Location: Manor Avenue, Caterham, Surrey, England.

CREW:

Pilot: Feldwebel. F Meyer – Captured unhurt. POW.

Observer: Major. Willibald Fanelsa (Gruppenkommandeur) – Captured unhurt. POW.

Flt/Eng: Oberfeldwebel. A Vetter – Captured unhurt. POW

Radio/Op: Oberfeldwebel. E Braunsburger Captured unhurt. POW.

Gunner: Gefreiter. G Zimpel Captured unhurt. POW.

REASON FOR LOSS:

Left an aerodrome near Montdidier at 23.40 hrs. to bomb factories in the Coventry area. Twenty 50 kg bombs carried. A track on a map showed a point 3 miles ENE Montdidier to just short of Dieppe, landfall at Eastbourne and then to Coventry. Even when they started out the starboard engine was not running well and when over the target the port engine stopped, possibly due to AA fire. With faltering engine the aircraft lost height and at about 4,800 ft. they were picked up by searchlights so the crew dropped the bombs blindly finally bailing out at 2,300 ft. and landed uninjured. The aircraft was completely wrecked.

Crash site of Major. Fanelsa’s He 111H-2 in between houses in Manor Avenue.

Close up of the remains of the aircrafts tail unit destroyed by fire.

Burial detail: None.

Researched by Melvin Brownless A R Society (May 2013).