ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 22391
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| Date: | Friday 9 February 1940 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Heinkel He 111H-3 |
| Owner/operator: | 5 Staffel II./KG 26 Luftwaffe |
| Registration: | 1H+EN |
| MSN: | 6853 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 4 |
| Aircraft damage: | Minor |
| Location: | Bass Rock Farm, North Berwick East Lothian, Scotland -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Westerland (G) |
Heinkel He111H-3 '1H-EN' of 5 Staffel II/KG 26 Westerland: lost on combat operations February 9 1940: This aircraft took off from Westerland at about 09:30 hrs. Flying at 650 feet, the crew made landfall at the of the Firth of Forth at May Island. They sighted a ship of about 6,000 tons which they were about to attack when they realised it was Danish, flying seven flags. The crew then saw a cruiser which opened fire on them and decided that it must be part of a convoy, so prepared to bomb the Danish ship.
The wireless operator then spotted some fighters so they made for clouds but when they tried to attack again they were once more driven off by fighters and a warship. After flying for a few minutes towards home, the crew decided they should try again and turned back towards the coast and while flying south at 2,300 feet. they were attacked by three Spitfires which mortally wounded the wireless operator who was manning the top gun position, also the attack damaged the oil sumps and radiators of both engines.
Turning out over the Bass Rock Lighthouse, the pilot decided to land, being followed by the three fighters and jettisoned the bomb load. They landed at the eastern edge of Bass Rock Farm near North Berwick, East Lothian with the undercarriage down. The aircraft ran parallel to a farm border hedge, without touching it., tipping up onto its nose. It ground looped in very soft soil.
This aircraft carried two incendiary bombs for destroying the aircraft but the crew were prevented from doing so by William Wright the farmer who had arrived on the scene with a shot gun, (as he was a part-time special constable), although one of the crew dropped a cigarette end into a pool of leaking diesel but this did not catch light. The engines were junkers jumo diesels. The crew surrendered to Mr. Wright (My Uncle) by throwing their lugers at his feet. Three of the four crew survived, and were interned as POWs:
Uffz F Weiners Died of injuries
Uffz H Meyer POW
Uffz J Sangl POW
Ogfr H Hegemann POW
Franz Wieners now rests in the Deutsche Soldatenfriedhof, Cannock Chase, England (where he was interred post-war)
at Block 8, Grave 94.
This aircraft was repaired and evaluated, later became AW177 and was flown by the No.1426 (Enemy Aircraft) Flight. Unfortunately the Heinkel was involved in a tragic fatal accident on the 10th of November,1943 at R.A.F. Station Polebrook, Northants while serving with No. 1426 (Enemy Aircraft Circus) Flight. The pilot, 133993 Flying Officer Frederick Arthur Barr was killed along with six of the Flight's ground crew while four others received injuries sustained in the crash. AW177 crashed avoiding Ju88 HM509 landing from the opposite end of the runway.
Sources:
1. https://forum.keypublishing.com/archive/index.php/t-121466.html
2. http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?16575-Heinkel-he111-AW200-flown-by-the-RAF
3. http://www.aircrewremembrancesociety.co.uk/styled-15/styled-17/styled-261/index.html
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 07-Aug-2008 12:29 | Anon. | Added |
| 09-Nov-2012 15:48 | Uli Elch | Updated [Registration, Cn, Operator, Narrative] |
| 31-Oct-2015 11:53 | gerard57 | Updated [Total fatalities, Source] |
| 06-Jan-2017 20:31 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 09-Dec-2019 11:33 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Operator] |
| 06-May-2021 14:12 | John G. Guy F.R.C.S | Updated [Time, Location, Narrative] |
| 10-Jan-2022 19:00 | Csmf | Updated [[Time, Location, Narrative]] |
| 17-Apr-2022 18:36 | Jinx 40 | Updated [Location] |
| 06-May-2023 17:18 | Nepa | Updated [[Location]] |
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