The Humbie Heinkel

 

    Onlookers surround a German He-111 H-2 bomber that was shot down by Spitfire "ACE" F/L Archie McKellar over the Lammermuir Hills, Humbie, Scotland. October 28, 1939. 
    The bomber was on a reconnaissance mission when it was shot down. 2 of its crew were killed, the pilot was wounded, and the navigator surrendered to a local policeman.
    This bomber was known as, "The Humbie Heinkel," and it was the first official German aircraft brought down over British soil during WW2.

    Interesting markings on this aircraft - note the second cross outboard, on the top of the wings. The aircraft bore the code 1H+JA, and belonged to the Stab./KG 26 unit (Staff Flight of Kampfgeschwader 26) and was identified by Werk Number 5/449

    TheHienkel Took off from Lubeck-Blankensee on a long-range, armed reconnaissance mission to the Firth of Clyde and the Firth of Forth, a round trip of some 1,000 miles.
    At 15,000ft over the Firth of Forth, the aircraft was hit by accurate anti-aircraft fire. Next, Spitfires of 602 and 603 squadrons located the Heinkel at 6,000ft. Repeated attacks riddled the doomed bomber, wounding the pilot, knocking out both engines, shattering the cockpit instruments and killing the flight engineer and radio operator.

    The pilot, skilfully glided his airplane in, and performed a perfect forced landing in difficult terrain in the Lammermuir Hills, near Edinburgh. This was the first German aircraft to be brought down over mainland Britain in WW2 and it attracted huge media attention at the time.
    It also gave RAF Intelligence a largely intact machine to evaluate, although the RAF technicians never discovered the German radio navigational bombing aid  - code named, "Knickebein". It was not until late 1940 that the mystery of this navigation system was revealed.

Crew: Pilot – Uffz. Kurt Lehmkuhl (captured, wounded)

Observer/Navigator  – Ltn. Rolf Niehoff (captured)

Radio Operator – Gefr. Bruno Reimann a KIA

Flight Engineer – Uffz. Gottlieb Kowalke KIA