REASON FOR LOSS:

Report of incident by Bob Collis;

This Junkers was one of 35 enemy aircraft which came in over East Anglia in cloud and poor visibility between 0700 & 1300 hours on the
19th October 1942. This aircraft was first intercepted above cloud by F/Sgt Munro and W/O Eastwood in Mosquito W4094 of No. 157 Squadron.

On spotting the fighter it rolled over and dived very steeply into the cloud, the Mosquito crew were informed it had crashed and awaited a “kill”. However, the Junkers emerged from low cloud over south Lowestoft and headed north over the town at 500 feet. It was then attacked by every ship and shore gun that could engage they apparently all missed. The Junkers banked to port and hit HT cables and crashed inverted into the ground and exploded 700 yards NW of St. Margaret’s church, near the L.2 gunsite. As the CO of the gunsite (Major Cooper) was running to the scene a 250 kg bomb went off and his head was cut open by a flying piece of shrapnel.

Two 250 kg UXB’s were found nearby.

R.A.F. Intelligence report states the following;

This aircraft came in over the sea from southerly direction at about 500 ft in bad visibility and was engaged by various ships in the harbour, light and heavy AA batteries on the shore. Hit, it dived into the ground with its engines on full power into the middle of tank defences and burst into flames. A bomb exploded five minutes later injuring an Army Officer who was in the vicinity and entirely destroyed and scattered the aircraft remains.

Engines: Jumo 211 F. Wooden VP propellers. Armament: three MG 81 of 7.9 mm and twin MG 81's from ventral position. Two 250 kg bombs found. Equipment: Kutonase knife edge cable cutter.

Last resting place (ARS Archive)

Burial details: These four crew members now rest together in a joint grave at Lowestoft Cemetery, Suffolk, England.

Researched and compiled by Melvin Brownless, with special thanks to Brian Bines and Bob Collis. July 2014.