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Old 29th December 2010, 23:22
Brian Brian is offline
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Messerschmitt down at Acocks Green Birmingham

Hi guys

I've just been reading the memories of a guy who was a schoolboy during the war, living at Acocks Green, Birmingham. He provided a vivid description of a Messerschmitt that that nosed in on the playing field of his school, after the pilot had baled out.

Any ideas?

Cheers
Brian
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Old 29th December 2010, 23:52
Andy Saunders Andy Saunders is offline
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Re: Messerschmitt down at Acocks Green Birmingham

Really?

Must have been very long range, then!!!
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Old 30th December 2010, 00:17
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Re: Messerschmitt down at Acocks Green Birmingham

Bit like the Bf 109 that made it as far as Doncaster in an earlier post which in fact was one that came down outside Margate. Bit odd asking about Messerschmitts on the Allied Board too?
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Old 30th December 2010, 11:01
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Re: Messerschmitt down at Acocks Green Birmingham

Brian,

Probably confused memories of a captured aircraft on exhibition there ?
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Old 30th December 2010, 14:44
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Re: Messerschmitt down at Acocks Green Birmingham


Hi guys

Thanks for your comments. This is the extract:

"So what was so good about the war? Well for us kids it was very exciting! We used to watch our fighter planes dogfighting with the German aircraft with the vapour trails all over the sky. One morning going to school (Hartfield Crescent) we walked through the gully from Shirley Road to Fox Hollies Road and there in our playing field was a Messerschmitt fighter plane with its nose buried in the field. What a prize! We were over it like a rash grabbing every bit of loose stuff there was. I remember very clearly one lad walking off with one of the plane's guns, complete with a belt of ammunition. Looking back it seems quite funny. I think we were about eleven or twelve years old. I believe the pilot got out safe and well and knocked on a door in Fox Hollies Road and surrendered. I have no idea if he was shot down by anti-aircraft guns or British fighters. This is the sort of thing that gave us what today they call street cred. We collected bits and pieces from bombs shells [to] ammunition in fact anything you could get our hands on. Most lads had a sandbag where they kept their prized possessions and were very quick to show them off. Fins from fire bombs were much sought after and the larger pieces of shrapnel were to be admired."

Sounds like you've still got a sore head from Christmas, Chris!! Anyway, have a good New Year!

Cheers
Brian
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Old 30th December 2010, 15:41
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Re: Messerschmitt down at Acocks Green Birmingham

Sore head? Chance would be a fine thing but I thought your question would have been better posed on another board? I am afraid that this chap's memories are definitely askew. 109s dogfighting over Birmingham????? That I would like to have seen
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Old 30th December 2010, 16:08
Leendert Leendert is offline
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Re: Messerschmitt down at Acocks Green Birmingham

Gentlemen,

Perhaps not a Messerschmitt, but Acocks Green did have its share of bombardments.
No mentioning at first glance of a German aircrash on this detailed website however: http://aghs.jimdo.com/acocks-green-s...plosive-bombs/ and http://aghs.jimdo.com/acocks-green-s...ed-or-injured/

Regards,

Leendert
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Old 29th December 2011, 18:43
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Re: Messerschmitt down at Acocks Green Birmingham

Just discovered this old thread from last year. It struck me that at no point was it explicitly stated that the downed aircraft was a Bf 109. That assumption was made in order to throw doubt on the childhood memory. Those of us who spend too much time looking at photos on eBay will be aware of the all too frequent misidentification of just about anything with two wings as a Bf109. It seems quite possible that a schoolchild in c.1940 could have claimed that any crashed German aircraft was a ‘Messerschmitt’.

Just found the following report;
NIGHT RAIDER DOWN IN MIDLANDS. A RAIDER WAS BROUGHT DOWN DURING AN ATTACK ON A WEST MIDLAND TOWN LAST NIGHT. It is understood that A.A. fire hit it. It crashed near Bilton Grange, which is in the vicinity of the Rugby-Dunchurch road. Another raider is believed to have been crippled. It was last seen over a nearby district flying very low. High-explosive and incendiary bombs were dropped on a Midland town
…. (Birmingham Gazette, Friday 15th November 1940).

Bilton Grange is just over two miles from Acocks Green. This is of course not conclusive proof that this reported incident is the same as that remembered as a childhood memory. I also suspect that the downed aircraft was a He111. But the report does clearly indicate that at least one German aircraft was brought down near Acocks Green.


…It would interesting to identify this German aircraft (KGr 100 or KG 55 perhaps?)



Happy New Year to all



Ian
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Old 30th December 2011, 18:20
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Re: Messerschmitt down at Acocks Green Birmingham

Ian: It does say "Messerschmitt fighter plane...." so Brian did not make an assumption. I feel that the writer's imagination has possibly run wild over the years-an unguarded crashed enemy plane on a playing field in a built up area would have attracted military and or police in minutes giving children precious time the loot anything as substantial as guns! That said, no crashes that would match on 13 or 14 Nov and the only one lost on the Coventry raid came down at Loughborough (and was a Do 17 from KG 3 not a He 111 from KGr 100 or KG 53)
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