Battle of Graveney Marsh

Last updated

Battle of Graveney Marsh
Part of Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain HU73745.jpg
Another Junkers Ju 88A-1, following a crash landing in England in 1940
Date27 September 1940
Location
Graveney Marsh, Kent, England
51°20′38.18″N00°57′31.99″E / 51.3439389°N 0.9588861°E / 51.3439389; 0.9588861
Status Military technology captured intact.
Belligerents
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom Flag of Germany (1935-1945).svg  Germany
Commanders and leaders
Captain John Cantopher Unteroffizier Fritz Ruhlandt  (POW)
Units involved
1st Battalion, London Irish Rifles Luftwaffe bomber crew
Strength
one company four crew, armed
with machine guns
Casualties and losses
none four POW,
including one wounded
England location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Graveney Marsh
Graveney Marsh, Kent

The Battle of Graveney Marsh, on the night of 27 September 1940 in Kent, England, was the last ground engagement involving a foreign force to take place on the mainland of Great Britain [1] [2] until Operation Nimrod. [3] [ original research? ] The fighting took place between the crew of a shot-down German Junkers Ju 88A-1 bomber from KG 77 and a detachment of soldiers from the 1st Battalion, London Irish Rifles (1 LIR), in Seasalter on the north Kent coast. The Ju 88, W.Nr 088 8099, 3Z+EL, and nicknamed Eule ("Owl") by its crew, was a new model and had only entered service two weeks earlier. The British forces were aware of the new model, and had issued orders to capture one intact if at all possible. [1] It was crewed by Unteroffizier (Uffz) Fritz Ruhlandt (pilot), Feldwebel Gotthard Richter (bomb aimer); Uffz Erwin Richter (radio operator/gunner); and Flieger (Airman) Jakob Reiner (gunner). [4]

RAF fighter pilots, from 66 Squadron (Hurricane) and 92 Squadron (Spitfire), had attacked the Ju 88 over Faversham. Previously, fighter pilots had been ordered to, when possible, force German bomber crews to land or crash land, so that they and their aircraft could be captured intact, [1] [4] for intelligence purposes. On this occasion, one of the bomber's engines had already been damaged by anti-aircraft fire during a raid on London and, after the fighter pilots were able to destroy its remaining engine, Ruhlandt made a crash landing on Graveney Marsh. The entire crew survived the crash.

When members of 1 LIR, billeted nearby at the Sportsman Inn in Seasalter, arrived at the crash site, the four German aviators were attempting to destroy classified equipment on board the aircraft, [4] [5] According to some accounts, the Germans had armed themselves with machine guns previously fitted to the Ju 88 and a sub-machine gun. (The latter was part of a standard survival kit, issued at the time to the crews of Luftwaffe bomber, patrol and transport aircraft).[ citation needed ] The British opened fire and one of the Germans was hit in the foot. [4] The crew then surrendered and were taken prisoner. The RAF Historical Branch later stated that “some sort of fight took place, but it is far from clear that the [German] crew fired at anything but their own aircraft.” [4]

After one of the Germans indicated that the aircraft might explode at any moment, Captain John Cantopher located an object – which he described as a "black box" – and threw it away from the aircraft into a drainage ditch. [4] Historian Don Hollway suggests that the object may have been the sealed housing of a secret BZA bombsight analogue computer; the Air Ministry hushed up the incident so as not to reveal to the Germans that their secret equipment had been recovered. [4]

The prisoners were taken to the Sportsman Inn and given pints of beer. [4] The bomber was captured for examination by British experts. The aircraft was taken to Farnborough Airfield where it was said to have "provided highly valuable information". [1] Cantopher was subsequently awarded the George Medal for his action. [6] [7]

In September 2010, the London Irish Rifles Regimental Association marked its 70th anniversary by unveiling a commemorative plaque at the Sportsman pub. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Junkers Ju 87</span> 1935 dive bomber aircraft family by Junkers

The Junkers Ju 87 or "Stuka" is a German dive bomber and ground-attack aircraft. Designed by Hermann Pohlmann, it first flew in 1935. The Ju 87 made its combat debut in 1937 with the Luftwaffe's Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939 and served the Axis in World War II from beginning to end (1939–1945).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Britain</span> Crucial WW2 air battle fought between German and British air forces

The Battle of Britain was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defended the United Kingdom (UK) against large-scale attacks by Nazi Germany's air force, the Luftwaffe. It was the first major military campaign fought entirely by air forces. The British officially recognise the battle's duration as being from 10 July until 31 October 1940, which overlaps the period of large-scale night attacks known as the Blitz, that lasted from 7 September 1940 to 11 May 1941. German historians do not follow this subdivision and regard the battle as a single campaign lasting from July 1940 to May 1941, including the Blitz.

<i>Battle of Britain</i> (film) 1969 WWII film by Guy Hamilton

Battle of Britain is a 1969 British war film directed by Guy Hamilton, and produced by Harry Saltzman and S. Benjamin Fisz. The film documents the events of the Battle of Britain. The film drew many respected British actors to accept roles as key figures of the battle, including Laurence Olivier as Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding, Trevor Howard as Air Vice-Marshal Keith Park, and Patrick Wymark as Air Vice-Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory. It also starred Michael Caine, Christopher Plummer, and Robert Shaw as Squadron Leaders. The script by James Kennaway and Wilfred Greatorex was based on the book The Narrow Margin by Derek Wood and Derek Dempster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Junkers Ju 88</span> German twin engine multirole combat aircraft

The Junkers Ju 88 is a German World War II Luftwaffe twin-engined multirole combat aircraft. Junkers Aircraft and Motor Works (JFM) designed the plane in the mid-1930s as a so-called Schnellbomber that would be too fast for fighters of its era to intercept. It suffered from technical problems during its development and early operational periods but became one of the most versatile combat aircraft of the war. Like a number of other Luftwaffe bombers, it served as a bomber, dive bomber, night fighter, torpedo bomber, reconnaissance aircraft, heavy fighter and at the end of the war, as a flying bomb.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boulton Paul Defiant</span> British fighter aircraft

The Boulton Paul Defiant is a British interceptor aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force (RAF) during World War II. The Defiant was designed and built by Boulton Paul Aircraft as a "turret fighter" to meet the RAF requirement for day and night fighters that could concentrate their firepower on enemy bombers which were not expected to have fighter escorts due to the distance from Germany to the United Kingdom. The Defiant had all its armament in a dorsal turret offering the ability to fire in most directions. The same principle was used in the Royal Navy's Blackburn Roc which was also built by Boulton Paul.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mistel</span> World War II aircraft

Mistel was the larger, unmanned component of a composite aircraft configuration developed in Germany during the later stages of World War II. The composite comprised a small piloted control aircraft mounted above a large explosives-carrying drone, the Mistel, and as a whole was referred to as the Huckepack ("Piggyback"), also known as the Beethoven-Gerät or Vati und Sohn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aircraft of the Battle of Britain</span>

The Battle of Britain was an effort by the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) during the summer and autumn of 1940 to gain air superiority over the Royal Air Force (RAF) of the United Kingdom in preparation for the planned amphibious and airborne forces invasion of Britain by Operation Sea Lion. Neither the German leader Adolf Hitler nor his High Command of the Armed Forces believed it was possible to carry out a successful amphibious assault on Britain until the RAF had been neutralised. Secondary objectives were to destroy aircraft production and ground infrastructure, to attack areas of political significance, and to terrorise the British people into seeking an armistice or surrender.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Flax</span> 1943 WWII battle in Tunisia

Operation Flax was a Western Allied air operation during the Tunisian campaign, as part of the larger North African campaign of the Second World War. It was designed to cut air supply between Italy and the Axis armies in Tunis, Tunisia, in April 1943. The parallel Allied naval effort was Operation Retribution.

Wing Commander Bransome Arthur "Branse" Burbridge, was a Royal Air Force (RAF) night fighter pilot and flying ace—a pilot credited with at least five enemy aircraft destroyed—who holds the Allied record of 21 aerial victories achieved at night during the Second World War.

<i>Adlertag</i> First day of German military operations to destroy the British air force

Adlertag was the first day of Unternehmen Adlerangriff, which was the codename of a military operation by Nazi Germany's Luftwaffe to destroy the British Royal Air Force (RAF). The operation came after Britain rejected all overtures for a negotiated peace with Germany. However, Adlertag and subsequent operations failed to destroy the RAF or gain local air superiority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graveney</span> Human settlement in England

Graveney is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Graveney with Goodnestone, in the Swale district, in Kent, England. It is located between Faversham and Whitstable. The main part of the village is located along the intersection of Seasalter Road, Sandbanks Road and Head Hill Road, which is surrounded by farmland. The rest of the village is dispersed amongst this farmland. In 1961 the parish had a population of 305.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Britain Day</span> Day remembering the Battle of Britain on the 15 September 1940

Battle of Britain Day, 15 September 1940, is the day on which a large-scale aerial battle in the Battle of Britain took place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adrian Francis Laws</span> British World War II flying ace

Adrian Francis Laws, was a Royal Air Force pilot and flying ace during the Battle of Britain. He was killed on 30 September 1940 after colliding with another Spitfire while training new pilots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 238 Squadron RAF</span> Military unit

No. 238 Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It was first formed in 1918 by combining number 347, 348 and 349 Flights at RAF Cattewater by the Royal Flying Corps during the First World War. It was reformed for the Second World War, the Berlin Airlift and currently is a Line Training Flight (LTF) squadron based at RAF Cosford, albeit in a non-flying capacity. It is among those officially acknowledged Battle of Britain squadrons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James MacLachlan</span> British flying ace (1919–1943)

James Archibald Findlay MacLachlan was a Royal Air Force (RAF) fighter pilot and flying ace of the Second World War. MacLachlan was credited with 16 German and Italian aircraft shot down in approximately 250 missions—7 were at night of which two were achieved over Malta in 1941 and 5 over France in 1942.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Hardest Day</span> World War II air battle part of the greater Battle of Britain

The Hardest Day was a Second World War air battle fought on 18 August 1940 during the Battle of Britain between the German Luftwaffe and British Royal Air Force (RAF). On that day, the Luftwaffe made an all-out effort to destroy RAF Fighter Command. The air battles that took place on that day were amongst the largest aerial engagements in history to that time. Both sides suffered heavy losses. In the air, the British shot down twice as many Luftwaffe aircraft as they lost. However, many RAF aircraft were destroyed on the ground, equalising the total losses of both sides. Further large and costly aerial battles took place after 18 August, but both sides lost more aircraft combined on this day than at any other point during the campaign, including 15 September, the Battle of Britain Day, generally considered the climax of the fighting. For this reason, Sunday 18 August 1940 became known as "the Hardest Day" in Britain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Dundas (RAF officer)</span> British aviator

John Charles Dundas, was a Royal Air Force fighter pilot and flying ace of the Second World War credited with 12 victories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keith Hampshire (RAAF officer)</span> Royal Australian Air Force officer

Keith MacDermott Hampshire, was a pilot and ace of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) during the Second World War. He saw action in twin-engine propeller-driven aircraft, flying intruder, ground attack and night fighter missions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Gisela</span> 1945 WWII Luftwaffe air operation

Operation Gisela was the codename for a German military operation of the Second World War. Gisela was designed as an aerial intruder operation to support the German air defence system in its night battles with RAF Bomber Command during the Defence of the Reich campaign. It was the last major operation launched by the Luftwaffe Nachtjagdgeschwader during the conflict.

<i>Kanalkampf</i> 1940 Luftwaffe air raids over the English Channel against the Royal Air Force

The Kanalkampf was the German term for air operations by the Luftwaffe against the Royal Air Force (RAF) over the English Channel in July 1940, beginning the Battle of Britain during the Second World War. By 25 June, the Allies had been defeated in Western Europe and Scandinavia. Britain had rejected peace overtures and on 16 July, Adolf Hitler issued Directive 16 to the Wehrmacht, ordering preparations for an invasion of Britain, under the codename Unternehmen Seelöwe.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Green, Ron; Mark Harrison (30 September 2009). "Forgotten frontline exhibition tells how Luftwaffe fought with soldiers on Kent marshes". KentOnline. Archived from the original on 25 November 2011.
  2. 1 2 "Kent battle between German bomber crew and British soldiers marked after 70 years". The Daily Telegraph . 20 August 2010. Archived from the original on 23 August 2010.
  3. "The Day the SAS Became Famous: Operation Nimrod and the Iranian Embassy".
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Hollway, Don (February 2019). "The Battle of Graveney Marsh". History Magazine.
  5. "Stories of the Battle of Britain 1940 – Graveney Marsh — Battle of Britain – 27 September 1940". The Spitfire Site. 1 October 2010.
  6. "No. 35050". The London Gazette (Supplement). 21 January 1941. p. 462.
  7. "Recommendations for Honours and Awards (Army)" (pdf). DocumentsOnline. The National Archives . Retrieved 24 August 2010.