Battle of Britain document: 15th September 1940

[Andy F-P]

Hello,
I would like to show some recently acquired documents. I purchased these from Klaus Butschek. I have been researching the man and found out the following:

Gefreiter Eugen Einsiedel served with 1./KG1 during the Battle of Britain. He was the gunner aboard He111H-3 (3245) of 1./KG1 that was damaged by RAF fighters during a sortie to London and crash-landed near Le Hourdel, Northern France on 15th September 1940, 'Battle of Britain day'. He was wounded and admitted to hospital in Domfront. Two other crew members were also wounded: flight engineer, Uffz Hans Schnitzler, and radio operator Uffz Heinz Daase. The aircraft must have been shot up pretty badly.

The first document is for the award of the Wound Badge in Black. This is dated 16th September for the action on 15th September 1940. This is signed by the Hauptmann und Kommandeur der I./KGH1. I have checked the records for this and the Kommandeur at this time was a Obstlt Hermann Crone. However, this document is signed by a Hauptmann. Any thoughts?

[Andy F-P]

The next document is a letter to Eugen Einsiedel's wife or mother enclosing his air gunners badge explaining that he had not returned from a sortie against the enemy. Unfortunately, I did not get the badge!

Eugen had been promoted to the rank of Unteroffizier. Sometime after he was wounded, he had been transferred to 2./Kuestenfliegergruppe 606, a maritime anti-shipping unit. Unteroffizier Eugen Einsiedel was a member of the crew of a JU88A-5 (5248) 7T+KK, who on the night of 28th May 1941, failed to return from an anti-shipping sortie. It is believed the aircraft crashed in the English Channel. The crew of Lt Dutz, Uffz O. Moeller, Uffz. H. Von Hahl and Uffz. Einsieldel all perished.

I hope this is of interest to someone.
Regards,
Andy

[VtwinVince]

Very interesting documents. I wonder if he was a relation of the Bismarck branch of the Einsiedel family?

[Andy F-P]

Hello,
Thanks for the reply and I am glad that you like them. Interesting thought about the family connection.
Regards,
Andy

[Simon O.]

Larry will know but i think Oberstleutnant was Crone's last rank and not the rank he held at the time he was gruppen kommandeur. The '45 Luftwaffe rank lists shows a Hermann Crone being promoted Major on 1.1.44.

Very nice BoB woundbadge doc, it conjures up images of the scene in the film 'The Battle of Britain' of a wounded He111 crewmember being cut out of his aircraft

[Eric JB]

Hi Andy,

I saw those documents too, happy to see that they went to a good home !

yours friendly

Eric-Jan

[Andy F-P]

Simon - Thanks for the comment. It does look like Crone to me. I am very happy with these documents. I have been looking for documents from this period for some time and was able to get them at a very reasonable price thanks to Klaus Butschek. Dealers' often come in for a bit of a hammering, so it is good to give a bit of praise.

Eric-Jan - I am also very glad they went to a good home!
Regards,
Andy

[Larry deZeng]

CRONE, Hermann. (DOB: 21.05.08). 01.10.30 entered service with the Heer (Infanterie). 01.10.33 trf to the Luftwaffe and sent to D.L.H. Berlin for pilot training. 01.08.34 trf to Fliegergruppe Tutow as a pilot. 01.04.35 appt instructor with the Reichbahn-Strecke course operated by D.L.H. Berlin. 01.09.36 trf to II./KG 153. 24.11.36 received the Lw. advanced flying certificate. 01.03.37 appt Kp.-Chef in II./KG 157. 01.07.37 Hptm., appt Staka 6./KG 157 (to 31.10.38). 01.11.38 appt provisional Kdr. Blindflugschule Neuburg/Donau (to 31.05.39). 01.06.39 Hptm., appt Kdr. BFS 2 (to 15.07.40). 16.07.40 trf to KG 1. 13.09.40 Hptm., appt Kdr. I./KG 1 (to 19.12.40). 20.12.40 trf to L.In.12 in RLM. 14.02.41 dropped from consideration for Generalstab training this date on order of the Chef.d.Genst.d.Lw. 01.01.44 promo to Maj.

I had a great run of details on Crone's career, but at the end of 1940 he just drops from sight. The last entry before his promotion to Major may be the clue. But if he got into some sort of trouble with the hierarchy, then why was he promoted? I have even made some inquiries on him but no one seems to have any information.

--Larry

[Andy F-P]

Larry,
Thanks for this information. Very interesting. I would like to know the answer to this puzzle.
Regards,
Andy

[Simon O.]

When did he pick up hauptmann, July 37? That's quite a long time between promotions for someone with his qualifications and career path. The guy seemed to be on the rise until Dec.40 then suddenly gets what would seem to be a big move sideways flying a desk. Promotion to major could just be a time served kind of thing.

The guy maybe fubared big time or was just not up to the job.

[Larry deZeng]

No evidence of being wounded or captured has turned up, so it's either as Simon said or the guy might have cracked up, but not so severely as to warrant being relieved of duty and sent to an institution. So they "buried" him somewhere behind a desk in the RLM or at a school or whatever. He had held positions as Kommandeur of a instrument flight school and then of a Kampfgruppe, so he was definitely in the ascendancy career-wise. Big mystery.