I stumbled upon an odd one in http://www.cwgc.org/ Han-Benno Von Shenk of (presumably the RAF) German Air Force. Date of Death: 29/10/1940 http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/7510600/ Was there in fact German Air Force personnel in the RAF during the war years recognized as such? The wiki has the German Air Force starting post war - 1945. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Air_Force_Germany Title edited. Re comments below: Kuddos for the CWGC for registering German Casualties on this terrific resource.
http://ww2talk.com/forums/topic/58021-non-commonwealth-nationals-on-cwgc/ http://ww2talk.com/forums/topic/58100-polish-officers-on-cwgc-database/
Thanks! It never occurred to me that there might be such a category. 1957 RAF German Air Force losses in WW2 listed on http://www.cwgc.org/ I have not heard a single story of their contributions to the war effort.
Fred, think you have the wrong end of the stick. They aren't Germans in the RAF at all. He was shot down by the RAF 5.(Schl.)/LG2, ~07.40 - 29.10.40, Oblt Hans-Benno von Schenk, KIA, S/d by RAF Hurricanes off Essex coast http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showthread.php?t=25428 see this page. https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=aQkWAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA29&lpg=PA29&dq=Oblt+Hans-Benno+von+Schenk&source=bl&ots=ZlgQ6BAnwt&sig=CoIf3L6GaIAQg97HcHNuKhVlyac&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CDEQ6AEwAmoVChMIrJDcmoiUxwIVSEoUCh3LUQi4#v=onepage&q=Oblt%20Hans-Benno%20von%20Schenk&f=false
Owen is correct. The first link Shows the casualty as buried in the German Cemetery at Stafford. I believe that all the Germans that died as a result of being shot down or crashing were interred at the Stafford German Cemetery. I believe the Germans were allowed to Reform their Armed Forces in 1955 and therefore started to form their respective Army, Navy and Airforce. As the RAF and Allies slowly pulled out, the Airfields and barracks were handed back and taken over by the new German Armed Forces. Regards Tom
The Cannock Chase German cemetery was created by the Germans after the Second World War when settlement in 1959 for the creation of permanent war cemeteries for German war dead in UK was made between the British and German Governments. In 1967 the Cannock Chase emetery was inaugurated to be the final resting place of German casualties from both world wars. drawn from many civilian cemeteries in the UK. There were exceptions to this and German casualties still remain in their original resting places....viz Scampton Churchyard. and at North Coates where Luftwaffe aircrew remain in in wartime graves. At Cannock lie the crews in common graves of Zeppelins brought down in the UK during the Great War. Interesting place to visit.......the site also contains graves of the NZEF who lost heir lives while training in the various military camps in the area during the Great War.
Most foreign nationals buried in CWGC cemeterys now have their details available on the CWGC on line database. There are some exceptions, some countries did not give permission for the data to be on line (France is probably the one with the greatest number which did not give permission). Click on 'Non Commonwealth Nationals' in Advanced Search and then select the nationality from the drop down list immediately below it
