Geschwaderstab Kampfgeschwader 55 'Greif' - Geschwaderstab KG55

Heinkel He 111 P-2 Geschwaderstab KG55 coded G1+UA and based in France during the Battle of Britain 1940.

Heinkel He 111P2 Geschwader Stab KG55 (G1+FA) belly landed at Hipley Hampshire 12 July 1940 IWM HU90819

A German Heinkel He 111 P bomber of the Stab/KG 55 which crash landed at Hipley in Hampshire on 12 July 1940. It was shot down by Hurricanes of 'B' Flight, No. 43 Squadron over Southampton Water.

Imperial War Museum IWM HU 90819 https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205094528

Heinkel He 111 P-4 KG55 shot down 255Sqn Defiant Yorshire 8^th May 1941

I. Gruppe Stab Kampfgeschwader 55 'Greif' - I./KG55

Heinkel He 111H Stab I./KG55 (G1+BB) shot down England 1940.
Heinkel He 111H KG55 (G1+BB) shot down England 1940 during the Battle of Britain

IV. Gruppe Stab Kampfgeschwader 55 'Greif' - IV./KG55

Heinkel He 111 P-2 Stab IV./KG55 coded G1+JF and based in France during the Battle of Britain 1940.
Heinkel He 111 H Geschwaderstab KG55 coded Black E and based in Villacoublay France during the Battle of Britain 1940.
Heinkel He 111H KG55 Black K France 1940

He 111P of the 4th staffel 55KG_ who had intended to Portsmouth Harbour. Crash site - a beach Braklshem_ Sussex. England. The bomber was shot down by fighter Spitfire Sergeant Wall of 602 th Fighter Squadron (Asisbiz: I can't confirm the 602 Squadron pilot's name. Bracklesham is a civil parish in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England. The parish lies on the coast of the Manhood Peninsula)

1. Staffel I. Gruppe Kampfgeschwader 55 'Greif' - 1./KG55

Heinkel He 111 H-6 1./KG55 (G1+DH) captured Russia 1943.

Heinkel He 111H 1./KG55 coded G1+BH flown by Fritz Jürges and based in France during the Battle of Britain 1940. Fritz Jürges crew was shot down after a raid on the Bristol Factory and crash-landed Studland near Dorset England 25^th September 1940 5 POW.

Heinkel He 111 H-1 coded G1+BH (White B) WNr 6305 of 1./KG 55. The aircraft in typical Finish of RLM 70/71/65. Of special Interest is the crests personal insignia of 'prancing bull' painted on the port side just ahead of the aircraft's letter code. The alrcraft's Individual white letter 'B' was repeated in black on lower surface of the wing's, outboard of the crosses. This He 111H was shot down by RAF fighters during a Luftwaffe air raid on the Bristol Aircraft Company's plant at Filton on 25^th September 1940, and crashed at Westhill Farm, Studland near Swanage in Dorset. Of the crew of five, four were captured, including the pilot Fw. Fritz Jürgens and navigator Hptm. Karl Küthke. The flight engineer, Uffz Josef Altrichter, was severely injured and succumbed to his wounds.

I have seven photographs (three of which are close ups) of this aircraft on the ground at Studland. I was two years old and living with my parents at Westcliffe Bungalow at the time. My father was in the RAF and stationed there.
Are these or copies of them of interest?
Alan Williams.
Hope this helps.
Neville Rourke.

Hi Alan
Thanks for replying.
I be delighted to to have any additional photo's of any aircraft particularly any WWII stuff my dad was also in the RAF.
But he never had a camera how sad but camera's where rare back then.
Matthew

Here are the three close ups. It was probably dad's camera because there arte a lot of family photographs in the garden at Swanage at the time. There were four of them billeted together during the battle of britain. Father went to India to man the radio station at Mauripur, Karachi after wards.
Nice to talk to you,
Alan

RAF Corporal Harry King (RAF Military Police) was stationed at Worth Matravers Sept 1940 01-02

My family believe that this rear view photo of an RAF man racing to the site of the Heinkel downed at Studland is of my late father. RAF Corporal Harry King (RAF Military Police) was stationed at the time at Worth Matravers and billeted in Swanage - where fortuitously he met my mother. The reason for our belief is that,apart from my 91 yrs old mother actually recognising his figure in the photo,he was known to have been first at the scene,rescuing crew, taking prisoners & securing the crash site. Presumably there are contemporary records still existing to support these facts. Also,he had special permission to wear the peaked cap, rather than the usual forage cap worn by his rank - supposedly for medical reasons (though I suspect vanity!). One of the German crew (the pilot,I think) returned several times to Swanage in the 1970's contacting our relatives, as he sought my father in order to thank him for saving his life.Unfortunately we no longer lived there. Ironically, the target site of this raid on Filton, Bristol in 1940 was where forty years later my two sons served their engineering apprenticeships at Rolls Royce.

Nick inherited from Dad a series of photos taken from the open door of a Dakota(?) of a parachutist whose rigging became entangled on the tail-plane and was stranded there whilst the plane encircled the airfield, unable to land without killing him. The crew saved him by swinging a heavy kitbag, like a pendulum, to the terrified guy until he managed to grasp it with his legs to be hauled back aboard.Dad told me that his hair turned white virtually overnight (though this may well be apocryphal!)

We have other photos of downed German aircraft, if you are interested. Kind Regards,
Susan Burton (nee King)

2. Staffel I. Gruppe Kampfgeschwader 55 'Greif' - 2./KG55

Heinkel He 111P 2.KG55 (G1+GK) and WNr 2987 France 1940.

Heinkel He 111H 2./KG55 (G1+LK) WNr 2646 sd by 145Sqn East Beach Selsey Sussex 11th Jul 1940 IWM HU104734

Civilians and RAF personnel search through the burnt out remains of a Heinkel He 111 which crashed on a south coast beach, 11 July 1940.

Imperial War Museum IWM HU 104734 https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205227709

3. Staffel I. Gruppe Kampfgeschwader 55 'Greif' - 1./KG55

Heinkel He 111 H-6 3./KG55 (G1+BL) captured Russia 1943.
Heinkel He 111 P-2 3./KG55 (G1+JL) 'Neville Chamberlain' WNr 2149 France 1940

Profile Source: Flugzeug Classic 2011-03 and The artwork on the tail and fuselage are reported as representing Neville Chamberlain (British Prime Minister 1937-40). The aircraft was lost in July 1941 while serving on the Eastern Front. - references Kagero publishing

Heinkel He 111 P-2 5./KG55 coded (G1+AN) France during the early stages of the Battle of Britain 1940

6. Staffel II. Gruppe Kampfgeschwader 55 'Greif' - 6./KG55

Heinkel He 111 6./KG55 (G1+EP) coded Yellow E and based in France during the Battle of Britain 1940.
Heinkel He 111 6./KG55 (G1+HP) coded Yellow H and based in France during the Battle of Britain 1940.

7. Staffel II. Gruppe Kampfgeschwader 55 'Greif' - 6./KG55

Heinkel He 111P 7./KG55 (G1+FR) Rudolf Theopold WNr 1582 shot down by RAF 602Sqn near Worthing 16 Aug 1940 IWM HU72684

A Home Guard soldier guards the wreck of Heinkel He 111P (W.Nr 1582: G1+FR) of 7./KG 55, which was shot down during an attack on Great Western Aerodrome (now Heathrow) and crash-landed at Honeysuckle Lane, High Salvington north of Worthing, West Sussex. 16 August 1940.

Pilot: Leutnant. Rudolf Theopold 58246/199 - Captured POW.
Observer: Unteroffizier. Rudolf Hornbostel 58246/403 - Captured POW.
Radio/Op: Gefreiter. Helmut Glaser 58246/128 - Captured POW.
Flt/Eng: Unteroffizier. Albert Weber 58246/123 - Killed.
Gunner: Gefreiter. Johannes Moorfeld 58246/411 - Killed.

On the return leg of the sortie, this bomber was intercepted at 4:55pm over Brighton at 2,500 ft by three Spitfires MK1üs. These British fighters, which were being flown by 602 Squadron, City of Glasgow, Blue Section, were based at RAF Westhampnett near Chichester. Apparently,the Heinkel turned and flew in a westerly direction along the coast for approximately ten miles towards Worthing, probably trying to out manoeuvre the Spitfires, and trying to avoid the machine gun fire. (aircrewremembrancesociety) ü IWM (HU 72684)

Imperial War Museum IWM HU 72684 https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205075690

Heinkel He 111 from 7./KG55 shot down by a direct flak hit over the heavly defended Lviv aerodrome Ukraine27^th June 1944

Lviv International Airport or officially Lviv Danylo Halytskyi International Airport is an airport in Lviv, Ukraine

8. Staffel III. Gruppe Kampfgeschwader 55 'Greif' - 8./KG55

Heinkel He 111 8./KG55 coded G1+ES and based Eastern Front during the Operation Barborossa 1941. This photo is believed to be part of the 197 bombers which attached Moscow 1941.
Heinkel He 111 P-2 8./KG55 coded (G1+FS) White F Paris France Battle of Britain Sep 1940.

Setback's 'Bomb Tally' Details: He 111P from KG55, Based near Paris 1940 during the battle of Britain. Some of the markings had been overpainted in black. Later even more extensive overpainting would take place on this aircraft. The tail marking is from 8.KG/76. The artwork is a 'bomb tally' showing a row of bombs.

9. Staffel III. Gruppe Kampfgeschwader 55 'Greif' - 9./KG55

Heinkel He 111 H-8 9./KG55 (G1+ET) Speck shot down Midland 10^th May 1941