1940-05-10 Blenheim IF

1940-05-10,1400,Blenheim IF,

L1401, 600 Sqdr., F/Lt. J.H.C. Rowe, Piershil

Type: Bristol Blenheim

Serial number: ?, BQ-K

Operation: Waalhaven

Lost: 10/05/1940

F/O (Pilot) Rowe, PoW

Pilot Officer (Air Gnr.) Robert W. H. Echlin, RAFVR 77117, 600 Sqdn., age 36, 10/05/1940, Piershil Protestant Churchyard (Zuid-Holland), NL.

Crash

May 10th. 1940, 12.15 h. on the first day of the war for the Netherlands at the beginning of the afternoon a dog-fight unfolded above the village Piershil followed by a crash. A german Messerschmitt was fighting a RAF Bristol Blenheim. The Blenheim left that day their base at Manston in the UK for a mission to attack the airport of Waalhaven in Rotterdam in an attempt to regain the airfield from the german invaders. The fighting aircrafts created a lot of danger for the people on the ground as bullets are flying al over the place. A small girl was hit in the shoulder by one of those bullets. The Messerschmitt flies several times at great speed and at very low altitue over the village. The German has the advantage over the Blenheim and its gunner Robert Echlin tries everything to keep him off. His weapon stops when he is hit by fire from the german and the plane crashes with a loud explosion in a patatoe field outside the village.

A dutch soldier is first at the scene and tries to pull the wounded pilot (Hugh Rowe) of the Blenheim out of the wreckage. Together with local Klaas van Bergeijk he finally manages to free the heavily burned pilot. They use a gate to transport him to Oud-Beijerland. The next day the body of Echlin is recovered and burried with military honour. Rowe recovers but is taken prisoner by the germans when the Netherlands surrenders and spends the rest of the war as POW.

source: http://www.piershil.com/index.php/oorlog/430-vliegtuigcrashes-nabij-piershil

Mission

Waalhaven was attacked. Not by bombers, but by six Bristol Blenheim Mk IF fighters. Of the first attack wave of around 11.30 hours only 1 Blenheim returned back on its base.

German parachute troops attacked in a surprise attack various locations in the Netherlands. Also Waalhaven airport near Rotterdam was attacked. After the airport was secured more and more German ground troops were flown in. The Dutch contacted Britain and France through the air attachés in The Hague. The British attaché had already reported on May 10, 1940 at 9:45 am in London that Waalhaven airport had fallen. A bombardment was desired. " Two hours later, the request was repeated. Also Ypenburg Ockenburg and Valkenburg had to be attacked.

Eventually the RAF performed the attack with the aim to destroy as many German aircrafts in and around the Dutch airport of Waalhaven as possible. The RAF opted for the RAF 600 Squadron City of London. This was stationed at RAF Manston basis. This squadron was part of the 'Auxiliary Air Force, an elite corps consisting of civilian volunteers and was founded in 1924. The British attack on Waalhaven on May 10, 1940 was conducted by six Bristol Blenheim Mk IF fighters.

A second attack followed around 13.20 hours. Now by nine Bristol Blenheim light bomber Mk IL. According to the report sixteen German planes were destroyed on the ground. The bombers returned safely to their base back.

The Luftwaffe was guaranteed air superiority over the Netherlands. They allocated 247 medium bombers, 147 fighter aircraft, 424 transports, and 12 seaplanes to direct operations over the Netherlands. The Dutch Air Force, the Militaire Luchtvaartafdeling (ML), had a strength of 144 combat aircraft, half of which were destroyed within the first day of operations. The remainder was dispersed and accounted for only a handful of Luftwaffe aircraft shot down. In total the ML flew a mere 332 sorties losing 110 of its aircraft.

The Luftwaffe's Transportgruppen suffered heavily. Transporting the German paratroops had cost it 125 Ju 52s destroyed and 47 damaged, representing 50 percent of the fleet's strength Most of these transports were destroyed on the ground, and some whilst trying to land under fire, as German forces had not properly secured the airfields and landing zones.

Crew

F/O Rowe, (Pilot), PoW

Pilot Officer Robert W. H. Echlin, (Air Gnr.), RAFVR 77117, 600 Sqdn., age 36, 10/05/1940, Piershil Protestant Churchyard (Zuid-Holland), NL.

Plane

The Blenheim IF is the fighter variant of the Blenheim I. This means the the aircraft has an additional 4 machineguns under the hull where normaly the bombbay would be located. This type lso has a crew of two where the normal bomber typ has a crew of three.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_Blenheim

Squadron/Unit

see: https://sites.google.com/site/wo2vpr1/home/1940-05-10-blenheim-mk-if

Claim

Possibly shot down by;

Wenzel, Werner Hptm 14 6/JG-27(5/40), 9/JG-27(8/41 S.U.), 9/JG-3(7/42 S.U.), Adj III/JG-7(3/45), Stfkpt 9/JG-7(4/45 to end) Bf 109E in JG-27, Bf 109F in JG-3, Me 262A-1a in JG-7 EP, EK 1 & 2, Fighter Operational Clasp One known victory, his 1st, a Blenheim over Rotterdam, 10 May, 1940. His first known Soviet victory, an I-16 on 14 August, 1941. A Soviet double on 18 July, 1942; both Il-2's. An Il-2 at Kalatsch on 27 July, 1942. An SU-2 at Tingula on 5 August, 1942. An Il-2 N of Nadeshda on 19 August, 1942. An R-5 at Stalingrad on 24 August, 1942. A P-2 at Orlowkoj on 7 September, 1942. His 14th, a LaGG-3 on 1 October, 1942. Magnus Report, victory count may be 18 or higher.

Claim:

10-05-40 00:00 "Ltn." "Werner" "Wenzel" 06-11-09 "JG 27" "Blenheim" "Rotterdam" "14.35" " 1st" 6 "yes" "OKL" "Prien/Bock"

Uebe, Heinz Uffz 2 6/JG-27 Bf 109E EK 1 & 2, Fighter Operational Clasp One known victory, his 1st, a Blenheim south of Rotterdam, 10 May, 1940. His 2nd, a Morane 406 at Montdidier, 6 June , 1940.

Claim:

10-05-40 00:00 "Uffz." "Heinz" "Uebe" 06-11-09 "JG 27" "Blenheim" "S. Rotterdam" "14.20" " 1st" 4 "yes" "OKL" "Prien/Bock"

The German luftwaffe had air superiority over Rotterdam. Between 1130 and 1300 hours there were (at least) three Staffeln active above Rotterdam: 6./JG26, 1./JG51 and equipped with Bf-110 the 3./ZG1. The first two already engaged in battle with Dutch planes when the first six Blenheim´s appeared.

Bf-110's were patrolling around 1245-1300 hours above the port of Rotterdam when they discovered the flight Blenheim underneath them. From higher altitudes the Staffel dived down on the (still) unsuspecting Brits. Just before Waalhaven all hell broke loose just above Pernis. The Blenheim were no match as also 6./JG27 Bf-109's engaged into the fight, the English opportunity to attack Waalhaven was lost. In minutes, five out of the six British aircraft were shot out of the sky. Only two Blenheim´s managed to reach the airport. Both attacked Ju-52's, but one was attacked during that action from behind by a Bf-110 and was shot on fire and crashed at the airport. The other - flown by F / O Hayes - was also heavily damaged but managed to escape through a southern route.

Five British aircraft crashed to the ground after each were shot down by Bf-109s and Bf-110's of the Luftwaffe.They came down near the towns of Piershil, Pernis, Herkingen [Goeree Overflakee] Waalhaven and Hoogvliet. Seven crew members - including S / L Wells - were killed. One crew member [F / O Hugh Rowe] was injured near Oud-Beijerland and after the surrender of the Netherlands was captured by the Germans and made POW. Officers P / O Kramer and P / O Haine [forced landing near Herkingen] and navigator John Davis [of unit S / L / Wells] escaped during the May days on board the destroyer HMS Hereward to England, after a detours to The Hague to the UK-embassy. Only F / O Norman Hayes managed to fly his Blenheim - heavily damaged - back to the home base."It was sad news he had to bring home ..."

above and below: a Blenheim 1f near Herkingen source: http://www.wo2go.nl/10_mei_1940.html