On the morning of Friday 27 September 1940, the Luftwaffe decided to carry out a raid on London. The raid included Junkers 88A-1 aircraft, one of which (work Number 8095) was from 2 Staffell (Kampfgeschwader 77) and carried the markings of 3Z+HK. Those on board included:

Pilot: Unteroffizier Rudolf Schumann 55511/7
Observer: Unteroffizier Hans Tenholt 55511/22 born 15 March 1912 in Bochum
Radio Operator: Unteroffizier Wilhelm Menningmann 55511/28 born 19 September 1916 in Dortmund
Gunner: Unteroffizier Albert Ackermann 55511/40 born 3 December 1914 in Reichen i.schles.

The attacking force, which consisted of approximately 30 Junkers 88s and between 20 to 25 Bf 109s and Bf 110s, was sighted between Kenley and Biggin Hill soon after 0900 by Hurricane pilots from No. 303 (Polish) and No. 1 (RCAF) Squadrons. The RAF pilots attacked the bombers from the rear at an altitude of 18,000 feet. To fend off this attack, some of the escorting Bf 109s dove down from above the bomber force. The fight quickly developed into a chaotic affair with aircraft going in all directions and it was difficult to determine who had shot down which aircraft. On more than one occasion, German aircraft were engaged in turn by different pilots. From this point the bomber formation flew in a north-west direction.



Research indicates that 3Z+HK was initially hit in the starboard engine and then, when in the area of Esher, it was hit in the port engine. This ties in with a claim by Candian pilot Gordon Roy McGregor which stated:

"Following Blue Section I attacked enemy bomber straggler and after short burst realized that previous fire had account for e/a [enemy aircraft]. I broke off and after failing to re-form flight or section, proceeded N.W. after enemy bombers' formation which was still visible turning west from London. I cut [the] chord of circle and delivered beam attack, closing to quarter on rearmost e/a. Machine jerked hard, port engine smoked heavily and machine went into steep left hand spiral dive. I did not see crash due to avoiding other aircraft."

Once hit over Esher, 3Z+HK is known to have headed south, as if making for the coast. It flew over Leatherhead and then Dorking while the pilot, struggled to maintain control. When he realized the situation was hopeless, Schumann ordered the three other crew to bale out.



Schumann, Ackerman and Tenholt managed to parachute down safely, although two of them were slightly injured. All three were captured - one at Bradley Farm, just outside Dorking (this is possibly near the current Bradley House, Bradley Lane, north of Dorking), another at Scammell's Farm, Blackbrook (Blackbrook House is SSE of Dorking), and the third one near the Norfolk Arms, Mid Holmwood (south of Dorking).



Although Menningmann managed to get out of the crippled bomber, it is believed he died when his parachute buckle failed. His body was located at the sewage works in Leatherhead (well north of Dorking) and his parachute floated down to land at Holmwood Park, North Holmwood.

If the locations of where the crew ended up are accurate, it is probable that Menningmann baled out first while the aircraft was near Leatherhead (although it seems surprising that his parachute floated some 10km further south - possible if he left the aircraft at a reasonable altitude and there was a northerly wind blowing). A second crew member would have got out just north of Dorking and the remaining two would have baled out near Dorking to end up in the North and Mid Holmwood area. It is likely that the pilot, Schumann, was the last out. All three survivors ended up as POWs.



Parts from the aircraft were found along the line it travelled (which is within a mile or so of the A24) from Leatherhead to South Holmwood where it finally crashed. The gun and "turret" were found in the garden of Mr E Jones at Folkington, Pilgrims Close, Westhumble. This is immediately north of Dorking and close to where one of the crew were located at Bradley Farm. It would have almost certainly been jetisoned to lighten the aircraft and make for an easy escape from the cockpit. Photos show that the rear glazing on the Junkers 88 could be removed if an emergency escape was required.

Part of the "tail" came down in Croft Avenue, Dorking. It is possible that the loss of this component may have rendered the aircraft uncontrollable, which would have resulted in the remaining two crew vacating the aircraft.

The remainder of the aircraft crashed into deep mud at Folly Farm off Folly Lane, South Holmwood (just east of the A24) where it set fire to some hay bales. An RAF report of the site described the aircraft as being buried in a large crater with the instruments destroyed and no armament present.


Someone who was living close by at the time was Jim Mann, who lived in No. 6 Ashleigh Cottages. During the war, several planes crashed in the area and he and his friends would try and beat the local policeman, Sergeant Bishop, and the RAF to the scene so they could collect souvenirs. He remembers that 3Z+HK narrowly missed the chimney on his family house and ended up crashing into a paddock 50 yards behind the Folly Farm House where the Adams family lived.

Unteroffizier Wilhelm Menningmann was buried in the parish church of St Mary and St. Nicholas in Leatherhead at the top of Gimcrack Hill six days later on a Thursday 3 October 1940. The burial was only attended by the church verger and the undertakers involved in the service. It is understood that his body remains in the church yard and was not reinterred at Cannock Chase after the war as was the case with most other German service personnel killed in England.


In 1976 the Air Historical Group and the Southern Area Wartime Aircraft Preservation Society decided to explore what was left of the aircraft. Photographs in the book The Battle of Britain Then and Now show that the engines were located at a depth of 20 feet. The digger only just exposed the rear of the port engine at full reach and it took two more days of hand digging to free the engine from the rock-hard clay. One of the unexpected finds during the dig was fragments of a Luftwaffe code book which gave up their secrets 36 years too late.


One of the engines is now on display at the Brooklands Museum, Weybridge, Surrey and it is believed the second engine was presented to the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa after being displayed at the Dorking Halls, Dorking.



In July 2009, a part of the aircraft was bought through eBay and is now part of the warbirdsite.com collection. The component is a large bracket that was built into the trailing edge of the wing to hold the flap hinge. Bent and twisted in the crash, it includes part of the rear web and a rib, as well as outer skin and an edge with threaded holes to which a panel could be fastened to the underside of the wing with screws.



The original paint colour is a very dark chocolate brown but there is also evidence that the underside may have been painted a matt black. In the book Flying Colours an illustration there shows a Ju 88 which had a temporary black underside in autumn 1940 for night Blitz on the UK. The Blitz began on 7 September 1940, so it is probable that the underside of 3Z+HK was quickly hand-painted black for night operations over London - although it was used during daylight hours on the day it was shot down.





On 21 February 2010 further items were added to the collection. These included part of a navigation ruler manufactured by Wichmann, part of a map showing the coastline of France, four pieces of a navigation manual, part of the remote compass compensation ring with data tag and part of the cockpit compass.


Part of navigation ruler manufactured by Wichmann


Part of the compass compensating ring. This probably fitted to the remote compass and may have had bits of iron to compensate for any errors in the compass.


The data plate showing the number Fl.23217 - 5 which identifies it as a compensation ring attached to the compass.

Part of the cockpit compass

Section of linen map showing the French coast

Detail of map showing hand written notes written on the map near the French town of Nantes

One of four pieces of the navigation manual that survived the crash and being buried in the ground for 36 years

Another piece of the manual


The third piece of the manual


The fourth piece of the manual

A contact from the past

Joanna Wilson (nee van der Lande) made contact on 21 February 2010 after seeing this page on the web. She mentioned that she and her brothers spent a couple of school holidays helping to dig up the wreckage as her family lived at Folly Farm. She recognised her father, one of her elder brothers and herself in the photograph showing the excavation (see above). Apparently many of the items from the aircraft went to the Warnham War Museum for cleaning. She recalled that there was a leather briefcase recovered in good condition which contained maps and pencils. It is possible that pieces of the map, ruler and navigation manual now in the warbirdsite.com collection came from that briefcase as they would need good protection to survive being buried for 36 years.

Joanna also remembers a loaded Luger pistol being recovered which the police had to come and investigate. Quite a story!

Acknowledgements:

The Battle of Britain Then and Now
Claire Ede
James C Mann
Nik Read
Dorking Advertiser
Brooklands Museum
Dorking Vintage Day
www.ju88.net
www.aircrewremembrancesociety.com
Joanna Wilson


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