Wreck detectives : the history
Over winter , Martin and Sheilah ’ s quest to uncover the plane ’ s full story saw them follow a trail of evidence and mixed clues , with not all being 100 % reliable .
The trail began with their own wreck database for the Dorset coast . This includes information from a local historian , Gordon Le Pard and a reference to a Chief Constable ’ s report held in the Dorset History Centre . They also consulted numerous historical accounts of the Battle of Britain .
To cut a rather long story short , eyewitness accounts from 7 October 1940 described multiple Bf110s crashing into the land and sea across Dorset . The Spitfire pilots defending southern Britain against wave after wave of bombers had little respite .
One such account reported “ At Lulworth between Arish Mell Gap and Worbarrow Tout , Machine Me110 crashed at 16:30 hours into the sea . Occupants ( two ) both prisoners . RAF notified .”
This key description not only matched the location of the wreck but also fitted with the plane being largely intact . By landing on the water the “ occupants ” avoided parachuting out , but this also meant the plane was less likely to break apart . A heavy impact from an unpiloted crash landing would more likely have seen the plane broken to pieces .
Sheilah then contacted the National Archives , the RAF Museum at Hendon and the Imperial War Museum . The latter holds microfilm of Luftwaffe flight records ; these were saved during the final days of WWII by none other than James Bond author Ian Fleming .
The Luftwaffe loss records were cross-referenced with prisoner of war Interrogation Reports and allowed Martin and Sheilah to narrow down the options to a single crew .
Bf110 3U + DD was piloted by Leutnant Botho Sommer ( 26 years old ) with bordfunker Únteroffizier Paul Praüler ( 22 years old ). Their Interrogation Report confirmed they had been part of a raid to bomb the Westlands factory at Yeovil .
The plane was the only one that day that crashed into the sea with both the pilot and bordfunker still on board . The pilot stated that he could have landed on the ground , but opted for the water – as a result of his experience “ he professed that dry land would have been preferable .”
What happened to the crew after the war remains a mystery . Our efforts to locate and
The starboard nacelle entangled with blue fishing net and encrusted with marine life . Photo : Matt Doggett .
The portside nacelle which would have housed the V12 engine . Photo : Matt Doggett .
The starboard V12 DB600 series engine . Photo : Matt Doggett .
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