WW2 German plane crashes in St Audries Bay, West Somerset, England,

[Goldipaws]

Hi Malcolm,
The book is "Somerset at War " is written by Mac Hawkins with a forward by Field Marshal Lord Harding of Petherton, I mention this as I looked on Amazon and they had another book of the same title but different author.
Regards
Goldie

[Svenja]

Hi

Again I read the whole thread and some links to write the text for the German Forums. I remarked two facts about the Group II of Kampfgeschwader 2 which I have overseen before.

The Lexikon of the Wehrmacht (German Army) says that the Group II of KG2 was stationed at Fliegerhorst Evreux, Normandy, France from the 1st July 1941, and then in Eindhoven, Netherlands from the 8th December 1941. So I think they were stationed at Evreux on the 1st November 1941.

http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gliederungen/Kampfgeschwader/KG2.htm

The english version of the Wikipedia entry says the following, but I think there is something wrong with the years.

Western Europe: In July 1941 II. Gruppe were attached to stab./KG 30 under the command of Luftflotte 3. On 2 July 1942 it could muster 37 Do 217s and 2 Do 17s. On the night of the 4/5 July 1942 it flew its first mission over the United Kingdom with Do 217s. Over the period 4 July - 31 December 1941 the unit lost 18 Do 217s. In August 1942 the unit lost 7 Do 217s during the Dieppe raid.

This are the two threads in the German Genealogy Forums which I have written:

http://forum.genealogy.net/index.php?page=Thread&postID=354776#post354776

http://forum.ahnenforschung.net/showthread.php?p=790294#post790294

Regards
Svenja

[Goldipaws]

Oh, are you saying that the German plane we think was down on the night of 1st November 1941 near St Audries Bay can't be the Do217 as they were somewhere else?  If so then who did crash into the Bristol Channel?
It's been documented and written about but has someone got it wrong??

Why has nobody claimed the bodies?

So what next?
Regards
Goldie

[Svenja]

Hi

It can only be the group II of KG 2 because the other groups were in Russia at that time.
But I'm not sure if they had the first Do 217 in July 1941 or in July 1942.
I asked this also in the German Forums I think someone there knows it.

Svenja

[Goldipaws]

Ok, wait to hear from your German forum.
Regards
Goldie

[Malcolm33]

   I don't think it matters as the Dornier 215, 217 and even the older Do17 (the Flying Pencil) looked much the same.    Sgt. Turzanski only identified it as a 215 by the silhouette.    The American Liberator had the same double fin tail, but that I think came later.    Whoever wrote that report seems to have got a little confused too.

[Malcolm33]

   I wondered if there might be a report in NZ papers, but only came across another sad story that took place in St Audries Bay - 3 years earlier.
   http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=EG19381018.2.15&srpos=1&e=-------10--1----2st+audries+bay--
    Another crash, another mangled body, and this time without doubt no grave at all.

[Goldipaws]

Oh that's horrid!  I have heard of such a story and never really believed it, but it's so awful to read it and know it's true!

[ThirdDegreeWitch]

Hiya , ive already replied to this subject somewhere else but seem to have lost it... have been following this story with great interest , so much so I travelled to the graveyard and filmed the memorial/grave. ironically theres an RAF pilot buried just feet away... excuse my inability to film in a professional way. just thought someone might like to see where they rest ,,, regards

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g71F752mYfA