Who was Horst Perez? 4/JG26

[esc201faem]

Who was Horst Perez ,beside bellied landing a BF-109E4 on September 30,1940 ,he has a Spanish sounding last name , any biographical information about him ,also was a POW in Canada.

Thanks in advance

[Chris Goss]

Not much to add apart from what is already documented. A number of researchers tried to contact him in Munich in the 80s but he was not interested. I have his signature on a birthday card to a fellow JG 26 POW at Camp 133 Lethbridge, Alberta 13 Dec 45

[VtwinVince]

That's interesting Chris, who was the fellow POW?

[tonda75]

There is really little information about this pilot.
Maybe also this:
date of birth 19.12.1917

[Chris Goss]

Heinz Marquardt

[Peter Cook]

This is information on the loss of his aircraft:

Ramsey/Cornwell - 1980 - BoB Then and Now - p. 666
4/JG26 - Messerschmitt Bf 109E-4 (1190) - Suffered engine failure during combat with fighters over the Sussex coast during bomber escort mission. Forced-landed at Eastdean, near Eastbourne 5.30 p.m. Uffz. Perez captured unhurt. Aircraft 4+ a write-off.
Complete airframe shipped to Canada for use in connection with 'Bundles for Britain' drive 1941. After touring Canada and the USA. it was eventually delivered to Arnprior Research Station. Ontario in 1945. Sold as scrap in 1957. it was eventually discovered in a junk yard in 1961 and acquired by three enthusiasts. Returned to the UK. this aircraft is currently under restoration at Hurn airport.

Caldwell - 1996 - JG 26 War Diary - p. 80
Uffz. Perez, Horst, 4/JG 26 - Bf 109E-4/N 1190 Wh 4 - Eastbourne 6.30 pm (Spitfire)

Parker - 2014 - Luftwaffe Crash Archive - Vol. 5 p. 521
Bf109E-4 Wn.1190 4+- 4/JG26 (map no. 6)
East Dean, near Eastbourne, Sussex. 17.30 hrs.
Started from an aerodrome between Boulogne and Etaples at about 16.00 hrs on bomber escort duties. The aircraft flew inland at 16,000 ft westward towards Eastbourne and then inland towards London. They were supposed to be escorting bombers but never located them, so circled to the north of Eastbourne. They were then intercepted at 28,000 ft and made for the coast but the engine of this aircraft failed, presumably shot down by ground defences, as a few strikes at an angle of 45° in the aircraft through the cooling system were traced, so the pilot force landed the aircraft.
Markings: previously had been < +. Crest; tiger's head in natural colours on port side of fuselage below the cockpit. White shield with black S forward of this. Yellow nose (the entire engine cowling, including the spinner) and rudder. A white 4 with open top, thinly outlined in black and horizontal cross after Balkenkreuz, similarly painted. 100 octane mark in a triangle marked on fuselage. Airframe built by Erla. Parts by Weser Flugzeugbau werke nr. 1190, date 18th September 1939.
Engine: DB601A made by Daimler Benz nr. 11954.
Armament: two 20 mm cannon and two MG 17. Armour; normal cross bulkhead and pilot's head shield and canopy.
On getting out of his aircraft the pilot was shot at by troops and wounded in the hand and jaw.
ID: 60018, AW:-, FP: 36136 Brussels.
Ff: Uffz Horst Perez wounded.
The pilot enquired after a number of friends who had been recently lost; one being from 4/JG26 and the other two from I/LG2.
This aircraft was sent to the USA in 1941 and toured various cities for the 'Bundles for Britain' campaign. In March 1962 the remains of the aircraft were purchased from Messrs. Baker Brothers of Ottawa, Canada in whose scrapyard the aircraft was resting when purchased by Dennis Knight. It is now on display in the Imperial War Museum, Duxford.
The double chevron of a Gruppen Kommandeur was discovered under the numeral 4 during restoration.

[leonventer]

Hi Peter,

Thanks for that useful compilation -- very interesting details. It's also a real testament to the quality of research being done for in-depth publications like the Luftwaffe Crash Archive.

Regards,
Leon Venter

[esc201faem]

Good evening to all
Thanks for the information provided, but the questions remains who was Horst Perez is there a way to send a request for information from any German historical society or government agency, would appreciate any feed back to find out his Spanish sounding last name. Since I have a number of personal that have been be named in the book "Mexicans At War" So far I have not found any to have served in the Axis air forces in WW2. But again thanks for the info on the incident that made him a POW .

[Peter Cook]

I don't have any more information on Pererz, but I forgot to include in my last post the following link to a short YouTube film. It is about the discovery of Perez's 109 and its eventual transfer to IWM Duxford. It was made by Wingleader's Simon Parry and Mark Postlethwaite, the creators of the BOB Combat Archive series:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJqSYV58gY0

Peter

[VtwinVince]

Thanks for posting that video Peter, very interesting. I've always had great admiration for Dennis Knight, as a matter of fact his book Harvest of Messerschmitts is still one of my all-time favourites. It was amazing what treasures could be found on scrap heaps back then. I remember finding a Wehrmacht Schwimmwagen on a scrap heap on the island of Rhodes in 1983, when I was living there. No one seemed to think this was unusual or worthy of saving.