Bf109 crash landing….in Yorkshire ?

Ah! Looks like I’ll be justifying another 20 quid out of the housekeeping.

Took me a while to spot it, but – Is this a two-seater? What’s the story, Andy?

Edit: Google is my friend – from http://www.lothingland.co.uk/hso10.htm:

15th MAY 1944. At 6.57 pm an M.E. 109 enemy fighter from Serbst Airfield, Innsbruck, piloted by OberFeldwebel Winberger (an Austrian aged 25 No. BF 109 G.14) – two seater – came over the Herringfleet Road in a SW direction, hit a tree (half way between the School House and the gun site entrance) and shot into the gorge, hitting the eastern side. The engine buried itself in the side of the gorge, the wings landing further down, while the rest of the fuselage came to rest scattered on the west side. There was apparently no damage to the plane before the crash. The pilot broke a leg and was handed over to RAF Intelligence Officers. The wheels were still up on crashing.

Was this a deliberate defection? I can’t believe he flew all the way from Innsbruck..

Now we know. 🙂

http://www.edp24.co.uk/home/escape_from_the_nazis_that_ended_in_coastal_crash_1_3769549

Indeed – you are probably right!

Local knowledge eh?

Bruce

Well, unless the RAE shipped it back out from Farnborough and took it up to Ludham then dug a hole and buried it I suspect that this story is about as likely as the original story in this thread…..a Me 109 crash-landing in Yorkshire during the Battle of Britain!

The location of the supposed site has been identified, but the owner of the land doesnt want to play! Maybe one day…

The rumour is of B17 and P38 remians down there with it.

The very one, Bruce!

I suspect that what was buried was all of Ralph Hull’s rubbish……!!!

I think this Me 109, which came down at Herringfleet, (still with the fishy theme!) was the furthest north. And this was a somewhat unusual story!

The pilot made a bit of a cod of the landing. Maybe those Italian wings were the problem!

Is this the one that was supposedly buried at Ludham?

Opens can, sits back and waits for worms…..:D:diablo:

Bruce

On a serious note, I have a theory.

Young Mr Lemon DID recall a crash of some sort at the location he describes, although it was clearly not a Me 109. It may have even been German – although I cannot identify it at present. However, a Messerschmitt 109 WAS displayed locally to raise monies for the Spitfire Fund (this would account for the Me 109 seen on a lorry) and Mr Lemon perhaps sat in it having paid his obligatory 6d. Over the years, the stories have merged in his memory. However, it does not quite explain how he came by the photograph of the Me 109 in the field, although this could easily have been obtained from a local soldier who happened to be near Manston when the 109 crashed.

Maybe the Me 109 displayed was this one? And is that young Denis Lemon, perchance, peering at the camera?

However, I much prefer the African Swallow theory.

Think this almost certainly the most credible sequence of events – over the years I have come across several “eye-witness” accounts to German fighters crashing in the North West – strange how the aircraft are nearly always intact and the story-teller, who was generally of school age at the time of the “crash”, got to sit in the cockpit ! Still must have been quite an experience during wartime for a young lad and, as you say, has merged with other memories. Still as I can’t recall much of what I did around that age and it is not (quite) so long ago, perhaps some are being a little harsh and those of us used to interviewing elderly witnesses are hopefully a little more forgiving – The paper really should have known better though!

I think that Mr Lemmon sole’d someone a pup!

But to draw all these piscinal observations to a conclusion, maybe Mr Lemmon ought to stick to remarking on the optimal weight of tench taken from the Yorkshire Ouse during the first decade of the twenty first century rather than trying to break into northern aviation history and archeology. God knows, there are enough “experts” in that field already!

…………….head down, helmet on, stay well below the parapet and avoid the fire from the aeronautical Geoffrey Boycotts!

😀 “Don’t you lot no ‘owt?”

Have yer not heard about the early secret test for the Mistral- ledgend ‘as it they aimed a Me 109/ He 111 combo at Sheffield & after release the pilot of the 109 got lost and tried to land at Firbeck thinking ‘e were over France & got shot up by Firbeck’s ground defence Lewis gun.:D

Oops! Thanks Brian.

Tried the link but it fails to find the page.

Remove the : after the htm to find the page.

Brian.

Took me a while to spot it, but – Is this a two-seater? What’s the story, Andy?

Edit: Google is my friend – from http://www.lothingland.co.uk/hso10.htm:

15th MAY 1944. At 6.57 pm an M.E. 109 enemy fighter from Serbst Airfield, Innsbruck, piloted by OberFeldwebel Winberger (an Austrian aged 25 No. BF 109 G.14) – two seater – came over the Herringfleet Road in a SW direction, hit a tree (half way between the School House and the gun site entrance) and shot into the gorge, hitting the eastern side. The engine buried itself in the side of the gorge, the wings landing further down, while the rest of the fuselage came to rest scattered on the west side. There was apparently no damage to the plane before the crash. The pilot broke a leg and was handed over to RAF Intelligence Officers. The wheels were still up on crashing.

Was this a deliberate defection? I can’t believe he flew all the way from Innsbruck..

I think this Me 109, which came down at Herringfleet, (still with the fishy theme!) was the furthest north. And this was a somewhat unusual story!

The pilot made a bit of a cod of the landing. Maybe those Italian wings were the problem!

Skating over the facts, sole-ly to net a good story? Or maybe Dennis didn’t cycle, he went by motor-pike and side carp? Just for the Halibut?

Sorry, this is starting to flounder.

Out of interest, though, were there any 109’s downed in Yorkshire? Is it theoretically, even hypothetically, possible?

On the other hand, maybe he nipped over to RAF Manston and nicked some 100 octane, re-fuelled and headed back to France. With his compass busted in the crash landing he headed north by mistake, and landed in Yorkshire when the fuel ran out. Mind, it must have been an interesting flight with the tail unit somewhat re-arranged on the anti glider poles as he put down at St Nicholas-at-Wade!

On a serious note, I have a theory.

Young Mr Lemon DID recall a crash of some sort at the location he describes, although it was clearly not a Me 109. It may have even been German – although I cannot identify it at present. However, a Messerschmitt 109 WAS displayed locally to raise monies for the Spitfire Fund (this would account for the Me 109 seen on a lorry) and Mr Lemon perhaps sat in it having paid his obligatory 6d. Over the years, the stories have merged in his memory. However, it does not quite explain how he came by the photograph of the Me 109 in the field, although this could easily have been obtained from a local soldier who happened to be near Manston when the 109 crashed.

Maybe the Me 109 displayed was this one? And is that young Denis Lemon, perchance, peering at the camera?

However, I much prefer the African Swallow theory.

Surley you lot have heard of the experimental long range 109 Emil varient:

Bf 109-Eeee by gum

I agree Nachtjagd. The theory of the migrating swallows is totally implausible.

Regards,

kev35

Bulls**t :rolleyes:

…. or been carried by a migrating swallow? 😀

…African or European?! 😀