BF 109 wreck in the sea of Crete

[byron-]

Dear all,

I received an email (in english) from a greek diver about a wreck of a german BF 109 E7 aircraft near the coast of Maleme and his presumpsions about it.

Please share your thoughts about this interesting issue.
Here the original mail.

"Hello dear Byron

Yesterday I couldn't send you the e-mail I said, due to defected line.
Any how, all informations consider the fact that the airplane is an Bf-109 E7 as can be shown at the attached photo.
The emblem I receive was something I was looking for indeed , Gefreiter (Aircraftsman 1st Class) Hans Gabler is a MIA person from 6 Staffel/JG77 II Gruppe, so the plane at the rear fuselage should have the emblem and near the tail a yellow 9 & cross & yellow dash (-) and at the end a white tape for Mediterranean Forces.

The eye witness of the crash was an old lady (she passed away) and she mentioned that the plane was coming from the airfield badly hit and fell into the sea prior the airborn invasion (probably on 4th of May 1941).
This is a bit strange the airplane to be hit by RAF or most probably by ground units.

However, one day prior invasion, a major attack was done at Maleme airfield with one of Me-109s to loose the undercover of its engine (and the part fell at the airfield), prior going away badly hit as the one we have in the photo (but this is not a fact that the engine cover was lost from this airplane during the attack or after the impact).
So this is also a misunderstanding regarding the time of ditching so the ID of the pilot.

The distance from the airfield is short (not more than 2 miles) and as I assume from the plane position on the sea bottom, it was ditched and get upside down on surface prior sinking. The pilot was dead or drawned since the time of impact and it was a short time for him to bale out (If he had the chance) or he could ditch the plane at the beach that was near (as other pilots made near Platanias) but he didn't do so, because the plane was already badly hit or he was already heavy wounded.

The airplane, most time of the year, is covered by sand at the bottom and for real I had the chance to see it on photo only once. All insignia are under sand and there wasn't any chance to recover insignia signals (need additional equipment to remove the sand). The early units of BF-109 had their Number on the tail and not below as latest units.

For all the above (for sure?) we have the MIA Hans Gabler,we have also a plane crashed prior the invasion,and the pilot dead inside. Also its imposible with our equipment to reach the upper fuselage for insignias. Thats why I stoped searching, waiting the time that probably the Museum of Tatoi will remove the wreck.

Dear Byron I`ll contact you by phone the days will come.

I thank you for your efforts and I have a lot of plane crashes (german airplanes) for identification purposes and help."

[Andreas Brekken]

Hi, Byron

My records say 14th May 1941 for the loss where Gabler was involved, thus 6 days before the invasion on the 20th.

On the 16th May two aircraft from III./JG 77 were shot down by Flak during a mission to Crete, both pilots initially listed as missing, one later returned wounded. If you want information on these let me know.

I have not been able to find Luftflotte 4 related Bf 109 losses between the 16th and the invasion.

Regards,
Andreas B

[byron-]

Hi Andreas,

Do you have in mind Ltn. Harald Mann and Ofw. Harald Perrey (8. St.)? Were they missed in action after the dogfight with the Hurricannes? I think they have been arrested by the british.
What is your oppinion about the pilot of the found wreck? Who can he be? On what part of the plane is the label with the Werknummer?
At the present time the museum of Tatoi has other priorities than this plane, so a lifting will take time I supose.

regards

Byron