Wellington HZ355 from 429 Squadron

Yes that was in Paris. He was Belgian and she was French. Dessoubrie would however travel through the whole of Northern France to catch his preys. He was seen in Beauvais, Normandy, Chartres, Paris and many other places.

 

Skipper,

Thanks. I will look up more on him today before I call my Uncle. It is also my understanding that he did not work with DeZitter that anyone knows about. But if both were communicating with the Gestapo (or the German Police) then arrangements could be made then in Paris once DeZitter was done in Brussels.

Am I understanding this correctly?

Sorry about so many questions!

Jo Ann

 

Skipper,

I found some information in the book:

Silent Heroes: Downed Airmen and the French Underground by Sherri Greene Ottis

States that Desoubrie did work as a guide from Brussels to Paris for a time in June 1943.

My mistake.

Jo Ann

 

Apparently both Dessoubrie and de Zitter have worked for the Germans much earlier. They were both around in 1943 that's for sure. Apparently he settled in France in 1943-44 and concentrated on the French Resitance whereas de Zitter would concentrate on the Belgian branch.

 

Skipper, Erich and Alain,

I looked up Werner Baake. It appears there were 2 Wellington's from Squadron 429 shot down the same night in the area.

HF-542
"Serial range HF513 - HF545. 33 Wellington Mk.X. HF452-HF606, 118 Wellington Mk.X, delivered by Vickers (Chester) in May and June 1943. Part of a batch of 1100 Wellington Mk.1C/111/X/X11/X1V. HD942-HF606. For the full list of this large batch refer to Record No.6135. HF542 was one of three 429 Sqdn Wellingtons lost on this operation. See: HE593; HZ235. Airborne 2308 11Jun43 from East Moor. Shot down by a night-fighter (Lt Werner Baake, 1./NJG1) and crashed 0110 at Westendorp (Gelderland), 8 km ESE of Doetinchem, Holland. Three are buried in Wisch (Varsseveld) General Cemetery and the other two have no known graves. P/O R.P.Davies RCAF KIA Sgt D.E.Campbell RCAF KIA Sgt R.Zeidel RCAF KIA Sgt L.P.R.Taillefer RCAF KIA Sgt A.J.Maclachlan RCAF KIA "
Lost Bombers Site

Thank you guys for the information and I will get it to my Uncle.

This site talks about excavations of the HF-542 and claims also Werner Baake which is not my Uncle's HZ-355. RAF Wellington MkX HF 543 AL-O

May never know for sure.

Jo Ann

 

The above one isn't your uncle's either, that place is near Arnhem in Holland. Kollack is still my best candidate.

 

Skipper,

Mine too.

The above site seems to have information on that particular crash (Not my Uncles') and has where and when the men were buried (2 were buried and they did not find the other 2).

Jo Ann

 

Hi all ,

I checked out something more , that night 11/12 june two Wellingtons were lost over Belgium. HE-184 was claimed by Kollak over Westkapelle , a village near the Belgian coast and crashed in the Northsea. Three crewman washed up on Belgian and Dutch shores, so therefore we can be sure about this.Westkapelle and Ophoven is about 200 km from each other.
I will contact a friend of mine who lives in the Ophoven area and see if he has something more about this event.

Greetings
Alain57
Belgium

 

Alain,

Nice! This might help!!!!!

Okay, I have a bit of news too. I am transcribing my interview with my Uncle that I did in 2000 (Hubby just digitized it from Video and put on the computer for me) and he is extremely detailed over the air fight that he was in with the two ME-110's. He shot one down! (I am holding my arm out extended for you guys to slap it! I should have gone over this before.) I will quickly get what I have down. I have written scribbles right now, just getting to the part where he is telling the pilot about evasive action.

 

well be on guard literally about the LW losses/claims book by Perry, many errors included. Boitens work coming sometime will fill in the blanks ...........maybe

for 11/12 June 43 the losses are thus :

3 losses

Bf 110G-4 from 12./NJG 1 at ? hours shot down by flak, both crewmen KIA
code G9+DZ southeast of Büssum

Ju 88C-6 from 11./NJG 3 coded D5+NV pilot wounded two other crewmen unhurt. 10 km southwest of Herning 9 Denmark) on a bad landing approach with the left engine shutting down. 01.20 hours

Bf 110G-4 from 12./NJG 1 over Gilze-Rijen Holland airfield. both crewmen wounded. coded G9+AZ. 110G-4 crashed on landing.............so could this be a possible candidate ??......... maybe. crash due to enemy action.

side note in my data from Freiburg Archiv's : Werner Baake is given two kills for this night.

 

This would confirm the Ophoven crash. Besides this is how it is listed in Chorley too. Gilze is about 50km north of Ophoven . the Bussum one is Flak and the third one out of range in Danemark. It must admit that Baake is intriging me, could he be the one who crashed at Gilze that night after his two claims? He got one near Arnhem and if you draw a line from his first claim to Limburg you get through Gilze , so he may have attempted to return there after having been hit, or wasn't he hit that night?

 

Just took a break...fingers cramping! Just quick note here...I am going to type every word out (total transcribe). He describes every detail...

2 ME-100's in set, one he hit and saw 2 parachutes come out of it before it went down.

As soon as I get to the end of the part where he is done with the description of the air fight and landing I will send that before I continue transcribing the rest.
Jo Ann

 

Skipper your fingers are sticky man ..............

JoAnn what can I say except what I have recorded, the German LW nf's operated alone and true each other at times could be seen at a distance from another and witnessing attacks and downings, there was literally too much danger in attacking by twos or more as collision could occur, if anything where this did happen was with single engine day turned night fighters in JG 300, 301 and 302 with their limelight during summer/fall.winter of 1943 with the aid of searchlights and their light patterns in Wilde Sau and Hell nacht missions. I for one will be interested in "his" text of the air battle.

Granted Luftwaffe but as well as RAF records do have gaps it is obvious

 

Erich,

I understand...I will hurry on this today!

Jo Ann

 

I know it's weird I got many multiple postings without even have finished my answer and I never actually clicked the enter key, it took me a while to delete the gremlins, I wonder what happened

 

how bizarre ............. back to Baake as you asked if he was shot down, the answer on that is no. He really should of been flying the He 219 this night but it went ot CO Streib. Baake was flying the Bf 110G-4

here is the crew of 12./NJG 1 that crashed in Holland :

Oberleutnant Eberhard Gardiewski, wounded
Unteroffizier Heinz Bärwolf, wounded

werke nummer of the aircraft was 5343

 

interesting considering Jo ann mentionned two chutes. This would match with a route that would go from England to Holland then south east towards Gilze and north east Belgium wherethe Wellington met his fate. If the Gardiewski crash was downed minutes before 1am it would fit this pattern. It does not prove who shot the Welli down , but it would show its final route.

 

Skipper I am not following you on this one ........... as well as not having the crash time, wish I did ~

 

No wonder ;some of my keys did not type,

Considering 3 ME-110 were downed, one by Flak and one in Denmark ,that means only one remains. Besides the two chutes would be the two survivors spotted by the Wellington crew. I will see if I can find times

 

yes of course, but it is also that possibility we have two crewmen bailing out and no record of time nor crash of the Bf 110G on file. slim but still possible

think your PC might have the plague