Strana 15
HISTORY
standards for the Stab planes and as such also
had a double chevron (“Doppelwinkel”) painted
prior to the fuselage code. Photographs 02,
03 and 04 show this aircraft prior to 29 May
1940. An individual aircraft letter “A“ in green
outlined by white color can be recognized on
the fuselage. (photograph 02 credit: Marek
Žatkovič)
On 29 May 1940, I./ZG 76 engaged RAF fighters
again. For them, it was the first time with
modern Hurricanes. Twenty-six bombers from
II./KG 30, I./KG 26 and KGr. 100 were heading
towards the English vessels off Narvik in the
early evening. The escort consisted of four
Bf 110s from I./ZG 76, which started at 18:00.
Nine Hurricanes of 46. Squadron crossed their
way. Their priority was the ships’ defense. The
British fighters managed to shot down three
German bombers. Their next victim was one
of the escorting Bf 110s. F/S Shackley downed
a Bf 110 from Stab I./ZG 76. This German fighter
crashed in flames west of Skaarland. Its crew
escaped using parachutes. Pilot Oblt. Hans
Jäger lost an eye in the incident. He and his
Bordfunker Uffz. Helmut Feick were captured.
They were sent to a prisoner of war camp in
Canada sometime later.
During the encounter, Hurricane pilots
managed to hit another of the escorting Bf 110s.
It, too, belonged to Stab of I./ZG 76 and was
piloted by a new Gruppenkommandeur Hptm.
Werner Restemeyer. He made an emergency
landing at Trondheim with his damaged aircraft
Bf 110 D-0/R1 W.Nr 3156 “M8+AB”. A wounded
Bordfunker Uffz. Werner Eichert was pulled
out of the plane´s cabin by ground crew. The
first encounter with the Hurricanes was not
the best for I./ZG 76.
Photographs 05a and 05b are showing Hptm.
Werner Restemeyer´s Bf 110 “M8+AB” at the
repair stand at Vaerlose airbase in June
1940. To confirm that this photo was taken
in June 1940, we can point towards another
plane in the background. It is Bf 110 D-0 W.Nr.
3135“M8+FH” of 1./ZG 76, which was belly
landed on 2 June 1940 at Ekne (Photograph
06) and is waiting for repair as well. Photo
of this airplane after its repair is one of the
most known first installment ZG 76 photos
provided by Bundesarchive (Photograph 07).
It shows the Bf 110 on its wheels again, while
the damaged Dackelbauch fuel tank was
removed and aircraft waits to be retrofitted
by another one. (photograph 06 credit: Marek
Žatkovič)
But to be back at “M8+AB”, another available
photograph of this plane, photograph 08,
captures “Schwarze männer” of the ground
crew during the process of lifting up the
damaged “M8+AB” W.Nr.3156 to be ready for the
repair and installation of a new Dackelbauch
fuel tank at Vaerlose.
Meanwhile, very fierce confrontations of
I./ZG 76 with the RAF fighters continued and
culminated on 15 August 1940. The Adlertag
was undoubtedly a black day for ZG 76. The
Luftwaffe planners had anticipated that RAF
INFO Eduard
15
July 2025