ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 22420
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| Date: | Thursday 5 September 1940 |
| Time: | 23:18 LT |
| Type: |  Heinkel He 111P-4 |
| Owner/operator: | 6./II./KG4 Luftwaffe |
| Registration: | 5J+JP |
| MSN: | 3065 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4 |
| Other fatalities: | 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | 55 Suffolk Street, Sunderland, County Durham -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Soesterberg, Netherlands |
The aircraft was caught by searchlights as it crossed the coast and almost immediately shot down by anti-aircraft fire from the Grangetown AA Battery, Ryhope Road, Sunderland. The aircraft lost its tail before crashing in flames on 55 Suffolk Street, Sunderland, County Durham at 23:18 hours. A family in their air raid shelter was trapped by falling masonry and burning fuel from the ruptured tanks of the crashed Heinkel.
Two of the crew were either thrown from the aircraft or attempted to bale out, Ogfr Marten and Gefr Wich were found in the wreckage of the crashed Heinkel. Franz Reitz was found dead on the roof of an air raid shelter at Bede Towers, Ryhope Road with his parachute opened but with horrific injuries. Hans Schröder was found a short distance away in the garden of 5 Grange Crescent with his unopened parachute again he had terrible injuries both were dead when found.
Remains of the aircraft recovered and donated to the North East Aircraft Museum in 1986 during building works and in October 2002 severe disruption was caused by the discovery of a 500kg bomb during further building work at the site.
Crew:
Oblt Hans W Schröder pilot (killed),
Uffz Franz Reitz observer (killed),
Ogfr Rudolf Marten wireless operator (killed),
Gefr Josef Wich mechanic (killed)
Casualties on the ground were
Mrs Rachel Stormont 41 (killed)
Mr John Stormont 41 (injured)
Miss Jean Stormont 15 (seriously injured) Jean lost both hands in this terrible incident
The crew of the Heinkel He111 were interred in Hylton Cemetary, Hylton Castle, Sunderland
Sources:
1. http://www.ne-diary.bpears.org.uk/Inc/ISeq_08.html
2. http://www.sunderlandecho.com/history-nostalgia/wearside-echoes-sunderland-s-big-bertha-gunning-for-action-1-3900647
3. https://www.flickr.com/p/836ucm_
4. http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/local/all-news/unexploded-bomb-chaos-1-1095497
5. http://www.bbc.co.uk/legacies/work/england/wear/gallery_9.shtml
Media:
Wreckage of 55 Suffolk Street, Sunderland ((c) Sunderland Public Lbraries - reproduced under licence)
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 07-Aug-2008 23:11 | Anon. | Added |
| 30-Oct-2010 15:17 | Masen63 | Updated [Registration, Cn, Operator] |
| 10-Jan-2012 08:19 | Uli Elch | Updated [Operator, Phase, Narrative] |
| 20-May-2014 02:15 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 08-Jan-2017 23:51 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Embed code] |
| 19-Apr-2017 06:54 | sandman56 | Updated [Operator] |
| 19-Apr-2017 06:54 | sandman56 | Updated [Operator] |
| 15-Aug-2018 20:14 | Anon. | Updated [Source] |
| 08-Dec-2019 21:08 | Anon. | Updated [Operator, Operator] |
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