He-115 unit on 9 April 1940

[SteveR]

On 9 April 1940 a He-115 engaged in combat with a Sunderland of 204 Squadron, after which it (the Heinkel) force-landed in Trondheim fjord, burned out, and sank.

In Fledgling Eagles the unit to which the He-115 belonged is given as 2./Kü.Fl.Gr.506, but on the Luftwaffe-sur-Zee website the unit is given as 1./Kü.Fl.Gr.106.

Which is the correct unit?

Thanks in advance!

[robert]

Hi,

you probably mixed up two air combats.

Regards

Robert

[SteveR]

Originally Posted by robert

Hi,

you probably mixed up two air combats.

Regards

Robert

Possibly, though I doubt it. Thank you though!

Both of the sources I named list another (different) He-115 lost earlier in the day after encountering 233 Squadron Hudsons. Both agree it was from 1./Kü.Fl.Gr.106.

I'm hoping to find out the correct unit of the He-115 that tangled with the Sunderland at 13.30 hours.

[robert]

Hi,

you have PM.

Robert

[SteveR]

Received.

Thank you very much!

[Rottler]

Hello Steve,

in the Gen.Qu. loss return from 20 April 1940 item 26 the unit is given as 1./106, Ort: Drontheim, Ursache: durch Feindeinwirkung beschädigt und gesunken.

Regards
Leo

[Stig Jarlevik]

Fledgling Eagles reports two He 115 combats on page 240 and 241

1) M2+DH from 1./KüFlGr 106 was hit by one (or two) Hudsons. This one landed back at Stavanger where, due to punctured float, it sank

2) One aircraft from 2/506 was damaged in combat with a Sunderland from 204 Sq. Upon landing back at Trondheim Fjorden with its engines on fire it burned out after its crew escaped.

Checking Roba/Neulen and Les Avions de la Luftwaffe Vol 2, they say basically the same thing as Fledgling Eagles (could be a case of "copy and paste")

As far as I can make out the Luftwaffe-sur-See has the following He 115 losses

a) S4+LH 1./KüFlGr 506 crashed at Drontheim (which must be Trondheim) shot down by Norwegian AA fire.
b) One unidentified aircraft (WNr 1900) from 1./KüFlGr 506 shot and sunk in Drontheim.

Checking this against a printed list of Luftwaffe Loss Register - The Nordic area - Part 1 - Seaplanes, which actually says three He 115 were lost that day.

1) He 115 1./KüFlGr 506 which possibly had taken off from List See (they use a ? after the take off place) and hit by Norwegian ground fire
2) He 115 B 1./KüFlGr 106 with no known place of take off but hit by British aircraft.
3) He 115 C 2./KüFlGr 506 which took from Trondheim See and was hit by British aircraft and lost 100%

It feels odd that Shores et al should have "falsified" the stated code M2+DH, so it must have come from somewhere. The Luftwaffe-sur-See's data feels pretty meager as does the Luftwaffe Loss Register paper.
However Shores' data at least checks with the known bases and the instinct of a pilot to try if possible to return to his base/take off point.
1./506 and 2./506 had Trondheim as their base (well intended anyway)
1./106 had Stavanger as their base (as above)

So, Gentlemen can we clear this out here and not only through PMs please?

Cheers
Stig

[SteveR]

Thank you Leo and especially Stig!

Though I didn't mention it in my original post I'd also checked the Luftwaffe Loss Register you mention and hadn't got very far there either.

I don't know if the Seeflieger title from the Jagdwaffe series from Classic has anything as sadly, that's one of the few titles from that series that I don't have (and there's not a library in my state with it either).

I agree completely with what you've written regarding Shores' data/info in Fledgling Eagles.

The only additional info I've come up with is that according to this site:

http://www.nuav.net/ooblw.html

All 3 units took off from List, with take-off times for 1./Kü.Fl.Gr.506 and 2./Kü.Fl.Gr.506 given as 0630, and 1./Kü.Fl.Gr.106 given as 0700. The source for this specific data is not given (as far as I can tell).