Heinkel Crash 8th October 1940
In memoriam:
Feldwebel Ernst Ens, Lt Ulrich Flügge, Uffizier Johann, Ehrensberger, Uffz Ernst Herber, Gefreiter Hans Pawlik, Pilot Officer Gilbert Elliot
Chris Goss is a retired RAF officer who now writes about aviation history. As a young boy, he used to live in Wellsworth Lane and along with many other residents at this time, used to go around the local area looking for wartime history. He has written numerous books about the aircraft of WW2, including researching the Messerschmitt 109 that crashed at Blendworth, the Meteor that crashed at Rowlands Castle after the war, the Typhoon in Stansted Forest, the Heinkel 111 at Stansted House and the Junkers 88 at Stubbermere.
This extract comes from an article written by him, for which Chris Goss retains the copyright.
Heinkel 111 Crash at Stansted
On the evening of 8 October 1940, twelve Heinkel He 111s, along with another eighteen aircraft took off from various airfields in France, all targeting English air bases, including Thorney Island, Ford, Shoreham and Tangmere airfields in Sussex.
Due to poor light, the aircraft that were assigned Thorney Island failed to find their target so instead, they attacked the railway line towards Portsmouth where a number of their bombs fell at Havant, killing three civilians.
Meanwhile, three German bombers dropped 42 bombs on Tangmere before heading west out over Chichester, the German gunners now looking to shoot at any targets of opportunity before heading back to Paris. At Downs between Walderton and Stoughton on the Hampshire/Sussex border, Sgt Maurice Fancey (391 Company, 48 Searchlight Regiment) ordered his detachment to stand to, and he and Gunner Frank Cruickshanks manned the sole Lewis Gun. As the three He 111s approached, they opened fire, after which the aircraft turned away towards Rowlands Castle. Here another detachment, commanded by Sgt Tom Bridgeman, opened fire with their Lewis gun. Radio operator, Fritz Pons, on one of three Heinkels noticed light flak coming from the starboard side of his plane and opened fire from his position in the top turret. He was then aware of an explosion to the port side of his aircraft after which he could only see one other He 111.
Onboard the stricken Heinkel, coded G1+MS, the pilot, Feldwebel (Flight Sgt) Ernst Ens, struggled to keep control but at such low-level, he had no chance. At Stansted House, narrowly missing the house and its Chapel, the bomber collided with a pine tree, which ripped off part of its tail. The He 111 then hit the ground in front of the stately home and careered across the fields, eventually slithering to a halt, upside down, on the cricket pitch.
At Westbourne, PC Sydney Reynolds watched the Heinkel’s last moments and guessed it was going to crash near Stansted House. Pedalling like mad, he could see a wisp of smoke coming from the park and four minutes later there was an almighty explosion which, it transpired, broke every window in Stansted House and the Chapel. Luckily no other major damage was caused. On his arrival, he could see the remains of the aircraft blazing away but what he wasn’t made aware of was the drama that had just taken place on the steps of the House. Pilot Officer Gilbert Elliot from RAF Tangmere was staying at the House, as a guest of Lord and Lady Bessborough. On seeing the Heinkel crash, he rushed towards the aircraft to see if he could help. Local rumour was that one of the gunners opened fire on him, mortally wounding him but what was more likely was he was seriously injured when the aircraft exploded. He was rushed to the Royal West Sussex Hospital but died of his wounds two days later.
Of the German crew, there was little to be found due to the ferocity of the explosion. The following morning, a torso was found and papers in the pocket showed this to be the remains of Ernst Ens who was buried with military honours at Thorney Island a few days later. Of the remainder of the crew, Leutnant (Pilot Officer) Ulrich Flügge, Unteroffizier(Sgt) Johann Ehrensberger, Uffz Ernst Herber and Gefreiter (Cpl) Hans Pawlik, they have no known grave and it must be presumed that any minute remains must have been buried with the remains of their Heinkel which was pushed into the hole that it had created.
Portsmouth Evening News – Wednesday 16 October 1940
EXPLOSION IN NAZI BOMBER
R.A.F. Pilot Killed
Machine gun bullets flew from the wreckage of a German plane which crashed in Stansted Park, Sussex and Pilot Officer Gilbert Elliott RAF, received severe wounds from which he has died. The pilot officer was a guest of the Earl of Bessborough at Stansted Park, and as soon as the plane crashed he ran out to see if he could render help. He was then not aware that the machine was a German bomber which, as it crashed in the open park land, had been blown up by its own bombs. He went close to the debris to see if there were any members of the crew needing assistance and he received body wounds as a result of bullets being discharged from the debris. He was taken to hospital for treatment but efforts to save his life failed.
Ralph Cousins has written a booklet about his Childhood Memories in Havant during World War 2. The booklet is available from the Spring Museum and the extract below is at the end of page 5.
A large number of high explosive and incendiary bombs were dropped in the Havant area. Mary Guy and Linda Coggell were killed on 10 October 1940 when bombs, aimed at the railway, fell on their bungalow and nearby houses in Fourth Avenue.