There is a very spooky story of reincarnation attached to the bomber shot down in South Bank.
A young Middlesbrough lad in the 1980,s claimed he had flown the aircraft from a base in Norway. He described the cockpit exactly, the crew and the fact that he lost a leg in the crash. He described the base that he took off from and the unique washing facilities. All of this checked out. This was before the plane wreck was discovered in the 90,s. He gave his German name and rank and from that German relatives were found and collaborated his story. Photos are avaliable of both the pilot and the young man. All this is easy to find on Google.
I have never heard that story before.
Interesting.
My dad, who was around 14, watched that plane come down near South Bank Coke Ovens.
He lived just along the street from the Junction pub, which stood at the foot of the wooden bridge that went over the railway lines to Smiths d*ck and the Coke Ovens.
He seemed to think that this plane was the one that bombed Middlesbrough Railway Station.
He said nobody rushed to see if there were any survivors.
I also recall a conversation I had with an old guy years ago now dead I’m afraid, who said he witnessed a German airman parachuting onto the Eston Hills.
I don’t know which action it involved.
But another chap told me of plane debris that was scattered across the top of the hills near ‘Pit Top’.
Anyroad....
He told me that one of the parachutists was a very very small man almost midget in size.
He was told that he was probably a gunner on the plane who was small to enable him to fit into a small space to fire the guns.
He was laid on the ground curled up like a ball.
Anyway apparently he was dead by the time he landed due to being badly burned, but there was hell on because bigger kids had got to him before the Police.
His revolver was missing out of his holster
Police knew one of the kids had took it.
It was never recovered.
I think he got buried at the Thornaby Cemetery off the A66.
There are a few Germans in there.