Me. 110 damaged in operation Weserübung (The attack on Vaerloese airfield, Denmark)

[Orla Kragh Jensen]

Hi all.

I'm searching for the W.nr. on 2 Messerschmitt Bf. 110 fighters which both was damaged by ground fire under the attack on Vaerloese airfield April 9th, 1940 Denmar.

The St.kz. was as follows, 2N+HH and M8+GM (Hauptmann Wolfgang Falck's Messerschmitt).

2N+HH landed on one engine near Aarhus under its way from Vaerloese to Aalborg after the attack.

M8+GM returned to Barth on one engine (Falck was sure he was badly hurt in the lower part of his anatimy).

Falck writes in his memoryes that he belonged to ZG1 but also ZG76 is mentioned.

Can anyone point out the 2 staffeln of Bf. 110 machines that attacked Vaerloese airfield. There are supposed to have been between 9 and 20 aircraft.

Thanks.

Orla

[ju55dk]

It was Gruppenstab and 1. Staffel/ZG 1 that attacked vaerlöse, so the number was about 10-12 maschines. And Vkz of Falcks maschine was 2N+AB. And the number of Bf 110 that was hit was 3.

Junker

[Larry Hickey]

Hello,

In the EOE DB we have only one a/c reported damaged from this raid:

April 9, 1940: I./ZG1 Messerschmitt Bf110C. Returned damaged by AA fire during strafing attack on Vaerlöse airfield 5.45 a.m. (Bf) Uffz Arthur Schön wounded, pilot unhurt. Aircraft 10% damaged - repairable.

Junker, can you add any detail to this incident, and provide more details on Falck's a/c damage, and the third a/c that you mention? What his your source for the Vkz of 2N+AB for his Bf110? Based on the entry above, this would have been a 1 Staffel machine?

Thanks,

[robert]

Hi,

Falck was wounded in this attack? I think that only two Bf110s were hit AA fire and the sole casualty was Uffz. Anton Schoen.

Robert

[Orla Kragh Jensen]

Hi,

Found this

I was making my third pass against the airfield when my machine shuddered and my left engine stopped. A second later I got a kick in the best part of my anatomy so hard that it threw me against the top of my greenhouse - I was hit. I had heard that the first minutes after being hit you felt no pain, only numbness. I felt the needle pricks of numbness in my buttocks and thighs. I don’t think I can make the long flight over enemy territory to Aalborg, so I turn over command to one of my staffelkapitäns and decide to fly south so I can at least crash land behind German lines. I fly along the main road on one engine, hoping to see German tanks. I know I must be hit bad, since I still can’t feel anything and I’m probably losing a lot of blood. I raise up trying to feel for the wound, but with my flying suit and parachute in the way I can’t find anything wet. I decide I’ll be the hero, so I strike out across the sea toward Barth. I can fly from ship to ship in case I have to ditch in the water. I’m feeling weak from the loss of blood, but I’m responsible for my back seater, so I keep pushing myself on, getting weaker and weaker. At last I see Barth ahead and come in to land on one engine. As we roll to a stop, I unbuckle and open the greenhouse hood. Shakily I stand up, I can’t see any blood on the seat and my gunner says he can’t see any blood on my flying suit. I climb out on the wing and lower myself to the ground. Looking under the aircraft, I find a hole that shouldn’t be there Just under the cockpit. I climb back on the wing and look into the cockpit. The leather gasket around the control stick was torn away - a bullet had come into the cockpit. I take off my parachute and open it up. There are 54 folds in a parachute, and there, in the last fold, is the bullet that knocked me against the roof of the cockpit. Without acknowledging the grins on the faces surrounding me, I commandeer another machine and head back into the battle. Using the same flight pattern, I again pop up from the ground and come out of the sun over the Danish airfield. The ground is littered with smoking skeletons of burned out aircraft. The soldiers run like mad when they see me, but there is no fire from the ground, even so, I decide not to land and be welcomed’. Turning toward the northwest, I head for Aalborg where my unit should be waiting. On the way, I see one of my Bf 110’s that has force-landed in a meadow. Banking around, I can see the pilot standing on the wing surrounded by a mob of Danish soldiers. “A bad situation! What do I do?” I decided to take a chance and land, as I taxi over to the downed aircraft, there is no overt hostility from the Danish troops. The pilot explains that he was hit by ground fire and had been treated very well by the Danes who were under the command of a young captain to whom he introduces me. The pilot has already been in touch with Aalborg, which was in our hands after a paratroop drop of only a platoon. Aalborg was already sending a replacement engine. I thanked the Danish captain for the treatment of my pilot, got back in my aircraft and continued on to Aalborg.

Presumingly a translate from Wolfgang Falck's diaries.


Orla

[Orla Kragh Jensen]

Hi Larry.

Do you mean, that another Bf. 110 returned to Barth with a wounded rear gunner?

Whar would the codes on that have been: 2N+??

Orla

[Orla Kragh Jensen]

Hi Larry.

Can you please enlighnening me on "EOE DB" and "(Bf)" in your post abowe? What's the full text?

and

as the attacking aircrafts came from Gruppenstab and 1./ZG1, approx. 10 to 12 machines.

As always, there seems to be difficulties finding the exact details regarding the attack and the reported things that happened.

1) The 1st. Wolfgang Falck, 1./ZG1, 2N+AB (Bf110C-1) Returned to Barth on one engine (The left engine stopped after being hit by ground fire, Falck assumed he was wounded).

2) The 2nd. Bf110 emergency landing near Skejby/Aarhus, ?./ZG1, 2N+HH (Bf110C-1) Flew on to Aalborg after repair (Some sources said the machine was repaired by help of local people and the Danish Army, and via Falck by sourcing a replacement engine from Aalborg).

3) The 3rd., 1./ZG1, 2N+?? (Bf110C-1) Returned to Barth with a wounded rear gunner, (Bf) Uffz Arthur Schön, pilot unhurt (Aircraft 10% damaged - repairable).

Assuming that all Messerschmitt Bf110 aircraft belonging to Stab. and 1./ZG1 was the Bf110C-1 model!

Any indication to the codes on the replacement aircraft that Falck requested for his flight to Aalborg?


Regards

Orla

[Orla Kragh Jensen]

Hi Larry.

Can you please enlightening me on "EOE DB" and "(Bf)" in your post abowe? What's the full text?

and

as the attacking aircrafts came from Gruppenstab and 1./ZG1, approx. 10 to 12 machines.

As always, there seems to be difficulties finding the exact details regarding the attack and the reported things that happened.

1) The 1st. Wolfgang Falck, 1./ZG1, 2N+AB (Bf110C-1) Returned to Barth on one engine (The left engine stopped after being hit by ground fire, Falck assumed he was wounded).

2) The 2nd. Bf110 emergency landing near Skejby/Aarhus, ?./ZG1, 2N+HH (Bf110C-1) Flew on to Aalborg after repair (Some sources said the machine was repaired by help of local people and the Danish Army, and via Falck by sourcing a replacement engine from Aalborg).

3) The 3rd., 1./ZG1, 2N+?? (Bf110C-1) Returned to Barth with a wounded rear gunner, (Bf) Uffz Arthur Schön, pilot unhurt (Aircraft 10% damaged - repairable).

Assuming that all Messerschmitt Bf110 aircraft belonging to Stab. and 1./ZG1 was the Bf110C-1 model!

Any indication to the codes on the replacement aircraft that Falck requested for his flight to Aalborg?


Regards

Orla[/quote]

[Larry Hickey]

Orla,

Regarding your posts:

1) EOE stands for "Eagles Over Europe" DB = Luftwaffe Loss/damages/casualties data base, which was created and is maintained by Peter Cornwell. For details about the EOE Project, see the second "sticky" post on this Luftwaffe Message Board, including the most recent updates. This is a detailed listing over every Luftwaffe a/c loss (excluding training) from 1.9.39 through 31.12.40, many thousands of entries from every theater, including the Heimat. Similar DB are or have already been compiled on the air forces of all other participants in combat operations during the same period.

"Bf" (now modified to BF) is the Bordfunker (radio operator/gunner) on the plane.

Does anyone have further information on these three incidents, including a) the pilot for the Bf110C with Schön as the Bordfunker; b) the name of the pilot/gunner for the plane that FL at Skejby/Aarhus; c) the BF for Falck that day? Do any photos exist (perhaps in Denmark) for the Skejby/Aarhus FL, or either of the other two a/c?

Is there any further detailed account of either the attack on Vaerloese AF, or the Skejby/Aarhus forced-landing and subsequent events regarding that a/c and crew?

Regards,

[ju55dk]

I have for some years reschearced the attack on Vaerlöse, talking to participants from 1/ZG 1 including Falck. And yes I do have most of the information requested, But I would like to now what these informations are intended for. Past experiencies show that things posted here and elswere quickly find it's way onto dubious websites without proper sources. So I'm not in the mood to give away freely, informations gathered over 20 years.

Junker