German – Heinkel He111 – GN + HL

On the 10th of April, a Bristol Beaufighter flying out of Middle Wallop encountered and engaged a Heinkel He111 belonging to the 3/KG100 pathfinder unit, which was located at Vannes in Brittany.At around 23:45 local time on April 10th, the bomber was on its way back to base after conducting a raid over the Midlands when the aircraft crashed in the area of the Hermitage at Whitwell.

Of the five man crew three had managed to evacuate the plane before the crash, however only one managed to get his chute open. When the military located the plane, they discovered that two more of the crew who had been left onboard had passed away inside the aircraft. The lone survivor, F/W H Hank, was able to elude arrest for a whole day, until he was ultimately apprehended near Ventnor the next day.

Note: Images of the aircraft displayed reflect the type of aircraft and are not those of the specific.

• http://www.luftwaffephotos.com/lhe1114.htm

• All images are of similar aircraft and not the specific plane in question.
• Wight Air Wrecks – A T Gilliam ISBN 0-7524-2376-2
• Battle in the Skies – H J Leal (IWCP)