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FW 190A-7 crashed at Vellinge 20/2 1944.
The aircraft belonged to 3./ JG 11 and was coded Yellow 14.
T/o Oldenburg. Op: Attack on American bombers.
Seven FW 190 of 3./JG 11 caught up with a formation of approximately 126
American bombers over the island of Fyn just as the red “low fuel” warning lamp
turned on in Feldwebel Heinz Hanke`s Yellow 14 indicating that he had fuel
enough for about 8 minutes of flying.
The seven fighters attacked in a loose formation firing their heavy armament and
then attacked individually.
Hanke closed in on B 17 serial number 42-31126 from behind firing at it. He
closed in too fast due to his higher speed and was hit by parts falling from the
damaged bomber that eventually crashed near Bellinge at 12:19 hours.
Hanke rolled his FW 190 and dived away only to be hit by fire from a B 17
formation. The FW 190 received numerous hits in the wings, fuselage, engine and
oil cooler and as a result the canopy was smeared with oil. Hanke ejected the
canopy and was himself smeared with oil. He bailed out at 2400 metres and landed
safely in his parachute near Bederslev about one kilometre from the railway
station of Kappendrup.
(Otterup Lokalarkiv)
Feldwebel Heinz Hanke
Cabinetmaker Jens Peter “snedker” had seen Hanke floating
down in his parachute and helped him and his chute to the station. When they
reached the station, a black car arrived with two police officers and after
having been showed Hanke`s identity card they drove him and Jens Peter to
“Vellingegaard” farm where the FW had crashed 50 metres from the buildings.
A large number of people had gathered around the crash site and Hanke told them
to back off as there was a danger of explosion. A few seconds later this
actually happened but no one was harmed.
Fluko in Odense was informed about Hanke`s whereabouts and Anna Rasmussen who
owned “Vellingegaard” farm invited Hanke to have coffee and cake with cream with
the family.
(Otterup Lokalarkiv)
Anna Rasmussen, Hanke and Jens Peter “snedker”
After a couple of hours a car arrived and took Hanke to Fluko where he met with
some American flyers from a B 17 that had crashed near Haarslev. This led Hanke
to believe that he had claimed that B 17 and he bought a couple of biers that
was shared between the flyers and Hanke *.
Somehow Hanke managed to “liberate” the flying jacket from one of the flyers.
(Heinz Hanke)
When Hanke after two days returned to his squadrom by train he realised that he
was believed to have died as no one had seen him get out of the FW 190 before it
crashed.
The remains of Hanke`s aircraft was removed by the Luftwaffe on 9/3.
* Hanke could not possibly have claimed the B 17 that crashed near Haarslev as it
crashed about one hour after Hanke had bailed out.
Sources: Heinz Hanke, LBUK, JG 1/11.
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