Article on previous page: Liverpool Echo of October 12, 1940

with air raid descripton with details of Heine´s bomber with

two burning engines.

On the same page, a report on the birth of John Lennon

was published!

Lennon‘s home at today 251 Menlove Avenue.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

The next day, Saturday, October 12th, the Liverpool Echo

newspaper reported on its third page a thorough accounting of

the raid, its results and also air combats. The paper, on the same

page, also reported that the Lennons had given birth to their son,

John, three days prior.

The Night Return of “7T+HH”

The month of October, 1940, ended up as a tragic one for Kustenfliegergruppe 606. The unit lost over twenty airmen during

the course of that month, which was more than the remaining

months of the year combined. Heine’s crew lost two of its own during the raid on October 11th. They were last spotted by fighters

from Yellow Section of No. 611 Squadron over their target. Two

crewmembers bailed out of the aircraft, which had flames coming

from both of its engines. It was assumed that the aircraft came

down somewhere in the forests of Wales.

Radio operator Fw. Hans Staas was quickly captured at Marthalyn (Mart of Llyn?) after bailing out. His colleague, Flight Engineer

Uffz. Heinz Johannsen was not as lucky. As he jumped out of the

aircraft, he was struck by a section of the horizontal tail and was

killed before he hit the ground at Deiniolen.

Hans-August Johannsen came from Gettdorf (probably Gettorf)

at Eckernförde, where he was born on October 1st, 1914. Immediately prior to the tragic flight, he celebrated his twenty-sixth

birthday. From the records of this flight, we know that his target

that night was Speke. The British buried him on October 15th in

Prollheli in northern Wales, and through the Red Cross notified the

Germans, who, in turn, passed the information on to his wife, Elly.

Pilot Ofw. Wilhelm Hagen and Observer, and also crew commander,

Oblt. zur See Heine, remained with the aircraft. As incredible as

it may sound, they were able to put out both fires and land the

aircraft on blown tires back at Brest! The damage to the aircraft

was placed at 45%, which typically meant that it was deemed

repairable.

„7T + HH“ after returning from the Liverpool mission on October 11, 1940. Clearly visible is overpainted swastika, damage

caused by fire from Spitfires No. 611 Squadron and damage of tail section caused by the impact of Johannsen‘s body.

Photo: Chris Goss