Air Combat Casualties (Luftwaffe & RAF)
German Luftwaffe casualties:
Four German bombers didn't return to their bases following the night of 29th April 1942.
Their details are shown below.
The first aircraft shot down was JU88 D-1 'M2-CH' from Kampfgruppe 106 with a works number 1334 and crashed, with only the pilot on board, near Crockey Hill, south of York - a victim of W/O Mahé from 253Sqn.
The following is an extract from a "Most Secret" document which secretly recorded and transcribed a conversation between Uffz Karl Kügler and a wireless operator shot down during the first Exeter raid on the 23rd April 1942.
The 20 year old pilot's lack of experience is made clear in this document. Karl Kügler is the PoW identified as A1022.
Document copyright of the National Archives.
Document shown courtesy of the East Riding Archives......POL3/6/7/25
The crew were:
Pilot - Lt Werner Boy, aged 20. Buried Cannock Chase, Staffordshire.
Observer - Uffz Karl Kügler, POW.
Wireless Operator - Gefr Willi Schindler, POW.
Gunner - Gefr Heinz Müller, POW.
Leutnent Boy was initially buried on the 2nd May 1942 in Barnby Moor. The register mistakenly gives his age as 23.
The rear of the Ju88 (with the serial 1334 clearly marked on the tail).
The same location taken in 2009.
These images are courtesy of Richard Allenby author of the Yorkshire Aircraft - Air Accidents in Yorkshire website and Bill Norman (author of 'Broken Eagles, Luftwaffe Losses over Yorkshire 1939-1945').
The second loss that night was Dornier Do217-E2 "U5+KP" from 6/KG3 which crashed at Coneysthorpe near Malton on the Castle Howard estate - victim of a 406 RCAF Sqn Beaufighter crewed by F/O Furse & P/O Downes .
The crashsite is described as.......some yards east of Thurtle Wood, just NE of the North Lodge and just above the Coneysthorpe crossroads.
The yellow circle shows the likely area of the crash.
The crashsite area seen from the North Lodge.
Pilot - Lt Karl-Heinz Mülhen. Survived to become POW.
Observer - Uffz Otto Hacker. Shot in the buttock, survived to become POW.
Gunner - Fw Oskar Füssnecker. Severely injured forearm, survived to become POW.
Lt Karl-Heinz Mülhen is centre (the first is a member of the groundcrew).
Lt Mühlen tells his story in the film "The Longest Night".
Images are stills from "The Longest Night" video.
In captivity, Lt Mühlen had a conversation with another Dornier pilot captured during the first raid on Exeter. He didn't realise that his conversation was being recorded and transcribed.
The comment about the efficiency of the British nightfighters must have made welcome reading.
Documents copyright of the National Archives.
The third loss that night was a Ju88A-5 3Z+AV of II/KG77 with a works number of 0289 piloted by Lt Armin Körfer. This aircraft was shot down over the sea, east of Whitby - victim of a 406Sqn Beaufighter crewed by P/O Lawrence & Sgt Wilmer.
This Ju88 A-5 is from a different unit to II/KG77.
The crew were:
Leutnant Armin Körfer (21 yrs)
Feldwebel Fritz Ernst (28 yrs)
Obergefreiter Hermann Schleising (23 yrs)
Gefreiter Heinrich Müller (22 yrs)
There is some discussion about this loss being part of the Baedeker raid on York.
The Unit, II/KG77 is not normally associated with the Baedeker Raids and the location is puzzling for an aircraft making its way home after having attacked York.
All records seem to show that this unit, in April 1942, was based in Comiso in Sicily. However, the Germans were very short of airworthy bombers and even one aircraft from an additional Unit would have been welcomed. Its location may be explained by the fact that some aircraft from within the fleet attacking York were involved in laying mines off the coast.
The crew are designated as 'missing' and have no known grave.
The fourth loss was claimed by 68Sqn when W/O Bobek & Sgt Kovarik flying Beaufighter X7583 WM-T shot down a Do 217 passing through their sector.
No further details are available for this loss. The squadron also made two further claims.
Sgt Jenkinson & Sgt Kindell claimed a He111 probably destroyed and S/Ldr Veselý & P/O Montgomerie (V8252 WM-U) claimed a Ju88 damaged.
British Casualties
Pilot Officer Eric Doorly of 133 (Eagle) Squadron was flying a Spitfire VB when he made contact with a Do217 near Church Fenton.
He attacked the German bomber and observed hits. Unfortunately, he was caught by a burst of return fire that forced him to bale out.
The location of Church Fenton is shown on the map. It is most likely that the bomber he attacked in this area had already bombed York and was heading back to Soesterberg.
More details of this loss and the crashsite can be found by clicking this link.
Further reports indicate that a Beaufighter of 68Sqn was posted as 'Missing in Action' but no further details have been located.