Observer: Gefreiter. Wilhelm Goller. – Captured POW.

Radio/Op: Gefreiter. Karl Krumm. – Captured POW.

Flt/Eng: Gefreiter. Richard Sobaneck. – Captured POW.

REASON FOR LOSS:

Took off from Rennes aerodrome at 13.30 hrs. accompanied by two other aircraft to look for a convoy that had been reported in the Bristol Channel. While off Lands End a signal was received that a night fighter was in the area so the pilot made for Carnsmore Point, Ireland but en route the crew spotted a steamer that they decided to attack. While attacking the “SS Great Western” 27 miles west of Bishop’s Rock at 1000 ft. it was hit in the port engine radiator by AA fire from the ship and the pilot made for home but the engine cut out. Having thrown everything detachable out of the aircraft the crew thinking they were over France decided to land but realised too late and the pilot was no longer able to keep the aircraft in the air and he was forced to make a belly landing in a field, before crashing into a wall and the pilot fainted. The difficulty in extracting the pilot and the arrival of “civilians with rifles” prevented the rest of the crew from setting fire to the aircraft.

Markings: E in black, outlined in red. Airframe constructed by Heinkel F.W. Rostock, 8/1/41. Call sign KJ+CJ. Engines: Jumo 21 H-1. Starboard engine was marked Junkers F.M. Stammwerke Dessau, werk no. M.M.W.211/H.1/312 constructed by Mittledeutsche Motorenwerke Tencha, bei Leipzig. Port engine was similar but werk no. was M.Z.M. H./1./563. Constructed by Zweigwerk Magdeburg.

Armament: usual ring mounted nose gun, one free 20 mm cannon firing forward from the ventral position and one free MG 15 firing to the rear from this position. One beam gun on the starboard side and one fixed MG 17 in the tail. A Revi 12.C reflector gun-sight fitted for the pilot. Four 250 kg bombs had been stowed internally in the vertical carriers and a 500 kg bomb externally but were dropped unsuccessfully on the ships being attacked.

Richard Sobaneck, Adolf Glier, Karl Krumm and Wilhelm Goller (Walford).

Adolf Glier at the controls of a Heinkel He 111 (Walford)

Researched and compiled by Melvin Brownless with thanks to Nigel Parker and Eddie Walford, September 2013.