Greenock Blitz

[W Watson]

Anyone know anything about the German bomber that was supposed to have crashed in a reservoir around Greenock during the Greenock Blitz? It was supposed to have been picked up by Google Earth researchers earlier in the year?
When I was researching this I came across a good local history site recently, it's on the second world war, specifically THE GREENOCK BLITZ. Great, very thorough. It shows photographs fom the blitz and then beside it, is a modern day shot, so you're able to understand where the war time location will be today. There's also stuff about he blitz raids and a list of all the casualties and everything. The demo on the site is cool www.greenockrevisited.co.uk

[The Egg Man]

This story?

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/07/20 ... an_bomber/

The reservoir looks to be the one adjacent to the road which goes from Greenock over Brisbane Glen to Largs.

[moonbeam]

On 5th May 1941 a Junkers JU88 of Kustenstaffel2/KurFlGr106 piloted by Hptm G Hansmann was shot down in the the "Greenock area" by a 141 sqn Boulton Paul Defiant which had been converted as a night fighter and based at Ayr. The German planes had flown from Northern France and about 250 planes were involved in three "waves".
The Defiant saved Greenock from the fate of Clydebank two months previously! Spitfires were not "night fighters". Thats the best I can do. Anyone got other idea? Incidentally only one Heinkel HE 111 was shot down by AA fire on the two nights of the Clydebank blitz!

[ibtg]

There is going to be a talk by Alex Hunter on the Greenock Blitz on 15th November to the Glasgow and West of Scotland Family History Society.

http://www.gwsfhs.org.uk/content/meetings.aspx

Regarding the fact only one German aircraft was downed in the Clydebank Blitz, my Dad was involved with the anti-aircraft squad for Dixons Blazes and the city centre. He told me that the object of the exercise was to try to divert the aircraft from heavily populated areas and from their targets. Shooting down a plane risked many more casualties on the ground. Maybe that is why ?

[moonbeam]

I recall being told many years ago by old boy who had been on one of the Heavy Ack Ack sites in the Clydebank area that they had run out of ammo on the first night of the Clydebank blitz! He was serving on a half battery of 4 3.7inch guns.

[banjo]

there was a site in duntocher moonbeam.

[MOLLY]

On 5th May 1941 a Junkers JU88 of Kustenstaffel2/KurFlGr106 piloted by Hptm G Hansmann was shot down in the the "Greenock area" by a 141 sqn Boulton Paul Defiant which had been converted as a night fighter and based at Ayr. The German planes had flown from Northern France and about 250 planes were involved in three "waves".
The Defiant saved Greenock from the fate of Clydebank two months previously! Spitfires were not "night fighters". Thats the best I can do. Anyone got other idea? Incidentally only one Heinkel HE 111 was shot down by AA fire on the two nights of the Clydebank blitz!

Hptm Gerd Hansmann and one of his crew are buried in Lennoxtown cemetery. Enter the cemetery turn right and right again. Their graves are near the corner of the cemetery wall. I was last there in 1987, but thats roughly where you will find them should anyone want to visit.

[moonbeam]

Regarding the AA sites. There was a half battery at Wester Duntiglennan. Plus a half battery at Garscadden Mains-now the Jedworth area of Drumchapel. The old boy I spoke to had been at a AA site at Lambhill and had gone to Garscadden Mains to learn how to use the guns. They had been marched each morning from Lambhill over to Drumchapel. He was filling in for someone on leave at Garscadden Mains during the Clydebank Bliz. Apparently the locals nick named it Big Bertha when the guns were being fired.It was a fully kitted out gun site with radar controlled guns.Which for 1941 would be pretty high tech.

[browning]

The JU88 referred to actually crashed south of Lennoxtown. It was attacked and damaged by the Defiant, but flew on to crash on what is now Lennox Forest. A Heinkel 111 crashed near Dundonald in Ayrshire and of course Hess's ME110 crashed near Eaglesham.
My research over the years has revealed no other German aircraft downed in the west of Scotland during WW2.
I covered the whole JU88 incident in extensive detail on this forum several years ago but can't find the thread now.
Hope this helps.

[Dexter St. Clair]

it was removed because it was beastly to the Germans.