The Do 17’s unarmed bombs dropped over London as it disintegrated. One of the two 50-kilogram bombs that were dropped on the grounds of Buckingham Palace landed on the grass
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Sep. 15, 1940.
One of the most recognizable scenes from “The Battle” is when a Dornier and a Hurricane collide over Buckingham Palace on “Battle of Britain Day.” The heroic actions of the daring pilot who saved Buckingham Palace from the German bomber were reported widely in national publications as the falling planes were caught on camera from the ground. Even the 1969 movie “The Battle of Britain” featured a scene based on the occurrence.
Winston Churchill and his wife visited Air Vice Marshal Keith Park’s headquarters at Uxbridge. Churchill’s visit had no significance; he was merely “just passing” and thought to drop by. Winston clutched his unlit cigar between his teeth as Keith Park took his visitors down the stairs to the operations room, which was 50 feet below ground. Winston was politely informed by Keith Park that the ventilation system could not handle the smoke from his cigar as events unfolded.
There had been a break in activity for more than a week before Park was informed that an all-out attack was imminent. He is reported to have said as he ordered each of his squadrons to take off, “This, I think is what we have been waiting for. I think that it is about to happen.”
The scene was set for an epic battle.
Once the enemy forces were mapped out on the operations table, squadrons were brought to Stand By one at a time, then Readiness. Twenty-three fighter squadrons had taken to the air before lunchtime. London was in for a “pasting” since Park knew his pilots could not withstand the enemy attack’s size.
Oberleutnant Robert Zehbe of the bomber unit 1/KG76, age 27, was piloting one of the Dornier 17s. Zehbe’s crew had executed numerous attacks successfully, including those on Kenley on August 18 and London on September 7, but this time wasn’t going as well for them. They started to fall behind the formation as a result of a malfunctioning engine, which put them in a precarious situation because fighter pilots loved to pick off stragglers.
Heading back toward home was a riskier choice because an injured bomber flying by itself across Kent’s skies was a sitting duck. As the first fighter strike occurred just south of London, they were 500 yards behind the formation. After starting the Dornier’s port engine on fire with his flight of the 310 (Czech) Squadron, Flight Lieutenant Jefferies let his less skilled Czech charges take a shot at the aircraft.
Further gunfire was fired at the helpless Dornier by pilots from the 609 and 504 squadrons who saw an opportunity for an easy kill. But, the aircraft continued to limp. Leo Hammermeister and Ludwig Armbruster, two of its crew members, bailed out at Sydenham and Dulwich, respectively. Six fighters were seen attacking repeatedly while crossing the Thames in Battersea. Ultimately, Robert Zehbe left the Dornier, leaving Gustav Hubel, his young gunner, either dead or gravely injured. Zehbe arrived at Kennington severely injured, where he was assaulted by locals before succumbing to his wounds.
Sergeant Ray Holmes, age 26, was one of the assailants. The acts of Ray, sometimes known as “Arty” after his initial R-T, while flying a Hurricane from 504 Squadron above London would make him famous at the time and 64 years later.
The Pilot’s Story from War Illustrated
And now the pilot who brought the plane down at Victoria Station tells his side of the story. It was his first fight, and he’s a Sergeant Pilot from West Kirby, Cheshire. He had to parachute out after taking out the hostile machine. He stated:
“I was in the last section of my Squadron, and my Dornier victim took all that I had to give him. Bits flew off him and I broke away intending to turn and attack again. My wind¬screen was covered with black oil, and when I did attack again I think it must have been a different machine. Anyway, as soon as I fired a big flame shot up, and I must have got his petrol tanks.
“I broke away again and turned to make a head-on attack on another Dornier, firing a burst straight into its cockpit. At first, I thought a piece of the Dornier had flown off but then I saw it was a German baling out. I passed so near that I believe I touched the parachute.
“As I made my final attack, my right wing struck something. I went into a terrific spin. There was no response from my controls.
“I flung the hood back and struggled to get out. I must have been doing well over 400 m.p.h. when I finally got out of the cockpit. The wind was so strong it was like a piece of an airplane hitting me. People on the ground told me later that my parachute opened at only three hundred feet.
“I spun across a house in Chelsea, got my feet down on a gutter, slid down the roof, and fell into the garden on my back. Then two girls came up to me, and I was so glad to see them that I kissed them both.”
Ray Holmes landed in Hugh Street and, as soon he had his wits about him, he was born off to a pub in Pimlico Road by the locals for a stiff brandy.
As the Dornier broke up its bombs fell, unarmed, over London. Two 50-kilo bombs fell on the grounds of Buckingham Palace, one on the palace’s lawn. A shackle was found still attached to one of the bombs and was presented to the King. In the days before, several bombs had fallen on the palace and caused damage; now a bomber had been brought down within sight of it. Soon journalists had hold of the story and, in its re-telling, the story became embroidered and elaborated upon. Soon the hero fighter pilot had deliberately rammed the German moments before it dropped its deadly cargo on the Royal family – he had saved the King single-handed!
Chris Bennett, a professional photographer, and artist, had long hypothesized that the Hurricane would have left behind some evidence beneath the road it had collided with, but because it is one of London’s busiest roads, recovering anything seemed nearly impossible.
The British broadcaster “Channel 5” was persuaded by the London-based TV production company Mentorn to air a spectacular excavation as “Fighter Dig Live” during prime time on a May holiday weekend. Later, it was turned into the National Geographic documentary “Search for the Lost Fighter Plane.”
Whether Ray’s ramming of the Dornier was deliberate or not, his courageous effort and remarkable survival are among the Battle of Britain‘s most enduring images and serve as a poignant reminder of September 15 as “Battle of Britain Day.”
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Top image: Geoffrey Nutkins
Photo by unknown via Wing Leader Books Facebook page