I am actually trying to find where a V1 came down, apparently without exploding, in Sevenoaks. An eye witness account on the BBC People's War website said it was at a recreation ground, and the spot was only a few yards from where a Me110 crash-landed a couple of years earlier. I know a Ju88 came down at Hollybush Close recreation ground, and the Bowls Club there make mention of the fact a bomber crashed at the site on their webpage (but no mention of a V1 too). Can anyone confirm if there were any other German bomber crash-landings (I assume this means the aircraft came down pretty much intact) on playing fields/open land around Sevenoaks, or throw any light on the V1 incident? - Thanks, Chris
Hi Chris, Have you looked at this rather good site? Flying Bombs and Rockets : V1 Flying Bomb I fear it may not cover Kent though. Do you have a rough date when it happened? Andy
Yeah thats an excellent website - Lots of good info - the sound effect is a nice touch too! Not got any date which makes it difficult. The eye witness actually took some souvenirs from the V1 - took wire that was bound round the compressed air bottle - so from his description I have no doubt that he did actually see a V1's wreckage - just where exactly? Heres a link to the Beep site - BBC - WW2 People's War - Some Snapshots from the Memory
If you had a date I would have looked it up. Any chance you can contact any other local folk? I find the local RBL Club always bares fruit mate. Andy
Reckon you could be right. I'll get Christmas out the way and see if l can get the local paper to run something.
ChrisR I presume you mean the Sevenoaks Chronicle. Regarding Bombers fairly intact around Sevenoaks, this is a Dornier DO17 from Castle Farm between Shoreham & Eynsford on 15 September 1940.
Sunday 15th September 1940 Severly damaged by fighters and AA fire during sortie to bomb London Dicks. Finally attacked by Flying Officer J C Dundas and Pilot Officer E Q Tobin of No. 609 Squadron and bombs dumped prior to forced landing, starboard engine dead, at Castle Farm, Shoreham 12.10 p.m. Fw. S Schmid captured severly wounded - died later the same day. Fw. H Pfeiffer and Fw. M Sauter captured wounded. Fw. R Heitsch captured unhurt. Aircraft F1+FS a write off. If this is the aircraft let me know. I have 3/4 pictures and the exact location so you can do a 'Then and Now' picture. Relics from this aircraft are believed to be held by local enthusiast Murray Barber. Forage cap,once the property of Fw. M Sauter, together with undercarriage position indicator gauge donated to the Shoreham Aircraft appreciation society. Rob, Is that the museum you have mentioned before ?
An ME110 was presumably quite early on. If there's a chance that it was Battle of Britain then it may well be worth asking the chaps at Hawkinge :- A bit about who we are Although the museum is closed for the winter, I assume that the enthusiasts are still busy. If it was a BoB crash from Kent, there's probably a good chance that they've got some bits of it there.
Sunday 15th September 1940 Severly damaged by fighters and AA fire during sortie to bomb London Dicks. Finally attacked by Flying Officer J C Dundas and Pilot Officer E Q Tobin of No. 609 Squadron and bombs dumped prior to forced landing, starboard engine dead, at Castle Farm, Shoreham 12.10 p.m. Fw. S Schmid captured severly wounded - died later the same day. Fw. H Pfeiffer and Fw. M Sauter captured wounded. Fw. R Heitsch captured unhurt. Aircraft F1+FS a write off. If this is the aircraft let me know. I have 3/4 pictures and the exact location so you can do a 'Then and Now' picture. Relics from this aircraft are believed to be held by local enthusiast Murray Barber. Forage cap,once the property of Fw. M Sauter, together with undercarriage position indicator gauge donated to the Shoreham Aircraft appreciation society. Rob, Is that the museum you have mentioned before ? Andy That's the one. Exact location would be great as I can't tell exactly where it is in the photo. I could also pop into the shop on Castle Farm next weekend as the grandson of the Farmer who was there in 1940 still owns the place. Here is a link to them. The Shoreham Aircraft Museum - Exhibits Cheers - Rob PS Although my neighbour was a young girl, she may remember where the aircraft came down or who I can ask.
Crash landed on the side of a hill above Castle Farm, Shoreham, Kent. Dornier 17 of 8/KG76 hit terra firma at 12.10 hrs on 15th September 1940 after being attacked by Spitfires. The location is on the western slope above the valley of Darent. The wooded mound of 'The Birches' rises above the A225 Dartford/Sevenoaks road. To help narrow the location down- there are some over head power cables that run almost above where the aircraft crashed. Info sourced from ATB's BoB
A few more shots from ATB's The Blitz Vol.2. Two of the crew are extracted from the aircraft. Note what appear to be bullet holes in the port propeller. And carried from the field. Rob, It seems the Shoreham Aircraft Preservation Society has played a bigger part in this incident: Martina, the daughter of Fw. M Sauter, was taken back to the spot where her fathers war ended some fifty years later by the Shoreham Aircraft Preservation Society.
