Arrival of Eagles: Luftwaffe Landings in Britain 1939-1945

304 Pages·2014·11.11 MB·English

by  Saunders

Dedication
For my grandson Alfie Blaney

Published by
Grub Street Publishing
4 Rainham Close
London
SW11 6SS
Copyright © Grub Street 2014
Copyright text and photos © Andy Saunders 2014
A CIP record for this title is available from the British Library
ISBN-13: 9781909808126
EPUB ISBN: 9781909808393
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any
form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the
copyright owner.
Design by Roy Platten, Eclipse, Hemel Hempstead
[email protected]
Printed and bound by Berforts Group, UK
Grub Street Publishing uses only FSC
(Forest Stewardship Council) paper for its books
Captured enemy aircraft were always great intelligence ‘prizes’ and here RAF personnel examine a
Messerschmitt 109 G abandoned at a former Luftwaffe airfield in France during September 1944.

Contents
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Foreword
Chapter 1 First Eagle Down
Chapter 2 On the Run
Chapter 3 The Lost Post
Chapter 4 Rooftop Pursuit
Chapter 5 The Battle of Graveney Marshes
Chapter 6 An Edelweiss in the Clover
Chapter 7 ‘Bale Out!’
Chapter 8 The Strange Case of Albert Horn
Chapter 9 Turncoat Messerschmitt
Chapter 10 To Get a Butcher Bird
Chapter 11 Caught in the Meacon’s Trap
Chapter 12 Thieves, Defectors and Others
Chapter 13 The Grey War
Chapter 14 For You, the War is Over
Chapter 15 A Miscellany of Eagles
Chapter 16 Kidnap Hitler!
Appendices
I List of Luftwaffe Arrivals in Britain Test Flown for the RAF
II RAF Air Intelligence (Departments A.I.1 (g) and A.I.1 (k))
III Specimen RAF Intelligence Reports from A.I.1 (g) and A.I.1 (k)
IV RAF A.D.I.1 (k) Intelligence Report on Junkers 188, Exbury, 18 April 1944
V Interrogation of German Air Force Prisoners
VI Royal Aircraft Establishment
VII Air Fighting Development Unit
VIII 1426 (Enemy Aircraft) Flight
IX RAE Farnborough; Technical Reports (extracts) on Focke Wulf 109 Aircraft
Bibliography
Acknowledgements
I
MUST RECORD MY INDEBTEDNESS to a number of individuals and
organisations for assistance in the production of this book. Not in any order
of merit I must thank the following: Chris Goss, Winston Ramsey, Gail Ramsey,
Christopher R. Elliott, Steve Brew, Martin Mace and Britain at War magazine,
Peter Cornwell, Steve Hall, Nigel Parker, Simon Parry, Tony Holmes, Robert
Forsyth, Dean Sumner, Norman Franks and Sue Eagles.
I should also record my gratitude to the late Peter Foote and Ken West from
whom much information was gleaned over many years of co-operative research
and the sharing of information and photographs.
A very special thank you, though, must go to Captain Eric ‘Winkle’ Brown
for writing what is a much-valued foreword to this book. It was, Sir, a very great
honour indeed that you should have agreed to write for a book that covers a
number of aircraft with which you have had a very intimate connection. I cannot
thank you enough. Many thanks also to the Fly Navy Heritage Trust for
providing a wonderful photo of him.
I must also thank my friend of many years, Dr Alfred Price. Alfred has very
much become the doyen of aviation history researchers and authors and also a
prolific and greatly-respected writer. His early works of the late-1960 period
very much sparked my enthusiasm for the subject and I have avidly read all of
his published works since. During the 1970s and early 80s I was privileged to
help him in some small ways with his various Battle of Britain and other
projects, and I felt honoured recently to be gifted substantial parts of Alfred’s
archive upon his retirement in 2012. Alfred has generously allowed me to draw
on his documentary and photographic material and to use it howsoever I please.
Thank you, Alfred.
Again, I must thank the superb team at Grub Street Publishing for their
enthusiasm for this book and their dedication in ensuring a quality production as
ever, especially Natalie Parker and Sophie Campbell, and the ever patient John
Davies. You are always a pleasure to work with.
Lastly, but by no means least, I must thank Zoe for her continued support and
understanding as I put this book together and as I spent long hours shut away in
my office. Without her encouragement and input, and frequent tea, sandwiches
and cake it would have all been impossible. Thank you.
If I have forgotten anyone, please accept my apologies. Any oversight was
entirely unintentional.