Supplies for Atlantic pockets(?) - Loss of early November 1944

[Henofred]

Hello/Bonjour,

Here is the testimony of a witness (M. Morand ) of the He 111 accident :

"At this location, to supply the lime kilns, the high voltage line had been raised. The plane has hit the power line with a wing, slid from one pylon to another before crashing to the ground. In the light of the night, the fire lieutenant Ralet and the person in charge of the malthouse arrived in a van from the "Grande Malterie du Berry". In the night we could see flames illuminating the crash site, and a black cross on a wing of the plane was clearly visible. The ammunition from the machine guns exploded in a spray of fire. The airmen were burning up with the plane - you could see their bodies collapsing in their seats. From the house we heard a plane approaching at low altitude, then a loud noise. No more lights. Indistinct screams led us to discover, about 50 meters away, an airman, conscious, but apparently seriously injured. One of the aircrew members had miraculously managed to jump out of the plane before the crash, but not without damage. He was laid down on a small ladder that had been converted into a stretcher and was carried by rescue workers, with many complaints of pain, to the van that took him to the nearby hospital. The inhabitants of the village of Saint-Aoustrille opposed to have the bodies of the other four airmen being buried in their cemetery. They were temporarily buried on the spot, next to the site of the crash." (source: Centre de la Memoire d’Issoudun)

I should receive a copy of the original document by mail soon.

Warm regards,
Frederic

[Nick Beale]

Thanks for finding that account of what happened.

[Henofred]

My pleasure Nick!

I do not have it in hands yet but if any of you would like a copy of the original document, feel free to ask me and I will send it to you.

All the best,
Frederic

[Henofred]

Hi/Bonjour,

Do we know the fate of the Bordschütze Uffz. Bruno SPEER? "Missing", nothing else? Website of the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge e. V., after my grave search, does give any information about a possible burial place. Latest discovery, Bordmechaniker, Ogefr. Heinrich DZIUBA, was the crew member who was taken to the nearby hospital, treated and then transferred to a prison camp (May 25, 1945).

Best regards,
Frederic

[Brian Bines]

Hi Frederic

Thanks for confirmimg that Dziuba was the man who baled out . I only got a partial NVM for this loss from WAST showing just columns 1-6 . But there is some 3 letter notation under Dziuba's name so I thought he might have been the survivor

Regards
Brian Bines