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Old 18th January 2019, 14:04
wwrsimon wwrsimon is offline
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Ju-88A-5 4D+EN loss, May 6th/7th 1941

Hello everyone

This Ju-88 of KG30 made a forced landing on Holy Island (Lindisfarne), off the coast of Northumberland early on May 7th 1941, after being attacked by a night fighter. It has been associated with 'Bingo' Day and Frank Lanning of 141 Squadron.

However, in his book 'Broken Eagles, Volume 2,' Bill Norman casts some doubt on the link of 4D+EN to their claim of that night.

The book includes an account from the Ju-88 pilot, Hans Schaber, in whch he states that the Ju-88 was attacked by a night fighter over Glasgow, and he struggled on to crash-land the damaged Ju-88 on Lindisfarne. He states he flew south-eastwards at around 7,000 feet over the Firth of Forth, then out to sea until he reached the Berwick area, by which time he was at 650 feet and strugging to maintain altitude on one engine, where he chose to head inland and make a crash-landing.

Day's combat report, however, states that he sighted a Ju-88 at 9,000 feet, 5 miles east Seaham, on the County Durham coast, where he made his attacks. As Bill Norman points out, that's some 60 miles south of Lindisfarne, and obviously nowhere near Glasgow!

So, are they really the same incidents? Bill Norman said in Broken Eagles Vol. 2 that he believed that credit for the Ju-88 loss 'probably lies elsewhere.'

Two other 141 Sqn Defiants claimed victories that night:

Defiant T3926 claimed a Ju-88 over Clydebank at 01.45, but that came down at Lennoxtown:

https://www.peakdistrictaircrashes.c...ck-lennoxtown/

Defiant N3394 attacked an He-111 in the Glasgow area at 01.15. Could N3394's He-111 possibly be Schaber's Ju-88?

Was there another Ju-88 damaged or shot down off the Durham coast that night which could tie in better with Day's combat report?

Many thanks,

Regards

Simon
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Old 18th January 2019, 14:36
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Re: Ju-88A-5 4D+EN loss, May 6th/7th 1941

I was in touch with Schaber and his son so have photos and an account in my book The Luftwaffe's Blitz. Bill was fairly certain Day and Lanning got Schaber but there were 6 German bombers claimed destroyed that night, one probable and one damaged. All that we can say is Schaber crash-landed 0240 hrs and only Day and Wolfe's times are anywhere near that
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Old 18th January 2019, 17:33
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Re: Ju-88A-5 4D+EN loss, May 6th/7th 1941

But this Dornier-Sud made (corrected) Ju 88 A-5 (W.Nr. 7177 4D+EN "Red E") is reported landed at 04:00 hrs, here in Air 40/267, so time seems somewhat off?
To me then German crew "at large" for some hours - do we know time crew give? (GMT, CET or Middle European Time) but 141 SQ (Defiant) engagement report 7 May (Sq/Ldr. Wolfe) giving time for one at 0141 hrs GMT (!?)
Looked in other TNA 141 SQ MAY 41 combat reports but none gives one for "F/O Day", but I may have missed his.

Air 50/61 (Part 19)
http://discovery.nationalarchives.go...ils/r/D7443133
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Old 18th January 2019, 18:17
wwrsimon wwrsimon is offline
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Re: Ju-88A-5 4D+EN loss, May 6th/7th 1941

Bill Norman states that it came down at about 02.45. Schaber's account states about 02.15. They spent some time trying to get a fire started to destroy the Ju-88, which they eventually managed.

The policeman's statement, reproduced in the book, states that he received a call at 04.40 from the coastguard station on Holy Island, and that he arrived at the North Shore at around 05.10 with an auxiliary coast guard, who was armed with service rifle. Together they apprehended the Ju-88's crew.

Interesting about the MG.15s, as Schaber mentions that they removed one and used it to fire at the Ju-88 from a mound a short dstance away in order to try and start a fire after the auto-destruct mechanism had failed. They had also tried firing the flare pistol into a fuel tank, but that hadn't worked either. They eventually started a fire by pumping the fuel into one tank until it overflowed, draped a fuel-soaked parachute over it and then ignited it with the flare pistol. Schaber actually says 'by this time we were wondering why we had not been disturbed in our work.'

Regards

Simon
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Old 28th January 2019, 18:20
wwrsimon wwrsimon is offline
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Re: Ju-88A-5 4D+EN loss, May 6th/7th 1941

Hello again

A quick supplemental question about this Ju-88, if anyone can help.

What arrangement of guns was it likely to have had at the rear of the cockpit? From my copy of Aero Detail 20 I understand early A-5 models had a single MG in a circular mount, and later ones had the 'bulged' rear canopy with two guns in two round mounts, and there was also an intermediate version also with two guns but without the bulged canopy.

The Werk Nummer of 4D+EN is 7177.

Many thanks,

Simon
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