ME110 at Hendon

[racedo]

Visited Hendon at weekend and read the story of the ME110 and its defection fron Norway to Scotland during WW2.

Wondering what happened to the crew ?

[Dan Winterland]

I'm pretty sure the Bf110 at Hendon was captured in Denmark at the end of WW2. There is apparantly, a fuselage of a Bf110 somewhere in Scotland.

As for defections to Scotalnd in Bf110s, the Deputy Fuhrer Rudolph Hess ended up there in what has been recorded as an attempt to broker a peace prior to Germany's invasion of Russia. Hess was trained as a pilot and flew it solo, crashing near Glasgow. Parts of that are displayed at the Imperial War Museum in London. Hess was imprisoned until the end of the war and then tried at Nuremburg. He leved the rest of his life in Spandau prison in Berlin until he allegedly commited suicide in the 1990s.

Much of the circumstances of his defection, imprisonment and death are steeped in controvosy - and the files won't be released for a few years yet.

[VX275]

It was the crew of the Ju88 Night Fighter now at Hendon that defected and landed at RAF Dyce (Aberdeen). No idea of what happened to the crew.

[jonathon68]

I seem to remember that some parts of the Hess 110 (wings?) were stacked up against the wall of a Hanger at Duxford about 30 years ago.

[Stanwell]

racedo,
I think you'll find Dan Winterland is right. The Bf110 at Hendon was captured in Denmark after the war.
As VX275 says, the Ju88 displayed next to it at the RAF Museum was the defectors' aircraft which landed at RAF Dyce, Scotland in May of 1943.

The Luftwaffe didn't know what had happened until the three crew, Schmitt, Rosenberger and Kantwill, gave an interview on BBC radio about a month later.
All three were interned and survived the war, I believe.

[Planemike]

I seem to remember that some parts of the Hess 110 (wings?) were stacked up against the wall of a Hanger at Duxford about 30 years ago.


My recollection too.......

[Haraka]

"As VX275 says, the Ju88 displayed next to it at the RAF Museum was the defectors' aircraft which landed at RAF Dyce, Scotland in May of 1943.

" The Luftwaffe didn't know what had happened until the three crew, Schmitt, Rosenberger and Kantwill, gave an interview on BBC radio about a month later.
All three were interned and survived the war, I believe."

I first smelt a bit of a rat when the initial account referred to the crew flying white handkerchiefs out of the cockpit side windows to "surrender" to the approaching fighters. I gather they were, in fact, escorted in, resulting from prior knowledge.

[Jhieminga]

The history of the aircraft on the RAF Museum site is an interesting read: http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/documents/collections/78-AF-953-Junkers-Ju88-R1.pdf

The story of the Me-110 is here: http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/documents/collections/78-AF-954-Bf-110G.pdf

[Stanwell]

Thanks for those links, Jhieminga. Most interesting.

One thing I'd been wondering about on both the Bf110 and Ju88 at the RAF Museum:
Light blue undersides on night fighters - surely that wasn't normal?


On a bit of a thread-drift, I'd been wondering about the present whereabouts of Focke-Wulf Fw190A-8, Werk Nr 733685.
It was captured in Germany in 1945 and, at that time, was the control unit of a 'Beethoven Device' or 'Mistel' composite aircraft.
The other component was a Ju88.

Until late 2012, it was displayed at the Imperial War Museum, London and was subsequently passed on to the RAF Museum, Cosford, I believe.
The RAFM's website appears to make no mention of it.
Anybody got an idea?

[Jhieminga]

It wouldn't surprise me if it was this one then:
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1533/25860719670_b33597ebf1_o.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/FpdWZ5)Fw190_Cosford_Feb2016 (https://flic.kr/p/FpdWZ5) by Jelle Hieminga (https://www.flickr.com/photos/102686263@N02/), on Flickr

Photo taken at Cosford a month ago. They may not have updated the website yet. The aircraft is displayed with their Me410, Me163 and other WWII types so I'd say it is in good company. Hendon still has the two-seater Fw190 on display.

[Stanwell]

Ah yes, that'd be it.
The mounting for the 'Mistel' attachment frame can be seen underneath.
Thank you sir. :ok: