10.05.40 KG2 loss - crash in France (West of Metz)

[corsair]

Hello,

on the 10th of may 1940, bombers from 4./KG 2 attacked the airfield at Basse Yutz near Diedenhofen. French fighters attacked the formation.

A Dornier 17 is so heavily damaged that the crew decides to bail out. The parachute of Uffz. Struven gets caught by the antenna of the bomber and he goes down with the plane.

Can someone provide more details about the place of the crash ?

Many thanks. Regards.

Corsair

[Peter Cornwell]

Nothing definite I'm afraid.

4./KG2 Dornier Do17Z. Badly damaged by Hurricanes over Chatel-Chéhéry during sortie to attack Basse Yutz airfield 4.45 a.m. and possibly that attacked by F/Lt Hanks of No.1 Squadron. Believed crash-landed at Katzweiler, near Kaiserslautern. BF Uffz Hans Stolle and BM Uffz Willy Pfützenreuter killed. BO Uffz Emil Strüven baled out but parachute fouled aircraft and killed. FF Uffz Hermann Veit slightly wounded. Aircraft 100% write-off.

[Rottler]

Diverging Ulf Balke "Der Luftkrieg in Europa" Teil 1 pages 75 and 450:

Crashlanding of Do 17 Z 4./KG 2 in Katzweiler near Kaiserslautern.
Crew:
FF Uffz Hermann Veit
BO Fw Walter Hosemann
BF Gefr Gerhard Weinhold
BM Uffz Gustav Otterbeck, all wounded.

Crash of Do 17 Z 4./KG 2 near Diedenhofen (Thionville) airfield Basse Yutz.
Crew:
FF unknown
BO Uffz Emil Strüven killed
BF Uffz Hans Stolle POW/later returned
BM Uffz Willy Pfützenreuter POW/later returned.

Regards
Leo

[Peter Cornwell]

With respect to Ulf BALKE I disagree. The II./KG2 NVM records HOSEMANN and WEINHOLD as both returned wounded aboard 4./KG2 aircraft damaged by ground-fire near Esch following their low-level attack on Vraux on the following day 11 May 1940. And the same source confirms that STOLLE and PFŰTZENREUTER were both killed not captured on 10 May 1940.

Unfortunately, details of casualties to II./KG2 on 10 May 1940 as recorded in the GQM Returns lack sufficient detail to be of much help to us but the NVM records the deaths of STRŰVEN and PFŰTZENREUTER as being near Kaiserlautern which is why I conclude they were in the same crew. One detail does remain unresolved – exactly which aircraft was piloted by VEIT ? BALKE states that he forced-landed near Katzweiler which suggests to me that he was with STRŰVEN and PFŰTZENREUTER rather than OTTERBECK. VEIT does not feature in the NVM so his wounds were apparently superficial. So my listing of 4./KG2 losses on 10 May 1940 currently stands thus:

4./KG2 Dornier Do17Z. Returned damaged by Hurricanes south-west of Chatel-Chéhéry following attack on Basse Yutz airfield near Thionville 4.45 a.m. Possibly that attacked by F/Lt Lovett and F/O Orton of No.73 Squadron. BM Uffz Gustav Otterbeck slightly wounded, rest of crew unhurt. Aircraft 30% damaged but repairable.

4./KG2 Dornier Do17Z. Engaged by F/O Mitchell of No.87 Squadron west of Thionville during sortie to attack Basse Yutz airfield and shot down 1 km north-west of Illange 4.30 a.m. Also claimed by AA defences (43 Batt. DCA). FF Fw Franz Schmid captured unhurt. BM Uffz Erich Drong, BO Gefr Ottmar Schär, and BF Gefr Erwin Züche captured wounded, admitted to Legouest hospital in Metz, all later released. Aircraft 100% write-off.

4./KG2 Dornier Do17Z. Badly damaged by Hurricanes over Chatel-Chéhéry during sortie to attack Basse Yutz airfield 4.45 a.m. and possibly that attacked by F/Lt Hanks of No.1 Squadron. Believed crash-landed at Katzweiler, near Kaiserslautern. BF Uffz Hans Stolle and BM Uffz Willy Pfützenreuter killed. BO Uffz Emil Strüven baled out but parachute fouled aircraft and killed. FF Uffz Hermann Veit slightly wounded. Aircraft 100% write-off.

4./KG2 Dornier Do17Z. Badly damaged by AA fire and Hurricanes over Thionville during sortie to attack Basse Yutz airfield and crash-landed at Ober-Esch 5.50 a.m. Possibly that attacked by P/O Mould of No.1 Squadron. FF Uffz Karl Schiweck, and BF Uffz Heinrich Suschka both slightly wounded, BO Uffz Heinz Fischer believed unhurt. BM Fw Johannes Ottlik baled out over Chatel-Chéhéry and captured unhurt - later released. Aircraft U5+HM 100% write-off.