On February 3rd, 1940, the first German aircraft to crash on English soil during World War II landed at a farm just outside Whitby in North Yorkshire.
Today, a stone pillar stands at Sleights Road End. The inscription on the pillar commemorates a significant event—the first successful shooting down of an enemy aircraft on English soil during World War II. Here is more information about the World War II plane crash near Whitby.
World War II plane crash near Whitby
At 9:03 am, the personnel at the Danby Beacon Radar Station detected three German medium bombers, specifically Heinkel 111s, as they were attacking an unarmed fishing trawler in the North Sea. Sadly, this attack resulted in the death of the trawler’s skipper and left two crew members wounded.
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Among the pilots awaiting deployment was Flight Lieutenant Peter Townsend
In response, Flight Lieutenant Peter Townsend was among the three fighter pilots from 43 Squadron who were quickly deployed from RAF Acklington in Northumberland to intercept the Luftwaffe aircraft.
At 9:40 am, they confronted their opponents. Townsend successfully disabled one of the Heinkels, specifically no. 3232.
The German crew of four had been on duty since 2:00 am before embarking on their five-hour flight across the North Sea.
In the skirmish, observer Peter Leushake was killed instantly. Flight engineer Johann Meyer was fatally wounded, and Karl Missy, manning the top rear gun, sustained injuries to his back and legs but continued to fire back. However, his single-machine gun was no match for the Hurricane’s eight.303 Brownings.
The bomber had to crash-land at Bannial Flatt Farm
The aircraft lost power after sustaining damage to the engines, and a crash landing became unavoidable. The only choice was to head towards the coast, approximately two miles to the west.
Pilot Hermann Wilms decided to crash-land his damaged bomber near Whitby instead of ditching in the North Sea. He flew the plane low above the town, allowing residents to see him through the cockpit window.
Despite narrowly avoiding hitting a barn, the plane smashed through telegraph wires before crash-landing near Bannial Flatt Farm. It had significantly slowed down when it collided with the trees, coming to a halt yards from the farm cottages. This incident marked the first time a Luftwaffe aircraft had landed on English soil since the First World War.
What happened next?
Wilms was able to pull Leushake out of the wreckage, but sadly, he had already passed away. With the assistance of Missy, who was also injured, they managed to extract Meyer, who was bleeding profusely.
Special Constable Arthur Barratt arrived at the scene and found Wilms burning confidential papers in the cockpit. Enough remained intact for the Intelligence Service to utilise.
Locals tended to the injured
While locals tended to the injured, Wilms tried to set fire to the plane, but the fire was extinguished with a combination of fire extinguishers and snow. The two injured men were taken to a farmhouse. They were given tea, wrapped in blankets, and provided with hot water bottles.
They were then transported to Whitby Cottage Hospital, where Meyer was pronounced dead. Missy survived but had to undergo a leg amputation due to his injuries.
Townsend later visited him in the hospital, shaking Missy’s hand and giving him a tin of 50 Players cigarettes and a bag of oranges. The two airmen who did not survive were buried with full military honours at Catterick, and the wreath on their coffins read “From 43 Squadron, with Sympathy.”
By Press Agency photographer – This photograph HU 104489 comes from the collections of the Imperial War Museums., Public Domain, Link.
Townsend rose to the rank of Group Captain and became well known in later years when he was romantically linked with Queen Elizabeth’s sister, Princess Margaret. Despite their desire to marry, the “Establishment” and the conventions of the time prevented them from doing so. In 1969, Townsend was reunited with Karl Missy in the comradeship of ex-servicemen. They remained friends until Missy died in 1981.
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