Who Shot 'J-Johnnie' Down ?

Stated in print at last - the monumental and essential 'Nachtjagd War Diaries' contains the following entry for 30-31 January 1944 : -

'Oblt. Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer : 44 12.NJG1
Lancaster : Zwanenburg 10km West Amsterdam (GK5)
97 Sqn Lancaster JB659

Oblt. Schnaufer notched up his 44th victory, 97 Squadron Lancaster JB659 which crashed at Haarlemmerliede with the loss of the whole crew. More than 55 years later, on 25 May 2000, the remains of the aircraft and five missing crew members, were recovered from the crash site...'

Previously, the Lancaster had simply been referred to as 'shot down by a German Nightfighter' and Schanufer's 44th was 'a Lancaster shot down into the sea'.

J-for-Johnnie's 'sprog' PFF crew are long dead, and so is Schnaufer - and sadly also the Dutch farmers' family, killed in the crash.

May they all Rest In Peace and not be forgotten.

 

The story of one of my oldest threads continues.....

As part of my hobby of collecting diecast model aircraft, I've long nurtured a desire for a model of the aircraft which shot down JB659. A conversation with a 'man from Corgi' 18 months ago ( and some help from the guys at the LEMB forum ) finally led to the release of this model last week : -



A tolerable representation of Schnaufer's Bf110G-4 ( complete with tiny set of Schrage Musik ) as photographed in February 1944.

Correctly depicted on the rudders are 47 victory markings ; no. 44 was JB659...in the background, a shattered camshaft cover from one of Lancaster JB659's Packard Merlins.

 

Martin I still wonder if Wolfgang was the victor in all of this ......... as you said all the ones focused on this event have passed or memory has slipped sadly to reoccur the deadly nights event(s).

E `

 

It's never going to be 100% certain, but time of action logged by crew plus time of crash logged by Civilian authorities, reported location of action and crash-site and all known circumstances point to JB659 as being Schnaufer's 44th. A number of different researchers working independently have arrived now at this conclusion, so although there willl always be an element of doubt I'd put it at 97% certain.....

 

My JB659 'project' continues - as Corgi have obligingly provided a model of Schnaufer's 110 as it would have appeared at the time, I have been considering the idea of 'converting' a die-cast Corgi Lancaster to represent 'J-for-Johnnie'.

Thanks to e-bay, I recently acquired a suitable donor model. A few evenings' work with paintbrush and decals, and I think I now have a reasonable representation....







The data-plate is from the original JB659.

To me, this little display is typical of Bomber Command's 'Darkest Hour' - the Bomber Battle of Berlin, winter 1943/44.

 

Very nice mate.

I used to have a B-17, Spitfire Mk II, and a lancaster but they all were damaged beyounf repair, but I still have the pieces somewhere.

I actually managed to salvage the Spitfire with other parts. I took out the seat and the propeller, and rigged up an electric motor where the battery would sit in the through the cockpit. The spiner on the motor was then attached to the propeller of the aircraft. It actually worked pretty well, until my friend dropped it.

 

Still musing on the fate of this Pathfinder Lancaster and its' crews....

On 27-28 January, 1944, 'J-Johnnie' flew to Berlin in the hands of F/O Frank Allison DFM and his crew, dropping 1x4000lb HC & 11x500lbMC from 20,000 ft.
They landed back at Bourn at 01:05 hrs.
They were 'on' again for Berlin later that same day, this time in Lancaster JB712 'U-Uncle'.

No trace of them or their aircraft has ever been found.