'Flight to the Operational Base' Junkers 188s of I/KG6 transiting from Chièvres, Belgium to Münster-Handorf before their night bombing raid on London, 15th October 1943. On the night of 15th October 1943, I/KG6 was tasked with its first major operational sortie against the British mainland. The plan was to mount a nuisance raid against London in retaliation for recent attacks on German cities. The Junkers 188s were loaded with bombs at their forward base of Chièvres but then had to make a transit flight to Münster-Handorf in order to refuel. As night fell, five aircraft departed Münster-Handorf and headed for London. The first off was Hauptmann Helmuth Waldecker in 3E+BL closely followed by Leutnant Karl Geyr in 3E+HH. Geyr and his crew, Feldwebel Walter Flessner (observer), Obergefrieter Dietram Kretzschmar (radio operator) and Obergefrieter Otto Schmidt (flight engineer) flew low level to the Dutch coast and then climbed to 20,000 to follow a Knickebein beam towards Harwich. After following a deliberately erratic course to confuse night fighters, they dropped their bombs on London and headed for home. Within minutes of dropping their bombs however, their Ju188 was hit by flak, an ominous warning that they weren't safe yet. Ten minutes later one of the crew spotted the dark shape of a Mosquito night fighter moving across the night sky. Immediately four bursts of cannon fire ripped into their aircraft and their fate was sealed. With the fuel tanks on fire and all but the pilot wounded, the aircraft spun out of control and crashed near Birchington in Kent. The time was 2318 hrs and although two crew members managed to bale out in time, sadly only the pilot, Karl Geyr, survived. It had been a grim night for I/KG6, the first Ju188 to take off had been shot down twenty minutes earlier, near Harwich, and a third was shot into the sea off Clacton at 23.10. All three aircraft were claimed by Mosquitoes of 85 Squadron, the second two by one crew, Flying Officer Hugh Thomas and Warrant Officer C B Hamilton. These aircraft were the first Junkers 188s to fall upon British soil during World War Two. This painting depicts the Junkers 188s transiting from Chièvres to Münster-Handorf in preparation for the night raid. Karl Geyr clearly remembers that at this time, these new aircraft had not been painted with black distemper on the undersurfaces, something that was hastily applied in the following weeks. Signed by Lt Karl Geyr, the pilot of the lead Ju 188 and the Artist's proofs with Extra Rare Signatures. Edition Size: 350 S/N and 30 Artist Proofs Image Size 23" x 15" |
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