_{FLYING A SHOT DOWN KITE}

The Luftwaffe had a new aircraft on hand in the summer of 1943; the Ju188, the intended replacement for the venerable Ju88. They had been first used in an unsuccessful attack on Lincoln on August 17-18. The first to be shot down on to mainland Britain was that at Hemley, in Suffolk on 15^th October. 3E+FL  an E-1 model, Werke No 26017 was flown by Hauptmann Waldeker, a veteran of many sorties and I/KG6 Staffelkapitan. The observer, Obergerfreiter Haupt was standing in for the crews’ regular observer who was sick in hospital and this was to be his first operational flight. The radio operator, Unteroffizier Muller and the gunner Oberfeldwebel Hohmann had flown with Waldeker several times before. The German crew crossed the Dutch coast at around 10pm, climbing towards their briefed height of 26,000ft. As they crossed the Suffolk coast below 20,000ft having evaded what they believed was a British night-fighter over the North Sea they were, however, unaware  that another was already stalking them.

The 85 Sqn Mosquito crewed by Sqn/Ldr Maguire and F/O Jones closed to 2,000ft but before they were able to open fire they were spotted and the raider took evasive action. Maguire stayed with the enemy guided by Jones’s radar plotting and opened fire at 250yds closing to 100yds, his cannon shells causing the port engine to burst into flames. Still Waldeker tried to shake off the Mosquito but a second burst of fire from 50yds sealed their fate. Julius Hohmann was mortally wounded by the cannon fire, as was Karl-Heinz Muller, these 2 were pushed out of the escape hatch and their parachute ‘D’ rings pulled in the vain hope of giving them at least a chance of survival. Waldemar Haupt and Helmuth Waldeker were both relatively unscathed and were able to bale out and land safely. The 2 survivors were taken prisoner by a local police special constable near Hemley Hall.

The Junkers crashed on soft marshland beside Kirton Creek. It was excavated in a joint effort between local recovery groups and a RAF bomb disposal team. An estimated 5 tonnes of wreckage was recovered including engines, propeller blades, undercarriage legs, tyres, dinghy and bombs! Smaller items included maps, flight engineers tools, a shaving kit and the kite from the dinghy used to raise the radio aerial.

 The radio aerial kite was still in its waterproof tin, albeit crushed, with the fitting of new wooden sticks it has been successfully flown several times.

Two 50kg bombs were found and detonated on site and one 50kg and one 1000kg were rendered safe by RAF bomb disposal. Above left the 1000kg 'Herman' being raised from the mud prior to being made safe. Right, the first 50kg bomb to be found is exploded. When the large bomb was finally freed from the mud, the digger driver hopped out of his cab, walked up to it and tapping it with his toe enquired 'Are these things dangerous then ?'