The end of a Junkers.
On the 21st September 1940 the Wiltshire Times published the following news item;
The end of a Junkers
Thrilling fight over South-West England
Hundreds of people in a SW England area witnessed their first aerial fight of the war early on Tuesday afternoon when a thrilling encounter between a Hurricane fighter and a Junkers bomber ended in the German invader crashing, the pilot dead and two members of the crew injured. The machine was not very badly smashed and two large bombs were still in the rack.
In one market town, many people had a splendid view of the fight and the sharp rat-tat of the machine guns could be plainly heard. In several places bullet cases were picked up in the road and streets.
A business man returning by car along a country road said he had a perfect view of the fight. “The British plane roared around the German at a terrific rate and every now and then you could hear the sound of machine guns.” he said. “Suddenly the German plane began to lose height and I watched it sink lower and lower, the Hurricane still whizzing round and round, until it disappeared behind a hill some distance away.
Another resident, who watched the fight from his garden through a pair of field glasses, said the German bomber appeared to be doing what he termed ‘cloud hopping.’ “When the Hurricane attacked I saw the German plane rise almost perpendicularly and disappear into a huge cloud bank.” he said ‘ It seemed to stay out of sight for several minutes but when it eventually emerged into a blue patch of sky our fighter was after it. The German pilot seemed to be trying to get away by using the clouds as a shield, but the British pilot was too good for him.’
A gentleman who was motoring in the locality said he heard the gun fire and as he only saw the German plane at first thought it was machine gunning him. When he stopped the car he saw that an aerial combat was in progress. “I have never seen anything move as fast as that fighter.” said another eyewitness. “It almost took your breath away watching it.”
Some people saw what they believed was a member of the crew of the German machine come to earth by parachute but this authentically denied. All the crew were in the machine when it came down. It is believed that what the people saw was a barrage balloon which had broken away from it’s mooring in the gale.
A farmer who had been doing business at a cattle sale, was so elated at what he saw and especially the result of the combat, that he gave a ‘fiver’ to the West Wilts Spitfire Fund.
The running battle described above was almost certainly that fought between a Junkers Ju88 of Stab II/Lehrgeschwader 1, one of only two lost over English soil on the 17th September 1940 and Spitfires of Blue section 152 Squadron based at RAF Warmwell, Dorset.
P/O E.S. Marrs (Blue 1), Sgt K.B. Holland (Blue 2) and F/O P.G St George O'Brian (Blue 3) had taken off from Warmwell near Weymouth at 13:20. Whilst patrolling Portland at 15,000 feet they were vectored onto a hostile aircraft flying North at 17,000 feet, it's intended target an aircraft factory at Speke, Liverpool. Blue section spotted the enemy aircraft when it was a mile away, P/O Marrs led the initial attack near Shepton Mallet using a No. 1 attack at 13:50. The enemy aircraft took evasive action diving down to 6,000 feet, the three pilots then attacked individually as the opportunity arose, P/O Marrs was forced to make an emergency landing at RAF Colerne shortly after the first attack, after his engine seized having been hit by return fire, a bullet had holed the oil cooler.
Sgt Holland and F/O O'Brian continued to harass the Ju88 during which the pilot continued to take violent evasive action as described in Sgt Holland's combat report.
" E/A was taking evasive action by doing steep turns, diving, side slipping and throttling back when attacked."
During the last two attacks made by Blue's 2 and 3 no return fire was encountered from the enemy aircraft, the Ju88 was last seen heading South before disappearing into thick cloud. Sgt Holland was also then forced to make an emergency landing with an overheating engine, after landing at RAF Yatesbury, he discovered that his aircraft had been hit three times by return fire.
Unable to locate his quarry F/O O'Brian returned to Warmwell landing at 14:25. The fate of the enemy aircraft had however already been sealed, the machine eventually making a forced landing at Ladywell Barn near Imber on Salisbury Plain.
The end of a Junkers
Thrilling fight over South-West England
Hundreds of people in a SW England area witnessed their first aerial fight of the war early on Tuesday afternoon when a thrilling encounter between a Hurricane fighter and a Junkers bomber ended in the German invader crashing, the pilot dead and two members of the crew injured. The machine was not very badly smashed and two large bombs were still in the rack.
In one market town, many people had a splendid view of the fight and the sharp rat-tat of the machine guns could be plainly heard. In several places bullet cases were picked up in the road and streets.
A business man returning by car along a country road said he had a perfect view of the fight. “The British plane roared around the German at a terrific rate and every now and then you could hear the sound of machine guns.” he said. “Suddenly the German plane began to lose height and I watched it sink lower and lower, the Hurricane still whizzing round and round, until it disappeared behind a hill some distance away.
Another resident, who watched the fight from his garden through a pair of field glasses, said the German bomber appeared to be doing what he termed ‘cloud hopping.’ “When the Hurricane attacked I saw the German plane rise almost perpendicularly and disappear into a huge cloud bank.” he said ‘ It seemed to stay out of sight for several minutes but when it eventually emerged into a blue patch of sky our fighter was after it. The German pilot seemed to be trying to get away by using the clouds as a shield, but the British pilot was too good for him.’
A gentleman who was motoring in the locality said he heard the gun fire and as he only saw the German plane at first thought it was machine gunning him. When he stopped the car he saw that an aerial combat was in progress. “I have never seen anything move as fast as that fighter.” said another eyewitness. “It almost took your breath away watching it.”
Some people saw what they believed was a member of the crew of the German machine come to earth by parachute but this authentically denied. All the crew were in the machine when it came down. It is believed that what the people saw was a barrage balloon which had broken away from it’s mooring in the gale.
A farmer who had been doing business at a cattle sale, was so elated at what he saw and especially the result of the combat, that he gave a ‘fiver’ to the West Wilts Spitfire Fund.
The running battle described above was almost certainly that fought between a Junkers Ju88 of Stab II/Lehrgeschwader 1, one of only two lost over English soil on the 17th September 1940 and Spitfires of Blue section 152 Squadron based at RAF Warmwell, Dorset.
P/O E.S. Marrs (Blue 1), Sgt K.B. Holland (Blue 2) and F/O P.G St George O'Brian (Blue 3) had taken off from Warmwell near Weymouth at 13:20. Whilst patrolling Portland at 15,000 feet they were vectored onto a hostile aircraft flying North at 17,000 feet, it's intended target an aircraft factory at Speke, Liverpool. Blue section spotted the enemy aircraft when it was a mile away, P/O Marrs led the initial attack near Shepton Mallet using a No. 1 attack at 13:50. The enemy aircraft took evasive action diving down to 6,000 feet, the three pilots then attacked individually as the opportunity arose, P/O Marrs was forced to make an emergency landing at RAF Colerne shortly after the first attack, after his engine seized having been hit by return fire, a bullet had holed the oil cooler.
Sgt Holland and F/O O'Brian continued to harass the Ju88 during which the pilot continued to take violent evasive action as described in Sgt Holland's combat report.
" E/A was taking evasive action by doing steep turns, diving, side slipping and throttling back when attacked."
During the last two attacks made by Blue's 2 and 3 no return fire was encountered from the enemy aircraft, the Ju88 was last seen heading South before disappearing into thick cloud. Sgt Holland was also then forced to make an emergency landing with an overheating engine, after landing at RAF Yatesbury, he discovered that his aircraft had been hit three times by return fire.
Unable to locate his quarry F/O O'Brian returned to Warmwell landing at 14:25. The fate of the enemy aircraft had however already been sealed, the machine eventually making a forced landing at Ladywell Barn near Imber on Salisbury Plain.
Of the crew Major H Cramer was captured unhurt whilst Oberfw. P Stutzel and Fw. F Schultz were wounded, Lt O Heinrich was killed either during the combat or in the ensuing forced landing.
Although there is no evidence to suggest that this combat passed directly over Chippenham, I thought it worthy of inclusion here based on the locality of the airfields used by two members of Blue section for emergency landings.
Although there is no evidence to suggest that this combat passed directly over Chippenham, I thought it worthy of inclusion here based on the locality of the airfields used by two members of Blue section for emergency landings.
Source: The Wiltshire Times 21/09/1940, The Battle of Britain: Then and Now vol 5, The Blitz: Then and Now Vol 2, The National Archives - 152 Squadron ORB and Combat reports (Crown copyright), Photo reproduced by kind permission of Danny Harrison.