Heinkel 111 Raid 'Feb-June' 1941 - Hunstanton, Norfolk - Confirmation ?

[Hornchurch]

'

I'm hoping to shed more light or detail (if poss'), on an incident that took place at the coastal town of HUNSTANTON, Norfolk in 1941*
*('Pre-Barbarossa')

I've had success before, interacting with Andy Saunders & Paul McMillan over on Key-Pub'sh 'Flypast forum', regarding Gilroy/603/Spitfire/X4271
https://forum.keypublishing.com/foru...60#post2408560

I'm hoping (probably beyond hope, laughs), that I might be able to get a similar result, on the incident that three octogenarians experienced.
(All have corroborated this incident, separately & independently, having spoken to them myself)

Their tale goes: walking home together (Sunday, Church), they witnessed a low-flying He.111 attacking Hunstanton Railway Station & dropping bombs.

As Southend Road & the (now defunct) Station were yards adjacent, the boys dived down an alleyway, as the plane attacked**
(**I'm told, it's THEIR experience, not mine, as I was born postwar - Am just going by what they've said.)

Getting back to the actual road that ran-parallel to the railway-station, where the boys were, that day......

I drove my V.6 Granada along the same spot (B.1161), when one guy exclaimed, "THAT's IT, That's it = The Alleyway we dived into"
(ironic, because we'd been talking about something totally unconnected with railways, Heinkels, or warfare at all!)

These lads (octogenarians, today), are ALL stating that it happened on a Sunday - All on the way home from Church
(All were in their 'best suits' & got a telling-off for arriving home in a muddy state, before explaining)

Now I'm throwing it open, for any potential additions/corrections & to hopefully exactly pinpoint the date.

By some degree of irony, ALL of those three lads, then aged 12, 12 & 10 respectively, went-on to serve in the RAF. They ALL say, it WAS a Heinkel 111 - But I'll leave it to you guys who have access to records to (draw ? link ?) any evidence.

The eldest participant DID buy a copy of Michael.J.Boyer's "Air Raid!: Enemy Air Offensive Against East Anglia, 1939-45" (ISBN ; 0850596858) But we don't have access to that right now, just a folder with a few notes, etc.

Till now, that's all I have to go with & he printed-off some dates (conjecture), that MAY cover this incident...

By far, THE most favoured date he's given, is 16th Feb' 1941 which, many years after we'd read the eldest's notes, falls exactly on a Sunday, lunchtime.

There's a mention in M.J.Bowyer's book, that KG.53, mid-day, Hunstanton 5-bombs nr. pavillion/green), which sounds most likely

Am still open to suggestions however, but the youngest I've just spoken to, is 100% adamant it WAS on a Sunday.

Interestingly, we DO have a photograph dated 'June 1941', with shops in Hunstanton's Greevegate (road), showing bomb-damage.

(see attachment, below)

Alas, the "gulf" between the 16th Feb'41 date (given above), does NOT tally-up, with the 'June 1941' captioned photo.

Note therefore, that these two separate dates, above, might suggest two separate independent raids & dates...

Ideally, I'd like to find out....

1.) = Cross-reference this date, above, with when this particular DAYTIME attack took place....

2.) = Ideally, which Kampfgeschwader/Unit this a/c was from - Was it a K.G.53 Heinkel He.111 for sure ?

3.) = Could this by chance, co-relate to another day, another coastline attack?

Also, in a perfect world

4.) = I'd really LOVE to know the Werk-Nummer or 4 code-letters of the sole a/c involved, although I figure that's maybe pushing it!
(I still have an old Italeri 1/72 He 111 in the stash, no harm in asking!)

If anyone CAN furnish any more detail, both I & the other surviving lads (Ex-RAF), would clearly love to know - Cheers.


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