This is an unexpected piece come in , this until not so long ago was being used as the top of a shed or lean to for an outhouse , but in fact this is part of the fuselage from this aircraft Heinkel He111 bomber , work no 2624, of which she was shot down on the 14th August 1940. Battle of Britain
The piece has damage holes as can see from photo’s caused by bullets from Spitfire . You can also see some of the original outer skin paintwork, and a bit of the original decal. Although some piece have surfaced over the years from this aircraft , this is the biggest and interesting.
A Luftwaffe Heinkel 111 bombed RAF Sealand causing damage to some of the buildings. Pilot instructors at the nearby Hawarden airfield heard the bombs explode and saw the Heinkel just below the clouds. Three Spitfires were scrambled from 57 OTU and they attacked the German bomber, as it was making its third bombing run. The three Spitfires took turns to shoot at the Heinkel until it crashed into a field near to the England / Wales border. The aircraft came to rest about twenty metres from Border House Farm in Bumpers Lane, Chester.
The German Luftwaffe Heinkel 111 brought down by Hawarden Spitfire’s
This article is old – Published: Tuesday, Nov 10th, 2015
This amazing ‘colourised’ picture of that infamous Luftwaffe Heinkel 111 bomber which bombed RAF Sealand in 1940 is the work of colourisation expert Doug Banks from colourisehistory.com
The German Heinkel was attacked by three Spitfires from nearby RAF Hawarden as it was completing a third bombing run over Sealand.
At one point the bomber flew just 20ft above Salisbury Street in Shotton where a young Syd Lawrence, he of Orchestra fame watched the plane fly over according to an extract in a book about one of the Spitfire pilots Peter Ayerst.
The five crew from the Heinkel all survived and were taken prisoner, Ayerst claimed the ‘kill’ after seeing it come down near Border House Farm on Bumpers Lane near the River Dee.
Here’s an extract from the book Spirit of the Blue: Peter Ayerst – A Fighter Pilot’s Story by Hugh Thomas
“It occurred at approx. 1930 hrs, weather good, 14/08/40.
Peter Ayerst, Hallings-Pott & McLean all heard explosions and saw an (only one) aircraft “5 miles away”. The bombs were being dropped on the training school at RAF Sealand. All 3 scrambled (the aircraft were just being put away for the day).
Salisbury Street, Shotton
Heinkel He111 was spotted at 2000′ over Sealand, about to start a second run. Hollings-Pott & Mclean attacked and scored minor hits.
Peter attacked and must have hit engines as it rapidly lost height.
The other 2 Spits returned home, Peter stayed with Heinkel to watch it crash land. It was witnessed by 16 year-old Syd Lawrence (the band-leader).
The aircraft shot past the bottom of Salisbury Street, Shotton at about 9pm, no more than 20′ above the ground pursued by Peter’s spit.
The Heinkel flew under some pylons, nice wheels up landing and stopped 50yds short of a farmhouse (on Bumpers Lane)
The 5 crew were made POW’s but had planted detonators which blew up and only the tail and half of the fuselage remained. The next day the 3 Spit pilots and others travelled the 5 miles to view the wreck.
German crew – Fw. Heinrich Rodder (Nav.); Oblt. Artur Wiesemann (pilot); Uffz. Walter Schaum (Flt. Mech.); Uffz. Heinz Kochy (Radio Op.); Uffz. Gustav Ullmann (Gunner).
Four of the Germans met up with Peter Ayerst in 1988 and the Germans also gave their side of events, confirming the above – target was RAF Sealand, damaged caused to Guardroom, Sgts. Mess; and Airmen’s block.
They said they didn’t see the Spitfire’s from Hawarden coming – they thought the shadow on the cloud was their own aircraft – D’OH!”
Wing Commander Peter Ayerst, died in May 2014, he spent eight years as a fighter pilot with the Royal Air Force throughout the Second World War, before retiring as a wing commander.
Doug from
colourisehistory.com is keen to hear from anyone who may have been at the t reunion they back in 1989 with Peter Ayerst the pilot and the four surviving German pilots.
ITEM IS LARGE SO POSTAGE WILL HAVE TO BE PAID FOR OR COLLECTION
Heinkel He111 Fuselage Piece from 14th August 1940
WW11 German Propaganda Leaflets X 17
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£70.001 × £70.00
