Delco-Remy parts used in the Heinkel 111

[General Savage]

Back in 1996 I spoke to a German guy who told me an interesting story.
I would like to relate it here to see if further information can be found on the subject of American aircraft parts being sold to Germany right up until late 1941.

This guy said that he had been an engineer who was working at the time in Cairo. He and his mates and their wives were interested in marathon running and their small club would go out for a drive in the desert on weekends to train.
He said that one day they came across a crashed aircraft which on examination proved to be a Heinkel 111. Next to the aircraft were three graves with markers.
Only one of these could be read and it read Helmut Smit 1941.
When they examined the aircraft they found that the electrical parts had Delco-Remy on the name tags.

Would anyone care to comment?