He 115 shot down by a trawler on 12 June 1941 off Ratray Head, Scotland?

[Sid Guttridge]

I have an old note that says a He 115 seaplane was shot down by a trawler off Ratray Head in Scotland on 12 June 1941.

Does anyone have any information on the incident, or know of a list that details the fate of each He 115?

Many thanks for any help,

Sid.

[Skarpskytten]

... or know of a list that details the fate of each He 115?

List of the Swedish ones: https://web.archive.org/web/20060827082 ... 2T2-Li.htm

I can get probably you a list on the Norwegians ones too, if you're interested (the norweigans captured two german ones, as you might know).

[Sid Guttridge]

Hi skarpskytten,

Thanks for the quick reply.

I am particularly looking into this incident, which, if accurately reported, must have involved a German He115.

Cheers,

Sid.

[mescal]

Hello,

If the data on this website http://www.luftwaffe.no/SIG/Losses/tap411.html are complete, the plane did not come from Norway (which would be the likely point of origin given the place).

Hope it helps.

[Sid Guttridge]

Hi mescal,

Many thanks.

Although the link does not show an He115 shot down off Scotland on 12 June, it does show one lost off Scotland to unknown causes on 23 February.

I will try to find out more.

Cheers,

Sid.

[Orwell1984]

I think this may be the incident you're referring to:

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/s ... clnk&gl=ca

The Faroese fishing boats were also exposed to the danger from the air. In order to defend themselves against air attack, all the boats, each with two light machine guns and enough ammunition were fitted from 21 April 1941. This offer was voluntary, they could be answered in any British port and was then reviewed by the headquarters on Skansin regularly for functionality after an introduction of at least two crew members. These weapons had some deterrent effect, if you compare what is worth a German war plane compared to a Faroese sloop. In one case, the sloops - skipper Georg Joensen from Eiði aboard the Thor from Sørvágur on June 12, 1941 managed a shot. He took 15 nautical miles north of Rattray Head ( a former Royal Navy airbase near Aberdeen ) is a German Heinkel from the sky and got it in 1942 by King George VI. Order of the British MBE ( Member of the Order of the British Empire ) awarded.

Note type of Heinkel not mentioned


Info on the fishing boat Thor here but you'll need to translate it:

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/s ... clnk&gl=ca

The June 12 1941 incident is detailed at the bottom of the page but google translate has failed to render a legible result. What I was able to pick out was the type was referred to as a Heinkel 111 H-5 it seems.

. Trying to see if I can find any more info on Georg Joensen MBE

Looking at losses for KG 26 for the time (a likely unit) here: http://www.asisbiz.com/Luftwaffe/luftlo ... -KG26.html
this entry seemed interesting.

13-06-1941 Heinkel He 111 H-5 Kampfstaffel 1./I./KG 26 Sola 3N WNr. 0003 741 1H+CH Unknown unk 100% Oblt. Werner Rohländer (+) 4-0-0-0 North Sea Cra/s probably off Peterhead

One day out, also a Heinkel He 111 H-5 lost flying from Sola over the North Sea. A possiblity?

Edited: Made a post at the 12 oclock high forums with the above info asking for any feedback. Will post any replies I get here.

[igorr]

5 He.115 from 1./406 was on flight in middle North sea that day and all planes returned according to KTB FdLuft and KuFlGr 506. Also 5 Ju.88 have same mission and one of them didn't return. This was plane "G" with leut. Gothan as commander.
Other He.115 where up too, but in Skagerrak and near German possesed areas.

[Sid Guttridge]

Hi Orwell1984 and Igorr,

Yes, that is the incident concerned.

It was the Faroese connection that interested me as it seemed unique. However, I have always had a problem matching the claim with German losses.

Thanks very much guys. You have moved the search on significantly.

Cheers,

Sid.

[Poot]

Fascinating, thanks for sharing!
Best,
Pat