Date: 28th July 1940
Time: 5.00 a.m.
Unit: 3Staffel/Kampfgeschwader 51
Type: Junkers Ju 88A-1
Werke Nr. 7036
Coded: 9K + HL (Spinners and H both yellow)
Location: Buckholt Farm, Bexhill, East Sussex.
Pilot: Oberfeldwebel Josef Bier Unhurt - POW
Navigator: Leutnant Willi Ruckdreschel Unhurt - POW
Radio/Op: Unteroffizier Heinz Ohls Unhurt - POW
Gunner: Unteroffizier Martin Multhammer Unhurt - POW
REASON FOR LOSS:
This aircraft started from Melun at 22.30 hours alone! 4 x 250 kg bombs were carried for their mission to Crewe.
Something went wrong with the D/F, and the crew found themselves completely lost, after contacting base they were given a new bearing to fly. They flew out over the Channel when the pilot Ofw Bier realised that there was very little fuel left and it was decided to scuttle the bombs and turn towards the coast again.
They flew around looking for a suitable landing ground, and for the first time were fired upon when gliding in. One shot passed through the pilot's flying boot, amazingly without injuring him. Josef Bier made a reasonably good landing, with undercarriage retracted, on landing the crew did not set fire to the aircraft. With the aircraft virtually undamaged the RAF took over new ownership and reserialled AX919. It ended its days with the Enemy Aircraft Flight at Duxford as a source of spare parts to keep another of the Flights Ju 88's airworthy.
Leutnant Wilhelm Ruckdreschel andCitation for Pilot/Observers badge
Career of Oberfeldwebel Josef Bier:
Josef was born on the 18.09.1913 at Struempfelbronn near Eberbach/Germany. He entered Luftwaffe service on the 01.11.1935 and trained at the following places; Schweinfurt, Fuerth, Illesheim, Unterschlauersbach, Landsberg and Lechfeld where Josef joined the 3rd Staffel/KG51 as a pilot. Josef Bier made 1,490 flights and flew 19 missions over France and 6 to
England. Targets in France were Belfort, Dijon, Montbeliard, Mulhouse, Soissons, Dieppe, Compiegne, Moulins, Ville-en-Tardenois. Targets in England were Bristol, Portland, Gloucester, Liverpool, Southampton (oil-tanks) and Crewe.
Operational bases used were Lechfeld, Germany then Paris-Orly, and Melun-Villaroche in France.
Josef Bier was a prisoner of war for half a year at a camp at Oldham, then six years at the Lethbridge camp near Calgary, Canada. He returned to Germany on the 22.01.1947, where he married at Oberhausen near Bruchsal and ran a little shop for agricultural products until his retirement in 1980.
Oberfeldwebel Josef Bier and Josef seen here aged 90
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