Seeking name of pilot and port-side photos for He111H of 3.(F)/121 SD near Frobach, France, on 03.03.40

[Larry Hickey]

Hello,

For EoE Color Profile purposes, I'm seeking the name of the pilot for the following Luft a/c loss, plus any close up photos showing the code lettering on the port rear fuselage. This may be 7A+IL. Only the rear fuselage of this burned out a/c survived, but the pilot possible escaped across the border unhurt. It is also unclear what the status of Uffz Nagel was. PoW? or also escaped across the border then hospitalized? There is no Salzbach in France, so this must be a place in Germany. How did he get there if he was shot down on the French side of the border?

"According to the Revised EoE Luft Loss List:
"3 March 1940: 3.(F)/121 Heinkel He111H-2 (5262). Both engines damaged in attacks by F/O Brown and Sgt Soper of No.1 Squadron during reconnaissance sortie south and west of Metz and belly-landed south of Forbach, France, 12.00 p.m. Pilot unhurt, BF Obergefr August Peter and BM Uffz Gerhard Hedtke both killed, BO Uffz Fredy Nagel wounded in left thigh - admitted to hospital in Salzbach. Aircraft 100% write-off."

Any help would be appreciated.

Regards,

Larry Hickey
EoE Project Coordinator

[lilsis]

Hi

Forbach still is in France., it is in Elsass Lothringen, Salzbach there is an Auberge still in Lothringen/Elsass too both is still
http://www.salzbach.com/Accesde.htm

maybe this help a bit.

regards

[Larry Hickey]

Thanx lilsis,

So if both locations are in France, then both of these German crewmen should be PoWs. I need confirmation of that, or that the pilot escaped somehow to German territory.

Who can help?

Regards,

Larry Hickey
EoE Project Coordinator

[ARADO001]

Hello,

When reading the thread about losses on 23.11.1939 I noticed that the He 111 H-2 lost with Stab/KG 53 is carrying the same Werkenr. (5262) as the He 111 lost on 03.03.1940.

Patrick

[Larry Hickey]

Patrick,

You're paying attention.

That entry has now been revised in the EoE Loss DB to:

"23 November 1939: Stabsstaffel KG53 Heinkel He111H-2. Shot down by F/O N. Orton of No.73 Squadron during reconnaissance sortie and crashed and exploded at ‘Börnchen’, east of Macker, south of Boulay-Moselle, 12.00 p.m. BO Oberlt Friedrich-Wilhelm Franke and FF Oberfw Ernst Domanski both baled out over Brecklange and captured wounded, BF Uffz Alfred Boormann and BM Uffz Max Wagner both killed. Aircraft 100% write-off."

We know the coding on the a/c was A1+_A (we can see the last letter in a recently identified photo of the burned out wreckage. We think that the a/c number is a "B" (but it just might be a "D"), which would yield a code A1+BA. The W.Nr. of this a/c is not known. Only the tail of this a/c survived the crash relatively intact. If anyone has any further photos of this crash, especially showing the unburned part of the a/c code, please let me know. We're also now seeking the correct W.Nr. for this a/c.

Regards,

Larry Hickey
EoE Project Coordinator

[lilsis]

Hi,

I think at this time 03.1940 Germany had occupied edit France and had the autority
So Elsass was still a part from germany.

Then the Name fredy i think not that it is his name
, Maybe Alfred or Friedrich, Fred???


Regards

[Larry Hickey]

lilsis,

This crew came done in French territory. Several photos of the wreck show French soldiers around it. Alsace, a traditional part of France, was not German occupied at this time. In fact, prior to the May, 1940, Blitzkrieg, no part of French territory was German controlled or occupied.

Regards,

Larry