Can anyone tell me the true facts behind the landing by Leonard Buckle of Go. 145B SM-NQ of Stab/JG27 on Lewes Racecourse on 28 August 1940? All the web offers are the reminiscences of people who were children at the time. Three of these are to be found at http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/95/a3511595.shtml, http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/29/a5570129.shtml and http://old-lewesians.org.uk/tales/james_essex_memoirs.htm. There are others on the web.
With due respect to the authors of these accounts, it’s hard not to conclude that there appears to be a certain amount of ‘urban myth’ in them or maybe the passage of time has rubbed the sharpness off the edges of memory. Whilst admitting to little knowledge of this aspect of military history, to me it seems odd that an RAF pilot would require or allow a German intruder to put down on a racecourse on the South Downs rather than escorting the aeroplane back to a military aerodrome. Also it’s difficult to avoid remarking that Leonard Buckle doesn’t seem a very Germanic name.
I’ve had a look in ‘The Captive Luftwaffe’ by Kenneth West and that offers little more on the subject. He says that the Gotha was carrying mail from Cherbourg to Strasbourg when the pilot lost his way and, running short of fuel, landed on Lewes Racecourse.I’m no navigator but Cherbourg to Strasbourg is just south of east whereas Cherbourg to Lewes is north of north east. So that seems to me to represent either significant navigational incompetence or a total failure of navigation instruments or an intention to defect.
As a postscript to this story, the Gotha was flown off the racecourse to the RAE by Sq/Ldr H.J.Wilson; given RAF markings and the serial number BV207; flown to 20 MU at Aston Down; and ended its days as instructional airframe 2682M.
By: Arabella-Cox - 17th November 2011 at 21:06
Pleased to have been of some assistance.
I’d certainly like to track down the Air Intelligence ‘K’ report on Herr Buckle. I’m sure it would make for an interesting read.
By: avion ancien - 17th November 2011 at 20:55
Having read Andy’s article on the subject, I suspect that it says all that there is to be said on it – unless someone knows the whereabouts or what has become of the records of the interrogation of the pilot or the contents of the mailbags in the second cockpit!
By: avion ancien - 17th November 2011 at 17:27
Thank you, Andy, for your kind offer. As I do not have your e-mail address, I will go to your website in the hope that I can contact you via that. If not, I’ll send you a PM (assuming that your inbox is not full again!) with my e-mail address.
Welcome, AlanNP. You seem to have made your first post perfectly correctly. Thank you for your input.
By: Arabella-Cox - 17th November 2011 at 16:58
Here is my period sepia toned print of the aircraft.
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November 15, 2011 at 6:34 pm