak and crashed, exploding on impact, at Istham, west of Kassel, no time known.

8-9 September 1942
-75 Sqn Wellington BJ596: hit by unidentified Flak and crashed at Schmalbroich/Kempen, time unknown.

18-19 September 1942
-106 Sqn Lancaster R5899: hit by unidentified Flak and crashed in sea off Danzig.

19-20 September 1942
-158 Sqn Halifax W7777: hit by unidentified Flak at 13.600 ft over Saarbrücken, crashed at Geislautern, time unknown.

2-3 October 1942
-106 Sqn Lancaster W4768: hit by unidentified Flak over Krefeld after bombing and abandoned, crash location and time unknown.
-405 Sqn Halifax DG228: hit by unidentified Flak and crashed near Noordwijkerhout at 22.49 hrs.

6-7 October 1942
-44 Sqn Lancaster W4188: hit by unidentified Flak, crashed in the Rehmstrasse at Osnabrück, time unknown.

11-12 March 1943
-467 Sqn Lancaster ED523: hit by unidentified Flak just after completing the bombing run and crashed at Böblingen, time unknown.

26-27 March 1943
-78 Sqn Halifax W7931: hit by unidentified Flak, abandoned and crashed at Pinnedijk nr. Gaanderen at 22.00 hrs.

26-27 April 1943
-51 Sqn Halifax HR778: hit by unidentified Flak, crashed at Witterschlick nr Meckenheim, time unknown.

23-24 May 1943
-419 Sqn Halifax JB862: hit by unidentified Flak, crashed in Genend, 5 km. NW Moers at 01.50 hrs.

25-26 May 1943
-207 Sqn Lancaster ED600: hit by unidentified Flak and crashed at hamlet Het Voorst, 13 km NW of Venlo at 02.35 hrs.

27-28 May 1943
-77 Sqn Halifax JD152: hit unidentified Flak, crashed in flames at Lavesum, 4 km NNW of Haltern am See, time unknown.

12-13 July 1943
-100 Sqn Lancaster ED561: hit by unidentified Flak and crashed 5 km N. Saint Oulph at 00.33-40 hrs.

27-28 July 1943
-156 Sqn Lancaster EE178: hit by unidentified Flak and crashed at Glinstedt at 01.55 hrs.
-50 Sqn Lancaster R5687: went down in a Flak barrage of unidentified Flak over Bremerhaven-Lehe at 02.15 hrs.

23-24 September 1943
-50 Sqn Lancaster ED415: received a direct Flak hit of unidentified Flak unit(s) over Ludwigshafen and crashed onto the BASF Works at 22.48 hrs.
-57 Sqn Lancaster LM336: hit by unidentified Flak over NE suburbs of Paris and crashed in flames near Rue du Louvre at around 01.00 hrs.

22-23 October 1943
-429 Sqn Halifax JD363: hit by unidentified Flak, crashed at Bolk nr. Rijkevorsel at 20.05 hrs.

18-19 November 1943
-218 Sqn Stirling EE884: coned by searchlights and hit by unidentified Flak, crashed twixt Hofheim and Bobstadt at 20.30 hrs.

26-27 November 1943
-158 Sqn Halifax JD255: hit by unidentified Flak and crashed at Deidesheimer Strasse 57 in Mannheim-Käfertal, time unknown.

16-17 December 1943
-115 Sqn Lancaster DS835: hit by unidentified Flak and exploded over the Kruisberg nr Heemskerk 19.00 hrs.

2-3 January 1944
-463 Sqn Lancaster JA902: hit by unidentified Flak, causing bomb load to explode, crashed on low lying piece of land in the Noordoostpolder, ca. 20 km NW of Zwolle at 01.00-30 hrs.
-83 Sqn Lancaster ND330: hit by unidentified Flak and crashed at Weissenberge nr. Wahrenholz at 02.15 hrs.

15-16 February 1944
-158 Sqn Halifax HX348: hit by unidentified Flak over Flensburg and force-landed at Trappe at 21.15 hrs.

19-20 February 1944
-158 Sqn Halifax LV786: hit by unidentified Flak and crashed at Helschen at 05.35 hrs.

24-25 April 1944
-424 Sqn Halifax HX318: hit by unidentified Flak west of Frankfurt, exploded and crashed at Waldalgesheim, time unknown.

11-12 June 1944
-405 Sqn Lancaster ND344 (Tours raid): hit by unidentified Flak over the target, crashed just N. of Tours at 00.50 hrs.

21-22 June 1944
-619 Sqn Lancaster ND986: hit by unidentified Flak and crashed into River Rhine at Duisburg, time unknown.

12-13 September 1944
-467 Sqn Lancaster LL789: hit by unidentified Flak and crashed 3 km SE of Welzheim, E. of Stuttgart at 23.30 hrs.


Cheers and thanks for any help, Theo

[Adriano Baumgartner]

Theo,

8-9 April 1941
-61 Sqn Hampden AD827: hit by unidentified Flak and crashed in the target (Kiel) area.

Apparently AD827 crashed onto the Postsee lake, nearby Preetz town...I believe this machine had lost hidraulics or the pilot have lowered the landing gears (maybe trying to land somewhere). I do have a photo of a Hampden lost that night (8-9 April 1941) that seems to be the wreckage of AD827 on a lake shore or another Hampden that crashed that night on a sea shore (it seems no other machine landed on a shore).

A.

[Theo Boiten]

Hi Adriano,

Thanks for sharing these interesting details. I'll PM you for further details.

Cheers, Theo

[Adriano Baumgartner]

Email sent Theo!
Cheerio and have a nice day and week!
As soon as I solve my personnel problem I shall send it to you, as informed.
A.

[edwest2]

I have posted a number of photos in the past of various German ships that had painted silhouettes of Allied aircraft they had shot down.

I cannot say how accurate the aircraft shapes were but they do show two or four engine aircraft. Sometimes, a date is written next to these silhouettes. One vessel was a minesweeper.

HTH,
Ed

[hucks216]

25-26 July 1941
-35 Sqn Halifax L9507: hit by unidentified Berlin-based Flak and crashed near Brieselang, 7 km. NE Wustermark, time unknown.

Unfortunately, I never saved the image but a Soldbuch to someone serving in 2./Reserve-Flak-Abt 513 (June to 2nd July 1941) and 2./Reserve-Flak-Abt 902 (3rd to 28th July 1942) at around this time had this claim confirmed in the Soldbuch, same date and same aircraft type.

It might be worth putting this request in the Wehrpass & Soldbuch section on WAF asking for people to check their collections to see if anything is mentioned.

[Snautzer]

Perhaps of intrest grave Pilots Bristol Blenheim in Pihen-lès-Guînes 10-08-1940 https://www.ebay.de/itm/304998237426...cAAOSwvtVkmJI8

[Blitz45]

Hi Theo,

18-19 September 1942
-106 Sqn Lancaster R5899: hit by unidentified Flak and crashed in sea off Danzig.

I found a German report which says that the shot down was attributed to a German ship. R5899 was shot down on September 19, 1942 at 00:25. I'm in the process of figuring out this unit.

Regards

Peter

[Darius]

Originally Posted by Blitz45

18-19 September 1942
-106 Sqn Lancaster R5899: hit by unidentified Flak and crashed in sea off Danzig.

I found a German report which says that the shot down was attributed to a German ship. R5899 was shot down on September 19, 1942 at 00:25. I'm in the process of figuring out this unit.

I have from the war diary of Küstenbefehlshaber östliche Ostsee for:

19.09.1942:

Sperrkommandant östl. Ostsee meldet:
00.01 Uhr Luftgefahr 20 für Gotenhafen
00.02 Uhr Fliegeralarm für Gotenhafen
01.35 Uhr Fliegeralarm für Gotenhafen beendet
07.15 Uhr S.W.S. "G 5" meldet von der Sperrsüdlücke: "Feindliches Flugzeug kam aus nordöstlicher Richtung und griff im Tiefflug an. Flugzeug wurde von "G 5" abgeschossen und stürzte etwa 1000 m südlich des Bootes brennend in das Wasser. Minenabwurf ist anzunehmen.[...]

Batterie Bohnsack meldet niedrig fliegendes Flugzeug aus nördl. Richtung kommend in Richtung Neufahrwasser weitergeflogen. Es besteht Verdacht des Minenabwurfs. Ein zweites aus gleicher Richtung anfliegendes Flugzeug von Kriegsfahrzeug auf See abgeschossen. Absturzstelle etwa 2 nördl. 500 m östl. Leuchtfeuer Neufähr. Zwei Mann mit Fallschirm auf See abgesprungen.

Küstenüberwachungsstelle Neufahrwasser wurde über Avsprung feindlicher Flieger unterrichtet, Fahndung sofort aufgenommen. Fünf Engländer mit Schlauchboot durch Zollkutter "Stör" der Küst. Neufahrwasser auf der Höhe Wordel aufgebracht. Gefange zur Vernehmung durch Ast. Danzig weitergeleitet.

20.09.1942:

Das von "G 5" am 19.9. nordöstlich der Südsperrlücke abgeschossene Flugzeug wurde in 6 m Wassertiefe auf 54° 22,7' Nord, 18° 47,7' Ost stark ölend aufgefunden und mit einer roten Aufholboje bezeichnet. Nach Beobachtungen der Besatzung von "G 5" könnte das Flugzeug 2-3 Minen im Notwurf abgeworfen haben.

S.W.S = Sperrwachschiff. I´ll ask in FMA for details on "G 5".


Regards

[Blitz45]

Hi Darius, thank you for the quick answer, which confirms what I wrote earlier, that it was not the Navy's Flak but the G5 that shot down R899 that evening. I was looking for information about this G5 but couldn't find anything.

Regards Gdansk