Do-17 F1+FH.. Oblt Robert Zelbe

[checkmysix]

Originally Posted by JG52Uther

A very nice skin! From the multiple attacks, it shows that these aircraft were not as easy to shoot down as some people like to think they were.
Sorry for the O/T but it is an interesting story...
Concerning Zehbe, there is more to the story that he died of wounds, he did not have a good reception from the people he was attempting to bomb when he landed:


...By now Zehbe had abandoned his aircraft and was floating down on London, as was Holmes. Zehbe was to come down in Kennington his parachute fouling on a telegraph pole. Drawn out into the streets by the sound of the overhead battle, the people of Kennington watched as Zehbe descended on them. Zehebe’s parachute already damaged, would be descending at a higher rate than usual, one of the panels being damaged. The populace of the surrounding area began to follow his line of descent arriving at an area where it was thought he would land. Zehbe’s parachute, unfortunately, snagged on a telegraph pole leaving Zehbe some feet from the ground. So far, all is fact and traceable. It is what happened next that is shrouded in myth and half-truth
The crowd that had gathered around Zehbe were in an angry mood, of that there seems to be no doubt. A local ARP Warden was to record in his diary: ‘Enemy parachutist descended among hostile populace in Kennington.’ A reporter from the Daily Herald was also to note that Zehbe was to state: ‘Kamerad, Kamerad. I am an officer. I am an officer.’ Some sources still state that: ‘…the hapless Zehebe came down in Kennington where he was fiercely attacked by a mob of angry civilians…he died of his injuries and was buried in Brookwood Military Cemetery.’ No one doubts that Zehebe died from his wounds but these included probable bullet wounds as well as probable burns. It would appear that the ‘mob’ was made up mainly of women who were after one thing, the silk of Zehbe’s parachute. Grabbing Zehbe by the legs, they attempted to pull him down from his entrapment on the telegraph pole. No doubt Zehbe, faced with a shouting, baying crowd, was in some distress. As can be seen from the account of John Sample, the Do 17 was well ablaze at the time he attacked it. It had come under attack from no less than six fighters before John Sample attacked it. It would, therefore, be acceptable to believe that Zehbe, was at the very least, slightly wounded from any one of those attacks. He may well also have been burned judging by the eyewitness account of John Sample as to the state of the Do 17 when he saw it. However, some sources remain adament that, when Robert Zehbe descended on London, there was a violent assault against the German airman. This remains unsubstantiated
Robert Zehbe was rescued, by the local police. Superintendent Gillies of Kennington Road Police Station who rescued Robert Zehbe from what was described as a ‘lynch mob’ arrested him. The police van then drove off, not along the road, but across the hallowed turf of the Oval cricket ground, as it took Robert Zehbe to Millbank Military Hospital. Was this move to escape the angry ‘lynch mob’ or an attempt to get Robert Zehbe to hospital as soon as possible because of his wounds? Either way, Robert Zehbe was to die the next day. The local police later handed a leather case, with personal items as well as documents belonging to Robert Zehbe to the RAF. This same case was later presented to Superintendent Gilles who, in turn left it to the metropolitan Police Museum where it still resides.
In mid 2004, a TV documentary, formed around the recovery of Holmes’ Hurricane from beneath a London street, implied that Holmes was responsible for the destruction of the Do 17 on his own. No other pilots were mentioned in connection with the attack, neither was the plight of Robert Zehbe. The programme also stated that, the Do 17 was enroute to bomb Buckingham Palace. This appears to stem from the myth that one of the bombs landed in the grounds of Buckingham Palace. This bomb appears to have been thrown through the side of the stricken bomber by centrifugal force when the bomber was spinning down out of control. However, the truth does not sit so well as the myth, when applied to TV. Over the years Holmes’ own account of the incident has changed. It is reported that Holmes: ‘…later stated that his wing struck something during his attack….’ This is a different story from Holmes deliberately ramming the Do 17, a statement now widely accepted as fact in the myth of the Battle of Britain.



If, as some have suggested, Robert Zehbe was attacked by an angry mob and beaten to the extent that he was later to die of his wounds, then this would be classed as a criminal act. However, the Metropolitan Police pass all enquiries on to the Metropolitan Police Museum. While they proudly exhibit Robert Zehbe’s Leather case, they remain noncommittal on anything to do with an attack on Robert Zehbe.

Hi JG52Uther
Thanks for the more in depth background to this facinating story
Regards
Keith

[namroob]

Thanks for that; I have often wondered what really happened to Robert Zehbe as different accounts imply he was attacked by a mob.

Years ago I spoke with an aviation archaeologist who had been on many excavations of Battle of Britain wrecks in the seventies and eighties. In the course of making local enquiries etc for digs he spoke to many elderly locals in Kent and Sussex, and a common theme was the anger farm workers would feel if their animals had been injured or killed by bombs or a crashing aircraft. He heard enough descriptions of incidents where German airman were beaten up by enraged farm workers to suggest that it may have happened more often than the history books indicate. Understandably, anyone who was present at such incidents would probably not admit to it after the event, and hence there is a significant lack of substantiated incidents. On at least one occasion an elderly witness strongly suggested that German airmen had been murdered. A dig for the wreck of a German bomber (I think in East Sussex) produced claims by locals that the bodies of the crew, killed in the crash, had been beheaded by farm workers who had had animals killed.

Richard Collier's "Eagle Day" describes incidents such as a German's head being paraded on a pitchfork by soldiers at Tandridge, amongst other unsavoury incidents.

[No1 Cheese]

what a terrible thought.Alas a lot of terrible things happen in time of war,just like the streets getting straffed in Brighton by 110s.

Cheese

[kristorf]

War is not a 'clean' experiance.

What's the saying
"The first victims of war are the innocent'?

[checkmysix]

Unfortunatly civilians on all sides commited atrocities against downed Airmen
Especially but not surprisingly against Bomber crews who had just Bombed Large cities.

[planesy]

Hmmmmm......to quote Bomber Harris: He who reaps the wind shall now feel the whirlwind!!