Plane shot down by sub ! 24 July 1916

Regulus · 10 April 2006, 12:57 PM

24 July 1916 : UC10 submarine shoots down a British Short seaplane which forcelanded at sea. Plane 639 landed near them and the two British officers were ordered to surrender, with a MG pointed at them, so they didn’t have to think long about it ! First they took the plane on tow, and when the torpedoboat A14 was near, it took both plane and crew over from the seaplane and went to Zeebrugge with them. In fact this concerned plane no 819, a Short 830 from Dunkirk, crewed with Flight Lt’s. JF Bailey and FW Mardock.

Any ideas on the crew of the German plane ? And also, are there any other examples of planes shot down by a sub ?

Thanks and best from Johan

Soderbaum · 10 April 2006, 01:51 PM

Hi Johan

The German crew was Vzfmst Hans Röver and Vzfmst Karl Hillger who according to my notes actually got the confirmation for this Short brought down...first victory for both...

Gunnar

Regulus · 10 April 2006, 02:13 PM

Really curious thing as the general KTB of the MKF sea operations clearly states that the sub did shoot it down ! And so they did get this victory as a summer gift ?

Thank you very much Gunnar ! One more solved !

patrickmallahan · 16 April 2006, 06:22 PM

Hi guys,

Not only do we have the sub and the crew Röver/Hillger, we also have FTL by engine trouble! See Cross & Cockade (US) Volume 11, No. 1, p.15 (Spring 1970). In an article titled "The Hornets of Zeebrugge" the author states that the war diary of Seeflugstation Flanders 1 (See 1) survived WW11 and notes that it "is a vastly detailed record of every flight made from the station from December, 1914 to the end of September, 1918." He goes on to excerpt and annotate many entries from the Diary.

The entry for 24 July reads: "FF 33H No. 639 (Vizeflugmeister Röver-Vizeflugmeister Hillger) landed next to a short seaplane down in the Channel with engine trouble and took her in tow. An inbound U-boat then took the crew off, sank the Short by machine gun fire and brought the prisoners into Zeebrügge."

I happen to like this version as opposed to the others presented. The British crew, Francis J. Bailey and Frederick William Mardock were uninjured. Comments?

Patrick

Testerchild · 17 April 2006, 12:49 PM

Pesky Germans overclaiming again, by the sound of it

Regulus · 17 April 2006, 02:17 PM

Thanks for the addition Patrick !

Would really love to get hands on the KTB of the Seeflugstation Zeebrugge.

Best from Johan