Date:	Tuesday 8 February 1944
Time:	21:20
Type:	Blohm & Voss BV 222 C
Owner/operator:	1.(F)/Aufkl.Gr.129 Luftwaffe
Registration:	310010
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 13 / Occupants: 13
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	8 km south of Biscarrosse, Landes -   France
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:
Destination airport:

Narrative:
Two Mosquitoes of 157 Sqn RAF took off from Predannack, England, at 1855 hrs on 8 February 1944 for a Night Ranger Patrol to Biscarosse, southwestern France. One flown by Flt Lt Smyth returned shortly later to base due to radio failure, but the other, flown by Sqn Ldr Herbert Tappin and Flg Off I H Thomas, continued alone, flying on the deck.

The crossed the French coast at 2104 hrs, seing many illuminated boats thought to be fishers. After diverting a little to avoid a rainstorm, the target area was reached at 2108 hrs and the British crew began to patrol west of Biscarosse lake. At 2118 hrs navigations lights were seen at around 1000 yards and on closing to 500 yards this aircraft was identified as a Bv 222. The Mosquito fired a first burst that missed but then clsoed to 300 yards and fired two more short bursts that set afire the central part and some engines of the big German aircraft. He started to lose height before turning and diving to the ground on the southwestern corner of the lake. No defensive fire or Flak was experienced during the attack. The Mosquito crew left the area at 2122 hrs and landed back to base at 2345 hrs.

The shot down aircraft was the Bv 222 C-10, WNr 310010, X4+AH. It flew for the first time on 16 October 1943 and arrived on 6 January 1944 at Biscarosse to join 1.(F)/129, the long-range patrol unit flying Bv 222 from this base. All 13 crew were killed when it crashed 8 km south of Biscarrosse.

Crew (all killed):
Hptm Karl Schmultzler (pilot)
Oblt Erich Todt (copilot)
Lt Karl-Heinz Strahlke (observer)
Ofw Johann Waszkowiak (flying engineer)
Ofw Heinz Joske (3rd pilot, possibly under training)
Fw Walter Möckel (radio)
Uffz Rudolf Hagenguth (radio)
Uffz Gerhard Schut (flying engineer (electricals))
Uffz Ernest Zöllner (gunner)
Ogfr Robert Kremser (gunner)
Ogfr Helmut Ritter (gunner)
Ogfr Hans Blinken (gunner)

"Les Hydravions de la Luftwaffe, volume 2", by Jean-Louis Roba and Hans-Werner Neulen. ISBN 978-2-914017-55-8
“Osprey Combat Aircraft 9: Mosquito Fighter/Fighter-Bomber Units of World War 2” by Martin Bowman, ISBN 1-85532-731-7
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biscarrosse
http://www.maplandia.com/france/aquitaine/landes/mont-de-marsan/biscarrosse/

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
06-Mar-2012 12:17	TB	Updated [Date, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Other fatalities, Source, Narrative]
07-Mar-2012 12:24	TB	Updated [Time, Location, Country, Phase, Source, Narrative]
25-Jul-2013 18:52	Nepa	Updated [Operator]
27-Dec-2018 09:41	Laurent Rizzotti	Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Location, Source, Narrative]
18-Dec-2019 19:49	nepa	Updated [Operator, Operator]