Heinkel crash, Clacton-on-Sea, 30 April 1940

A gent's contacted me with some more that he compiled on this crash - asked me to post this ~A :

German Heinkel Bomber Crash Clacton-on-Sea
April 30th. 1940.

According to an unofficial hand written report, written by a police constable present at the incident and sent to me by him many years ago, and still in my possession, the following information might be of interest:

The remains of the 4 German airmen were taken into the old fire station in Old Road.
Mutilation was present in all 4 cases, (a ghastly sight, if not gruesome, sic.)
All 4 airmen had had their clothes burned and were without their flying boots and gauntlets. A doctor suggested that this was because at the actual time of the crash and at the sign of extreme danger or during an expected crash, the victim’s ankles, feet and wrist muscles and ligatures tend to rapidly shrink – all over in a split second – with the result that boots and quite often gauntlets would come apart from the bodies, (sic.) Another theory put forward is that the airmen had deliberately removed their gauntlets and boots in the belief that they might have belly-landed in the water.
At a later medical examination of the bodies it was found that all 4 airmen had inhaled smoke, suggesting that they were still alive prior to the plane crash landing and bursting into flames, with the subsequent exploding of one of the mines.
The pilot of the bomber, (Hermann Peter Vagts), suffered the loss of his head. The head was either never found in the wreckage or elsewhere, or was somehow otherwise mislaid. Theories on this one abound, but suffice it to say that in the 1960’s a German pathologist’s exhumation report confirmed that the pilot’s head was not in the coffin.

Some personal information about the 4 dead airmen:
• Hermann Peter Vagts, (pilot, aged 25). He was the son of a Kiel girls’ school headmaster. Hermann Vagts had 3 brothers, all of whom lost their lives in the war. In a letter written after the war the pilot’s mother spoke of the fact that all her sons, like English sons, went out to do their duty for their country. Her sons had all been musicians of one sort or another and she said how “silent the house had become” since their departures. Her husband could not bear the loss of his 4 sons and died of heartbreak a few years later, although he had managed to pay a visit to France to visit the grave of one of them. She had often “stayed awake at night, hoping that there would be a knock on the door from one of her sons at least.”

• Hermann Wilhelm Sodtmann, (observer, aged 24). He came originally from Travemuende. An only child, his younger brother dying a few months after birth. Hermann had served in the Hitler Youth and the Brownshirts organisation and later went on to train with the Luftwaffe. He took part in the Polish campaign of 1939 and was awarded a Knight’s Cross 2nd. class. His Luftwaffe commanding officer had written a glowing report about this airman’s character and remarked on his “pleasant and friendly disposition.”

• Hans Guenther Koch, (radio operator). He was the youngest crewmember, (aged 20). He originated from a small village called Neu Skalmirschuetz, (now in Poland.) His father was an engine driver.

• Karl-Heinz Fresen, (engineer, aged 26). Nothing known; possibly came from Hamburg.

Credits for information: Spencer Wilson, Derek and Karl Johnson

Footnote: Sometime in the 1960’s a friend of mine noticed two people looking at the airmen’s graves. He heard them speaking German and went up to them. The man said that he and his wife had come over specially to see their son’s grave before he was exhumed to be taken to the German cemetery in Cannock Chase. My friend was presented with a nice fountain pen. Sadly my friend was never able to recall the German couple’s name.

Leutnant Hermann Sodtmann


V.S. Wilson

 

Thanks for posting this VP...

... and to the person who compiled the information and contacted WW2Talk, the addition to the thread is appreciated. Thank you very much indeed.

Regards,
Diane

 

Another view of the house.
Pity we haven't got any nearby members to 'Then & Now' this incident.
Shame there is no GoogleStreetview either.

Clacton at War - Online - Education Activities for Schools from Clacton VCH Group

 

Interesting excerpt from the above link provided by Verrieres ... links into the thread somewhere about use of swastika for burial in UK.

The four airmen who died were Oberleutnant and Flugzeugfuhrer Herman Vagts, aged 25 years, the pilot of the Heinkel, Herman Sodmann, 24, Karl-Heinz Fresen, 26 and Hans- Gunter Koch, 21. It was decided to bury the four airmen in the local cemetery and on May 4 crowds lined the streets as RAF lorries carried the Swastika- draped coffins to their final resting place at Burrsville Park. Extra police were drafted in to the area as a precaution against demonstrations, but apart from an outcry from some of the popular press, all passed off peacefully. Many floral tributes from local people were laid on the graves.


Edit: thread about Nazi flags at burials http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/war-cemeteries-war-memorial-research/16554-use-nazi-flag-burials-british-cemeteries.html

 

During the night and much of the next day the emergency services worked to clear the area and house those made homeless by the explosion. Rescuer workers noticed what they believed to be a hot water cylinder lying among the rubble and Detective Sergeant Barkway remembered resting his foot on it on several occasions. But then
someone more curious noticed German words stencilled on the side of the `hot water cylinder'. As a precaution the area was evacuated and two Royal Naval mine disposal officers, Lieutenant - Commander R. Ryan and Chief Petty Officer R. Ellingworth were called in and identified it as the new `C' type parachute mine. Miraculously the mine had not exploded when the Heinkel crashed and it was defused and taken away for further examination.
(Sadly the two men were killed at Dagenham during the London Blitz whilst examining another parachute mine - both were awarded a posthumous George Cross).


Confirmation of the earlier water cylinder story.

CWGC entries for the two RN mine disposal officers who were in attendance that day and who subsequently were killed:

Lieut-Commander RICHARD JOHN HAMMERSLEY RYAN, G C., H.M.S. President., Royal Navy who died age 37 on 21 September 1940
Son of Admiral Frank Edward Cavendish Ryan, C.B.E. and of Eleanor Stuart Ryan (nee Campbell); husband of Margaret Ryan, of Wroughton, Wiltshire.
Remembered with honour HASLAR ROYAL NAVAL CEMETERY
Grave/Memorial Reference:G. 8. 24.
CWGC :: Casualty Details
The following details are given in the London Gazette of 17th December 1940:-"The King has been graciously pleased to approve the posthumous award of the George Cross to Lieut. Cdr. R. J. H. Ryan, R.N. for great gallantry and undaunted devotion to duty." Lt. Cdr. Ryan was a master of defusing the magnetic mine with several successfull results and as such was called upon for the more difficult tasks with this most dangerously delicate type of bomb. At Hornchurch in Essex he made safe a bomb which threatened the aerodrome and an explosives factory. Lt. Cdr. Ryan, together with C.P.O. Reginald Vincent Ellingworth, R.N., then went to a warehouse in Dagenham, Essex, where an unexploded bomb was hanging from a parachute. The pair, who had faced many dangers together, were both killed by it's explosion and both were awarded the George Cross posthumously.

Chief Petty Officer REGINALD VINCENT ELLINGWORTH G.C., P/J 26011, H.M.S. Vernon., Royal Navy who died age 42 on 21 September 1940
Son of Frank and Kate Ellingworth; husband of Jessie Day Ellingworth, of Portsmouth.
Remembered with honour
PORTSMOUTH (MILTON) CEMETERY
Grave/Memorial Reference:Plot Y. Row 18. Grave 11.
CWGC :: Casualty Details
The following details are given in the London Gazette of 17th December 1940:- The King has been graciously pleased to approve the posthumuous award of the George Cross, for great gallantry and undaunted devotion to duty, to Chief Petty Officer R. V. Ellingworth, R.N." C.P.O. Ellingworth, together with Lt. Cdr. Richard Ryan, R.N., went to a warehouse in Dagenham, Essex, where an unexploded bomb was hanging from a parachute. The pair, who had faced many dangers together, were both killed by it's explosion and both were awarded the George Cross posthumously.

 

Hello Mike and welcome to the forum.
It's great to hear from those who have personal connections to these events.

I am sure your uncle moved pretty carefully and quickly!

I am attaching pdfs for the pages from The Times, May 2, 1940 so that you can have a look at the photo and article yourself. I think it would be worthwhile contacting Imperial War Museum for a start. I have noticed quite a few photos from the Times in their online archives.
All the best,
Diane

 

From The War Illustrated, May 10 1940