Hi, all!
It has been some time since my last blog entry - I will try to get more out this year. I just got myself a new Microsoft Surface Pro, which will help me to utilize more of my travelling time to do Luftwaffe research (and of course work...)
This post is going to be about one specific loss record in my database, but also and more importantly about the natural sceptisism we should have as researchers.
My team have, as you all probably know by now, more or less completed the entry of all available loss records for the Luftwaffe from the Gen.Qu.6.Abt. material into a relational database. This give us ample opportunity to analyze and cross reference with other sources.
My example today is a loss record from the document dated May 28th 1940. For those familiar with the loss record document from that period, the losses reported in a given document referred to the losses which occured two days previous unless the date is - as the name of the document indicates:
Flugzeugunfälle und Verluste bei den Verbänden am 26.5.1940
Loss number 20 in this document relates to a He 59 of 1./706, which was strafed while it was lying at anchor after an emergency landing near Ålesund on the western coast of Norway.
We naturally registered this loss with a loss date of May 26th 1940, and it has been registered with this information until today. While reading through a new set of sources I came across the following two messages transferred from the 196 Infantry Division to the Armeegruppe XXI, Ia:
The first message read
and the second
Fernschreiben. 19.5.40 12.50 Uhr
So - after reviewing this new information the loss record was altered to read as seen here:
Loss record in the loss database
The next natural step is to see if I have any Kriegstagebuch entries for the given date that I have yet to review - in order to see if I can find more information on the aircraft and crew, and I would also like to try to identify the aircraft that attacked the moored He 59.
It has been some time since my last blog entry - I will try to get more out this year. I just got myself a new Microsoft Surface Pro, which will help me to utilize more of my travelling time to do Luftwaffe research (and of course work...)
This post is going to be about one specific loss record in my database, but also and more importantly about the natural sceptisism we should have as researchers.
My team have, as you all probably know by now, more or less completed the entry of all available loss records for the Luftwaffe from the Gen.Qu.6.Abt. material into a relational database. This give us ample opportunity to analyze and cross reference with other sources.
My example today is a loss record from the document dated May 28th 1940. For those familiar with the loss record document from that period, the losses reported in a given document referred to the losses which occured two days previous unless the date is - as the name of the document indicates:
Flugzeugunfälle und Verluste bei den Verbänden am 26.5.1940
Loss number 20 in this document relates to a He 59 of 1./706, which was strafed while it was lying at anchor after an emergency landing near Ålesund on the western coast of Norway.
We naturally registered this loss with a loss date of May 26th 1940, and it has been registered with this information until today. While reading through a new set of sources I came across the following two messages transferred from the 196 Infantry Division to the Armeegruppe XXI, Ia:
The first message read
Fernschreiben. 18.5.40 22.30 Uhr
An Gruppe XXI, Ia
Heute deutsches Flugzeug, Hptm. Beitzke, bei Alsnes, 8 km westl. Alesund notgelandet. Nach Verständigung durch deutschen Konsul Aleshund mit Drontheim wurden 3 Mann von dort mit Flugzeug abgeholt.
196. Inf. Div. Ic
and the second
Fernschreiben. 19.5.40 12.50 Uhr
An Gruppe XXI, Ia
Gestern bei Alesund notgelandet "He 59". Hptm. Beitzke, heute morgen durch zwei englische Flugzeuge mit Maschinengewehr zum Sinken gebracht.
196. J.D. Ic
Loss record in the loss database
The next natural step is to see if I have any Kriegstagebuch entries for the given date that I have yet to review - in order to see if I can find more information on the aircraft and crew, and I would also like to try to identify the aircraft that attacked the moored He 59.
Alsnes, of course means Alnes (Godøya) here, a natural place for a sea plane.
SvarSlett