KG 26 activity on 1 January 1940

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Hello, on that date the British fishing vessel "Young Harry" was lost with the four crew off Folkestone. Depending on sources, it was either sunk by KG 26 or by a mine caught in the trawl, the latter being the opinion of other fishermen.

A detailled account (http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~folke...y/cornish1.htm) says that this boat left port with another and parted way at 0650 hrs, was then lost of view. At 0715 hrs there was a very loud explosion and then debris and a body were all that was found of the vessel.

I wonder if some can tell me if KG 26 aircraft could have been in the area at this time. It was still very early and still at night, so I doubt it was an air attack, but this KG 26 "claim" should come from somewhere.

Thanks in advance

[Chris Goss]

I doubt if this was an aircraft as KG 26 would have had to fly all the way round from northern Germany and was operating over the northern North Sea so early in the war. That said the Fuhrungskette IX Fliegerkorps did do this a few months later

[Nick Beale]

The only German incursions mentioned in the daily sitrep were over Scapa and the Firth of Forth.

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Thanks for boths answer and for the link provided by Nick, that will probably allow me to find more on similar subjects.

All seem to point to a mine being the cause of the sinking.

Best regards

[robert]

Hi Laurent,

only 6 Ju 88s of 3./KG30 were engaged on this day between 08.11 and 15.21 hrs (German time) in anti-shipping operations so this boat could be not a victim of German planes.

Robert