III/STG II Immelman

[legrosherve]

Hello everybody,

I have a question about 2 stukas that went down on the 14/05/1940 and 15/05/1940, in the cortil noirmont/Gembloux Area (Belgium).

My father remember this 2 aircrafts lost in this area and also that the pilots were burried in the battle field and moved later.

I am looking for information about this 2 aircrafts. I am pretty sure they belong to III/STG II Immelman, according to de Zeng and Stankey, but I have no other info.

Could someone help?

Many thanks

Hervé

[Peter Cornwell]

I have the following listed on May 15, 1940, but no Stuka losses in the area on the previous day:

2./StG2 Junkers Ju87B-1. Shot down by P/O Hardacre of No. 504 Squadron over Cortil-Noirmont, north-west of Gembloux, 10.45 a.m. FF Lt Karl Brausch and BF Uffz Robert Borrmann both badly wounded – returned later. Aircraft 100% write-off.


2./StG2 Junkers Ju87B-1. Set alight under attack by P/O van Mentz of No. 504 Squadron over Cortil-Noirmont, north-west of Gembloux, 10.45 a.m. FF Hptmn Paul Mertz (Staffelkapitän) and BF Fw Oskar Wagner both killed. Aircraft 100% write-off.

[Stig Jarlevik]

Peter

You are forgetting the Ju 87B of 9./St.G 2 which also crashed in the Gembloux area where Uffz F.Urban and Ogefr A. Brandt were killed.

Source: Battle over France by, hmm let's see who was it that wrote that one??....

Thanks again for a tremendous book!!

Cheers
Stig

[Peter Cornwell]

Stig,

Quite so - thanks for your comment.

[legrosherve]

Dear All,

Many thnaks for your commenys and replies.

Just to let you know, in de Zeng and Stankey, Dive bomber and Ground attack units, they state, on page 91, that the 14/05 JU87 shot down at Gembloux by AA fire and another one shot down at the same plac ethe next day, from III/Stg 2. Are they the same as you're talking about?

Hervé

[Doug Stankey]

I was amazed to see that you have a copy of our latest book "Dive-Bombers and Ground-Attack Units of the Luftwaffe" Volume 1! We knew that it was to be released this month but it was only today that we were told that our copies were being sent to us. Where did you obtain yours? We hope that you will enjoy it an refer to it frequently.

Volume 2 covering most of the Schlacht units(which holds the bibliography, appendices and indices) will become available in March.


I concur that the Cornwell book is a magnificent achievement and deserves to be on every WWII aviation enthusiasts book shelf. It was for me a real eye opener.

[ClinA-78]

Hello Hervé,

I can add one more. One Ju-87 may have landed 300m north of the "table d'orientation de la bataille de Gembloux". A witness told me that the aircraft flew away the following day or so.
One of the Stuka mentionned above may have crashed near the Pinteville farm (2 km West of gembloux) where I recovered small debris. The pilot (?) was buried near the site and a bomb recovered by German EOD team. I suppose you know the crash location if not, I am able to pin it on.

Best regards

ClinA-78

[legrosherve]

HI ClinA-78,

I was not aware of this Stuka lost near the Penteville farm. Yes please can you pin point it? can you tell me who was your witness. In fact I am from Gembloux and very interested in the battle...

Cheers

Hervé

[Peter Cornwell]

Hervé,

To clarify, three Ju87s were lost in the Gembloux area on May 15, 1940, one of them from 9./StG2 which was a unit in III./StG2. I have no recorded Ju87 losses in the area on the previous day.

[Larry Hickey]

Chris,

We here on the Eagles Over Europe Working Group (EOE WG), of which Peter C. is a member, fully appreciate the value of Arnaud Gillet's work, so much so that we are in the process of having all three volumes of his "French Victories" translated into English, so that it is fully available as a major reference work for our research on the Western Campaign. At present we are half way through the second volume.

Regards,