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c. 0600 Junkers Ju 87B Stuka (13x) Luftwaffe Fatalities: 26 / Occupants: 26 0 Written off (damaged beyond repair) Świętoszów - Poland Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) Demo/Airshow/Display Cottbus, Germany

A dive-bombing demonstration was being put on for senior Luftwaffe commanders.

I./ St.G.76 commanded by Captain Walter Sigel was assigned the task.

The demonstration was to be carried out by the twenty-six Stukas of the Gruppe just after daybreak.



A weather reconnaissance of the target, a forested area near Neuhammer, was carried out and the pilot reported to Captain Sigel that there was broken cloud over the objective between 6,000 and 2,500 feet, but the visibility below the cloud base was good.



Unfortunately however, the cloud layer turned into a bank of early morning fog extending to the ground in the half hour or so that it took the Gruppe to fly to the target, and Sigel could not be informed by those on the ground as he did not have radio communications with them.



The 26 dive bombers commenced their attack at 12,000 feet and soon plunged into the murk.

Alarmed by the prolonged dive without cloud break Captain Sigel was shocked to suddenly see tree tops appearing in the mist in front of him. Shouting a warning to his pilots over the R/T he began a desperate pull out from his 70-degree dive.

He escaped a crash narrowly but 13 of his Stukas did not and ploughed into the ground, killing their 26 pilots and gunners.

Sources:

Wheal, John, "Combat Aircraft Junkers Ju 87 Stukageschwader 1937-41", Osprey Puplishing, London, 1997, p. 15.WikipediaLuftwaffe War Diaries.

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