Luftwaffe Mine Laying Aircraft shot down over Clacton-On-Sea, Essex, 1940

[Flying10uk]

I have mentioned this incident previously on this forum of when a Luftwaffe mine laying aircraft was shot down, by ground fire, over Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, England at the very end of April 1940.

However, last year, I became aware of the existence of news reel film of the immediate aftermath of the huge explosion caused by the detonation of at least one of the sea mines on board the aircraft. The incident is significant for the UK because the houses seen here, that have been damaged and destroyed, were amongst the first to be damaged by the Luftwaffe in the UK during WW2. The footage also has personal significance to me because my family was living only around a mile or two away when it happened and well remembered the huge explosion and the very big bang of the mine/s detonation. Sadly the crew of the aircraft did not make it out in time and, in addition, two people on the ground also perished. Around 160 people were injured.

I do think that these 2 short films uniquely demonstrate the power of sea mines (my understanding is that they are magnetic mines but I stand to be corrected) which for obvious reasons is not normally seen and why they can do so much damage to ships. My father believed that it was this incident that gave the Germans the idea to start dropping converted sea mines, normally by parachute, over land because of the enormous amount of damage that could be caused.

I would say to anyone who is easily upset, please do not look at the films because both films show the immediate aftermath of a huge explosion in a residential area and several people that have been injured.

Information

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[Flying10uk]

I'm not sure on whether or not this is the actual footage of the German airmen's funeral, relating to post 1 above, because of the lack of information attached to the film but the dates are correct.

[Charlie303]

Thanks F10, fascinating films.

I think it's easy to forget that in those days (no TV or internet) the cinema and Pathe News films were an important source of news for most of the civilian population, aside from the newspapers of course.

I was amazed by the funeral for the German airmen; the turnout and ceremony for an enemy that most had no love for. Even the nazi flags on the coffins. I have to say that I don't have a problem with it, they were fighting for their country, right or wrong, and respect for fallen combatants is right and proper. But I'm surprised at the scale in this instance. Was this normal? I guess that this was early in the war and not too many German planes had fallen by this time.

[Gil Boyd]

It was early days 1940 so one could expect a good curiosity turnout from the people of Clacton, however, burials were often reciprocated as honourable respect to an adversary, unless the SS were involved, who spared no British troops whatsoever, especially during DDAY.

[Flying10uk]

Thanks F10, fascinating films.

I think it's easy to forget that in those days (no TV or internet) the cinema and Pathe News films were an important source of news for most of the civilian population, aside from the newspapers of course.

I was amazed by the funeral for the German airmen; the turnout and ceremony for an enemy that most had no love for. Even the nazi flags on the coffins. I have to say that I don't have a problem with it, they were fighting for their country, right or wrong, and respect for fallen combatants is right and proper. But I'm surprised at the scale in this instance. Was this normal? I guess that this was early in the war and not too many German planes had fallen by this time.

For many British civilians this incident, the shooting down of the mine laying aircraft, was their first experience of war and it happened shortly before the fall of France. It was my father's first experience of war, at the age of just 6, and fortunately my family was a sufficient distance from the explosion not to be injured. My father did suffer permanent, serious, ear damage and some other problems in an air raid in November 1940 in which 4 people unfortunately died.

I think that British people understood that the German airmen who had been killed had wives, girlfriends, loved ones and other family members back in Germany who, obviously, couldn't attend the funeral. Not all those serving in Hitler's armed forces during WW2 were "ardent Nazis", some were but certainly not all. In Hitler's Germany you had to join it's armed forces, unless you were doing other "important" work, or you could likely face a concentration camp.

I feel sure that the British gunners who downed the aircraft, and were just doing their job, thought that they were firing on a German bomber, on a bombing mission, and had no idea that it was a mine layer. There are several areas along the east coast of England that the German aircraft could of been intending to drop it's mines, such as the Thames estuary, port of Felixstowe or the port of Harwich. It probably just got lost and it's crew disorientated.

[Gil Boyd]

Small but deadly piece of engineering by the Germans

[CINDERS]

Not many people would know about the air war with the aerial mines that the Germans deployed against shipping it became so bad that it nearly broke England until they got their hands on one and successfully deloused it a great feat of steel nerves.
Of course the Germans made a fundamental mistake with the magnetic & magnetic/acoustic in so much in the self destruct firing circuit they made the sliding part out of the same metal as what it sat in allot of them failed to go off due to the fact of the block binding on the slide had they made it out of different materials then they would have a 100% success rate.
The chaps who deloused these things and there were many different types including the booby trapped mines with the Zus 40 which grabbed the main fuse as soon as it was attempted to remove the main fuse the Zus 40 set the 1 tonne warhead off if they tripped the fuse then they had 17 seconds to get 400 yards away from it try running that distance in that time!
All were RNVR and could only get the George cross as they were not facing the enemy, but thy surely did face them on the mud flats, in gasometers in pitch blackness after being lowered into it, upside down reaching out of site on an ammunition barge when the fuse started to run that chap beat the fuse by a margin that could not be measured in his mind he fled but stay and do his duty he did.
One instance burrowing into a earthen dam wall over a 4 day period getting pulled out backwards by a sapper with rope tied to your ankle with the spoil from digging only to find when you reached the mine the fuse was on the opposite side then having to burrow over it and delouse it underground laying over the mine.

One mine in particular gave them trouble "GEORGE" the only way into the mine was through the tail and inside the tail were photo electric cells as soon as daylight hit them the warhead detonated they were lucky one wrecked itself on the docks allowing them to discover its secret the Germans used filtered light to assemble the mine, also it had the worlds first printed circuit ever made yes the Germans developed it not Japan.
The book is called Softly Tread The Brave By Southall I have read it 3 times and it contains far more than I have time to type here infact some of the mines were so dangerous it scared the Germans, the only one they never defeated was the oyster mine but the book is well worth getting.

[bigduke6]

I remember the TV series "Danger UXB" when they were tasked with sorting the Butterfly bomb.........

[mrclark303]

Danger UXH Geoff, now that's a blast from the past!

Today we have the X factor, the Voice, liberal 'remainer' slanted news and other such utterly brain dead rubbish to watch on terrestrial TV.

My TV time is Netflix these days, Peaky Blinders etc...

[Peter Laidler]

I wonder if the dead airmens parents/colleagues ever saw this film of their sons funeral.