Junkers Ju88 5J+AT at Aldborough, East Yorkshire.
On 8th July 1940 this aircraft was to attack convoys in the North Sea and the aircraft was spotted off Scarborough by two 41 Squadron Spitfires who attacked the Ju88. The attack wounded the German gunner and one engine was hit and put out of action. The Ju88 then turned and made for land almost certainly realising that they would not be able to fly home.
The Ju88 was later attacked by three Hurricanes of 249 Squadron alomost certainly over Yorkshire and soon after the pilot of the Ju88 ordered his crew to bale out before, it would appear, control was lost and the aircraft crashed near Aldborough to the south of Hornsea at 11.42hrs. The pilot was killed in the crash. The three crew landed near Hornsea; of interest is that one landed nearby at East Carlton Farm and was taken prisoner by Mrs Eveline Cardwell who was unarmed. She was later awarded the BEM for efforts in detaining the German airman and was presented the medal by King George VI at Hornsea on 1st August 1940. Winston Churchill used Mrs Cardwell's actions as good propaganda and visited Hornsea at the same time. The citation for the BEM reads..
"With great pluck and presence of mind Mrs Cardwell disarmed and took into custody an airman who had landed by parachute from an enemy aircraft during an attack on North East England on Monday 8th July 1940."
Pilot - Hptmn Kurt Rohloff (53558/1), Buried Cannock Chase Cemetery, Stafforshire. Staffelkapitan of 9/KG4.
Gunner - Uffz George Abel, PoW.
Wireless Operator - Uffz Artur Kuhnapfel, PoW.
Mechanic - Uffz Heinz Oechler, PoW.
Kurt Rohloff's grave at Cannock Chase.
East Yorkshire aviation expert Rodney Robinson along with historians Ken Reast, Albert Pritchard and Eric Barton obtained permission from the landowner in June 2000 and located small fragments of the aircraft on the surface at the crash site to confirm the location as being near Crossmere Hill. The photograph shown above depicts fragments of this aeroplane that were found and retained by Eric Barton following his visit.
