I was out Metal Detecting with my Explorer II on a Word War II Aircraft crash site in Hampshire England, This find for me is what our hobby is all about finding History. Here is a chilling photo this small piece of Plexiglass shows the signs of a hot fire, Its comes from a Heinkel He III Bomber flown by Ofw Oskar Broderix & his crew Oblt Kurt Meunecke Fw. Wilhelm Wenninger, Fw. Ernst Wendorff. they were on a bombing mission to Queen Elizabeth Docks in London England. They had their fighter escort of ME109's over the channel & to the target over London, Ofw Oskar Broderix was the lead aircraft on this mission, so was the prime target to get hit 1st by any RAF fighters that attacked the formation.
This was Oskar 15th flight of the war & it was going as planned just like the others until over the west of London heading home it all went a bit wrong over Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough. Ofw Oskar Broderix & his crew were attacked by two RAF Hurricanes from 605 Squadron the 1st was flown by New Zealander Pilot Officer Jim Humphreys from 605 Squadron Jim fired a few rounds at the Heinkel but one of the gunners on the Heinkel took care of Jim & shot him down, Jim Bailed out ! The 2nd Hurricane was flown by Pilot Officer George Forrester aslo from 605 he took on the mighty Heinkel & its crew & did the same putting a few holes in the aircraft but sadly they shot George down, the joys from the crew of the Heinkel could be heard over the intercom saying 'I've got him!" but this was short lived because Unknown to George it was he who brought down the Heinkel, when his aircraft rolled over on its back with him dead at his controls & hit the Heinkel taking the tail clean off sending the crew & the Heinkel to a deadly end. Going back to Jim who had just bailed out minutes before he was joined in the sky by two other parachutes. As Jim drifted down to safety with a his left hand was badly wounded & in a lot of pain as he drifted towards the Canadian Army Camp at Bordon, the Soldiers who saw the dog fight taking place & seeing 3 parachutes mistook him for jerry & began firing the Lewis gun up at him, putting six holes through the canopy, cutting on rigging line and sending one bullet through the left breast pocket of his tunic. Meanwhile the Crew & their Heinkel were heading for a deadly end in the fields below where it hit the ground with such force it bust in flames & this evidence can still be seen today on the Plexiglass with heat bubbles, with melting around the edge where in was in the frame of the cockpit as the aircraft burned out of control in that Hampshire field...
All this took place on Monday 9th September at 17:25 1940 three of Oskar Broderix crew were killed Oblt Kurt Meunecke Fw. Wilhelm Wenninger, Fw. Ernst Wendorff, Oskar Broderix survived & became a POW for the rest of the War.. Pilot Officer Jim Humphreys also survived, Jim's went on to fight another day until the end of the war in 1945. With his brush with death twice in one day on that late summers day in 1940 this must have been many a talking point in his life until he sadly passed away in 1986 he was 94 years old. The photo behind the my Plexiglass find is of Oskar Broderix himself at his controls of his Heinkel He III Bomber that he was in on that day with other members of his crew that sadly died in the crash & fire.. For me this little piece of Plexiglass is like a photo its recorded the past for ever, bit like a fossil on a beach... Metal Detecting for me is not all about finding Gold & Silver Treasure it's about finding out History & for me that is the Real Treasure. (Photo of the Crew is by Chris Goss & is from his book The Luftwaffe Bombers) Just like to add These four young men were fighting a war that they were told was right & two were fighting to defend us against them, good or bad they all had families and I pay my respects to all these young men regardless of which country they came from its still a human life & War solves nothing it just takes loved ones.
Paul - UK