Since a lot of time, I have a very nice and historical important contact to a formerly pilot of a german Do 17 Z-2, 3./Kampfgeschwader2, shot down from a “Hurricane” during the Battle of Britain, on 16.08.1940.
The name of this pilot is Heinz-Georg Möllenbrok, famously about his great work to make a contact to the veterans of the Royal Air Force (famously in the television too).
On my website you can find some informations, pictures and drawings of him during this time as prisioner in the hospital in Woolwich and later in Camp 13.
My reports are up to now in german language. May be I can find here in this forum somebody to help me to translate it in english languages ?
Regards
Nils
By: adrian_gray - 14th August 2005 at 19:01
Watch your email, gents – on it’s way.
Adrian
By: Geoff K - 12th August 2005 at 09:58
No worries
Geoff.
By: adrian_gray - 12th August 2005 at 09:31
Bad news – apart from a photocopy from “Blitz then & now” I have none of the info at my lodgings. I hope to be able to look for it at my parents tomorrow, but it will probably now be the very end of the month or the beginning of September before I get them to you.
The asterisk machine will not let me express how annoyed with myself I am…
Adrian
😮 😮
By: Geoff K - 11th August 2005 at 19:06
Yes Please Adrian.
Geoff.
By: adrian_gray - 11th August 2005 at 16:43
Wow, if only there’d been an internet when I was researching the damn thing in the early 1990s!
That appears to be them, Geoff – I remember Genter & Hirsch. I have one of their cigarette lighters – if only it was named I could have tried to find family but it isn’t. They are all in a single grave – given what happened and the remains I found, I’m not surprised at all.
Mein Deutsch ist kleine (apologies to Nils for mangling his language!) but enough to work out the details, especially with a dictionary. Want to be included with Nils when I pass the details on?
Adrian
By: Geoff K - 11th August 2005 at 15:54
Adrian,
These details of the crew came from the German war graves website.
Nachname: Genter, Vorname: Eugen, Dienstgrad: Gefreiter, Geburtsdatum: 28.02.1919, Geburtsort: Freiburg, Todes-/Vermisstendatum: 16.08.1940, Todesort: Raum Canterbury. Buried Cannock Chase Grave: Block 9 Reihe 8 Grab 49
Nachname: Brandenburg, Vorname: Hans-Jürgen, Dienstgrad: Oberleutnant, Geburtsdatum: 30.05.1919, Geburtsort: Neustrelitz, Todes /Vermisstendatum: 16.08.1940, Todesort: Raum Canterbury. Buried Cannock Chase Grave: Block 9 Reihe 8 Grab 49
Nachname: Hirsch, Vorname: Kurt, Dienstgrad: Gefreiter, Geburtsdatum: 21.12.1918, Geburtsort: Sprottau, Todes-/Vermisstendatum: 16.08.1940, Todesort: Raum Canterbury. Buried Cannock Chase Grave: Block 9 Reihe 8 Grab 49
Nachname: Koch, Vorname: Johann, Dienstgrad: Flieger, Geburtsdatum: 20.06.1918, Geburtsort: Eßleben, Todes-/Vermisstendatum: 16.08.1940, Todesort: Raum Canterbury. Buried Cannock Chase Grave: Block 9 Reihe 8 Grab 49
Hope your German is okay?
‘The Blitz, then & now’ published in 1987 list the crew as still being buried in Whitstable Churchyard. Either this is incorrect or they’ve been reburied. Also in the book Koch’s initial is given as ‘H’.
I hope this is of interest to you.
Geoff.
By: adrian_gray - 11th August 2005 at 10:03
Geoff is spot on – all 4 crew KIA. I never did find the graves. Off the top of my head I cannot remember who they were although Morch/Morich and Muller come to mind.
Shot down by F.W. Higginson of 56 Squadron – hit by return fire, and crash landed his Hurricane nearby.
I’m going to dig out the paperwork I have and send scans to Nils – I think I have your email already, Geoff, so I can include you in.
ADrian
By: Pathfinder - 10th August 2005 at 20:52
Adrian,
the aircraft do you mean, must be the Do-17Z U5+L, Pilot Hans-Jürgen Brandenburg. 1 KIA (Brandenburg) 3 MIA
Three aircraft of this Kampfgeschwader was shot down this date.
It is right what Geoff have written. When you have some unknown details of a crash, please give the pictures and other papers the RAFA or an other organisation.
Tomorrow I drive to Mr. Möllenbrok and will tell him the possible news. Maybe he know more to clear some questions. He is very interesting on all details of crashed aircraft of his unit !
Nils
By: Geoff K - 10th August 2005 at 18:39
Adrian,
Sounds like the Do17 shot down by Hurricanes of No 56 Sqn over Whitstable Beach. The crew are still buried as ‘unknowns’ in Whitstable churchyard.
If you’d like to see the relics on display somewhere they can be enjoyed by the public, rather than lying in the dark gathering dust, you could always give us a call regarding a loan arrangement.
Geoff.
By: adrian_gray - 10th August 2005 at 16:26
Nils,
I have shoebox under one of my bookshelves full of bits from a Do17Z of (I think) 3/KG2 shot down on August 16th 1940. It is NOT Herr Moellenbrok’s (sorry – don’t know how to add an Umlaut) aircraft as the crew all died in it. However (a) he might know something about it and (b) if you are interested in the action of that day I have a superb report full of derring-do from a local newspaper of the crash. If you are interested PM me and I’ll look up the correct detaisl and scan the article. HOWEVER I am away for a fortnight as of this weekend so it may take a little time!
Adrian
By: spitzbueb - 9th August 2005 at 16:03
I am currently translating stuff for a guy who’s doing research about Walter Nowotny. He seems pretty happy with what am doing.
Thing is, my time is quite limited at the moment, but if its not too much, I could give it a try.
Flo
By: Moggy C - 9th August 2005 at 15:06
I must admit all that close-set type in German is a bit intimidating for those of us who don’t have a grasp of the language.
Offers to translate anyone?
Moggy
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August 9, 2005 at 11:45 am