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Downed German aircraft

I remember being taken by my father to see a downed German bomber at the Hall of Memory. I cannot remember the type of plane but I have seen a photograph of it printed in the Birmingham Mail in years gone by. I was scouring this site in the hope that someone might have submitted it. So it's still a case of carry on searching. Regards. willey
 
Funnily enough Bernard, (I hope I can get this in OK), I recently found a clipping from one of the Brum newspapers, I do't know what year it's from but it's of interest anyway.

"Rumbush Lane, Earlswood"

In May 1941 a German bomber was shot down in a field near Rumbush Lane.
Three of its crew died instantly while a fourth survived his injuries.
It's thought the Heinkel III plane was the only one to fall on Solihull during WW2.
It had been trying to reach the Austin factory at Longbridge but is thought to have been stopped by shots from a Home Guard Lewis gun.
(I'll do the second part later if I may).

Second part.

William Perry of Earlswood, a member of the Home Guard, was later fined forty shillings by Solihull Magistrates Court for failing to report finding a scorched pair of gloves belonging to one of the dead flying officers. He had kept them as a memento.
The three bodies were interred at Robin Hood Cemetery where local schoolchildren put flowers on their graves but were later reburied at the German War Cemetery at Cannock Chase.

Hope this helps.
 
Funnily enough Bernard, (I hope I can get this in OK), I recently found a clipping from one of the Brum newspapers, I do't know what year it's from but it's of interest anyway.

"Rumbush Lane, Earlswood"

In May 1941 a German bomber was shot down in a field near Rumbush Lane.
Three of its crew died instantly while a fourth survived his injuries.
It's thought the Heinkel III plane was the only one to fall on Solihull during WW2.
It had been trying to reach the Austin factory at Longbridge but is thought to have been stopped by shots from a Home Guard Lewis gun.
(I'll do the second part later if I may).
Thanks for that Baz I did find some but not a lot as yet.
 
What no photo's surely there must have been at least one Brummie with a box brownie?

That's a very interesting question, Paul. Of course one can never know what is tucked away in old family albums. But generally speaking it does seem that there are very few private images of exciting local events such as this during the war years. Off-topic to pursue this further but I wonder if the subject might be a suitable subject for a new thread some time.

Chris
 
Hallo Chris,

Re "Rumbush Lane, Earlswood"

I'm surprised you haven't picked up on the Home Guard shooting down a Heinkel with a Lewis !
 
I have a number of books which contain official photos taken during the war but due to censorship their locations are identified as "crashed plane somewhere in midlands", "south coast" etc so we will never know where these photos are from. Also public access to a crash site (as in this case) would have been very difficult.

Colin
 
Im going have to dig out my bits of this plane i will post pics the largest bit has a 303 bullet hole that bit came in a load of top soil delivered to the site at Drakes Cross word got round of the bits of plane i had and a old man who lived in Simms lane was ex home guard said he was first at the crash site he gave me a crew members belt which i still have i will post pic with other bits in near future im busy at mo getting bars ready for season.
 
I'm surprised you haven't picked up on the Home Guard shooting down a Heinkel with a Lewis !

Most certainly DID pick it up, maypolebaz! Trouble is, corroborating whether what the paper report said was true and finding the evidence. If it were true it would have been a heck of an achievement. If only we knew the individual concerned or at least the city HG unit concerned. What is pretty certain is that some blokes must have been having a go and that's why the paper picked up the possibility of their being responsible.

Chris
 
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In late 1945 or early 1946, I was taken by my parents to see an exhibition of army and air force on the land beside the Hall of Memory in
Broad Street Birmingham. I recall walking past a Spitfire which to me seemed enormous, I had seen plenty in the sky over Castle Bromwich but had never seen on the ground. There was also a depiction of the work of the Bomb Disposal which showed a deep hole in which as man (a dummy) working on a 500lb German bomb. I am sure that photographs of this exhibition featured in Birmingham's local papers.
 
I remember reading a thread similar to this some time back and I posted a photo of a crashed bomber. but the OP said that the aircraft they remembered was a was a Messerschmitt I came across this yesterday it was taken in September 1940 and it was part of a display on Broad Street by the Colonnade to raise funds for the Lord Mayors Spitfire Fund. The aircraft had made a forced landing in Sussex some earlier that year.
 

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How fascinating! I found another photo of the same aircraft, and a colour scheme, it was a Messerschmidt Bf-109E-1 of 5./JG27 flown by Oblt. Erwin Daig. On 9th September 1940 Daig was on a fighter escort mission accompanying bombers to London. At 20,000 feet he was attacked by fighters , Daig's fighter suffered damage to it's fuel and engine cooling systems forcing him to land at Charity Farm near Parham, Sussex, where he was taken prisoner.
 

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I remember reading a thread similar to this some time back and I posted a photo of a crashed bomber. but the OP said that the aircraft they remembered was a was a Messerschmitt I came across this yesterday it was taken in September 1940 and it was part of a display on Broad Street by the Colonnade to raise funds for the Lord Mayors Spitfire Fund. The aircraft had made a forced landing in Sussex some earlier that year.

Is that a Spitfire I can see, banking around just above the large building ?

It's a bit like "Spot the Ball", look where the sentries are looking.
 
Is that a Spitfire I can see, banking around just above the large building ?

It's a bit like "Spot the Ball", look where the sentries are looking.

I've just taken a look at the original photograph and it is definitely an aircraft of some sort, possibly a spitfire.
 
Regarding the crashed Heinkel in Rumbush Lane, Earlswood, there's a page about it on the Solihull borough council site: https://www.solihull.gov.uk/Resident/Libraries/Local-family-history/bombingsinsolihull/ww2casualties5

Here's also a report of a crashed He111 at Blackthorne Road, Smethwick: https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/15/a4315015.shtml

Wow! I actually live on Hales Lane and there is some newer style houses at the bottom of the road towards the Cricket Club, I'm assuming that is where the plane came down. I guessed there had been bomb damage as there is the same type of houses in Sabell Road and Cheshire Road where bombs fell, not a German plane landing there. I've looked at old photographs in the Sandwell archives of bomb damage in Smethwick, but the roads are not specifically named. I guess Smethwick was also a target because of the heavy industry such as The Birmid.

Ive also read somewhere that a German plane came down in West Smethwick Park towards the end of the war (around 1944), the occupants were arrested and taken I believe to Piddock Road Police Station until Army officials collected them.

Hope it is all right to include this as it is technically "over the border"!
 
I spent the first 20 years of my married life in Smethwick and left there 30 years ago so my memory is not t0o reliable but I can pinpoint some areas of bomb damage. Corner of Lewisham Road and Oxford Road, houses missing, was used as Evered Co Ltd car park for many years also going up Oxford Road there is a group of 1950s? dwellings filling a gap in the houses, possibly replacing bomb damaged homes. Look out for 1950s built homes amongst late 19th/early 20th century buildings.
 
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