1941-10-01, HE 111 H-5, 3906, III/KG 40, Lt. H. Weische, Geervliet

Mission

A group of men survey the rubble after North Shields suffers another raid, this time in September 1941. Many of these images were donated to the Newcastle City Library by Sir Arthur William Lambert.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/tyne/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8699000/8699998.stm

Crew

Weische, H. Lt III/KG-40 He 111H-5 Werk # 3906 (lost 10/1/41) Bomber Operational Clasp His He 111 crashed at Geervliet Holland, west of Spijkenisse, on 1 October, 1941, cause and pilot/crew disposition unknown. (DeSwart)

Lt Helmut Weische,

Fw Helmut Straden-B,

Ofw Peter Rohwedder-BF,

Uffz Günter Fischer-BS

All killed returning from a night mission in the Newcastle area. They had moved from Brest 7 Aug 41 to Schiphol then Soesterberg and then Beauvais operating occasionally from Schiphol and Soesterberg.

Unit

Kampfgeschwader 40

1. CV:

Started on 23 September 1939 (Group I), the staff followed in July 1940. On 22 December 1940, the staff was transferred to the staff of Fighter Squadron 28 and replaced by a completely new staff. In January 1941, the group II was started, the III. Group followed in March 1941 from I / KG 1. In July 1940, a group IV (Supplement) was installed. In August 1942 in Nantes, an additional fifth group was set up.

The squadron was equipped as follows:

Staff: First He 111 H, then Fw 200 C

I. Group: first Fw 200 C and some He 111, from 1943 the He 177

II Group: first, the He 111 and Do 217, October 1943, the He 177

III. Group: first, the He 111, June 1941, the Fw Fw 200 C

IV Group: He 177 (including supplementary battle group called HE-177)

V. Group: The group was equipped with Ju 88 C and belonged to the Zerstörer squadrons.

The squadron was assigned to Atlantic duties. The II group was in June 1943 assigned to V. / KG 2, and in October 1943 newly formed from the I / KG50 In October 1943, the fifth group was moved to I./Zerstörer-Geschwader. The squadron was dissolved on 2 February 1945 after it first was intended to be reformed as a Schellkampfverband with the Me 262. This however never happened.

Target

Tuesday, 30th September/Wednesday, 1st October 1941 N759

Northumberland.. Tynemouth Borough.. A major raid causing sixty-one deaths and widespread damage. Thirty-eight HEs dropped over residential areas in the eastern half of North Shields causing major damage to property including North Shields Railway Station. A single HE fell at Whitehill Point Ferry Landing. Seven HEs fell at Albert Edward Dock and the railway lines serving the docks. Four HEs fell at Percy Main affecting Rothbury Terrace, Morpeth Terrace, Wallsend Road and Waterville Road and a single HE between Regent Terrace and Queen Alexander Road.

Raids on the north-east were carried out by some of the eighty enemy aircraft that flew over Britain today. In North Shields: Bedford Street, Saville Street, and Coach Lane were among the streets hit. The buildings damaged included the Wesleyan Hall, which was set on fire, Prince's Theatre, Chirton Co-operative Store, and Queen Victoria Council School - the school was badly damaged, five classrooms were found to be unusable, pupils were transferred to the Western Board School. For further information on the subsequent fate of the Queen Victoria Council School.

source: http://www.bpears.org.uk/NE-Diary/Inc/ISeq_23.html