Apologies for barging in to your crew room with this, but I'm hopeful that some old timers here can add something to my quest.
On 21st August 1940, 2 Spitfires from 234 Squadron shot down a Ju88 which crashed and burnt out near Kings Somborne, Hampshire.
A photo shows RAF personnel walking back to their vehicle after viewing the burnt out wreckage in the middle of a mustard field.
The mustard field was mentioned in a contemporary newspaper report, but although the vicar offered to have the men buried in the local churchyard, the remains appear to have been loaded into the back of an Army truck and that is the last record of their identity.
On 22nd August 4 Germans were buried in Grave O74 in Chartham cemetery.
They were then reburied as Unknowns in Cannock Chase in Block 9 Grave 48.
Circumstantially, there appear to be no other group of Luftwaffe unknown casualties for 21/22 August, but obviously to be sure, I need older heads to clarify if Chartham Hospital was used as a "collection point" for Luftwaffe casualties from the BoB?
I can't believe they would have been taken to Churchill as evdience of Fighter Command successes, but why Chartham from Kings Somborne?
60024/67 FF Obergefr Gerhard FREUDE 14.10.18 Koslitz, Luben
60024/4 BO Oberlt Max-Dankwart BIRKENSTOCK 16.12.15 Neustettin, Stettin
60024/64 BF Uffz Rudolf SCHULZE 29.9.19 Liegnitz
60024/79 BS Gefr Franz BECKER 18.1.19 Hurth, Koln
Max-Dankwart Birkenstock was the Bomb aimer, Freude was the pilot, Schulze was the radio operator/upper gunner and Becker was the rear gunner (usually in the under fuselage gondola, facing aft) are reported killed.
Serial number of the plane and individual code (B3+?H) is not known, but if parts of it can be found, there is always chance serial might be found on a component or a part plate. Time and place of crash is given "Kings Somborne 14:15 hrs".
21 August 1940: 1./KG54 Junkers Ju 88 A-1. Shot down by 2 Spitfires (flown by Sqdn Ldr J.S. O’Brien and Pilot Officer R.F.T. "Bob" Doe) of No.234 Squadron, during an armed reconnaissance over southern England. Jettisoned its bombs but crashed in flames and burned out at King’s Somborne at about 2.15 p.m.
Oberleutnant Max-Dankwart Birkenstock,
Obergefreiter Gerhard Freude,
Unteroffizier Rudolf Schulze, and
Gefreiter Franz Becker all missing. Aircraft 100% write-off.
A memorial stone inscribed to 'To 4 Unknown German Airmen Aug 23 1940' was erected alongside a lane on nearby Hoplands Farm."
I have frequently seen and participated in a few, searches for relatives of Bomber Command crews whenever wreckage is uncovered on the Continent and it seems only right to do as much for those once our enemies.
I need to link Kings Somborne to Chartham cemetery (why there?) and on to Cannock.
Proof is what I need, can any here assist?