UK / Bristol AA Defences

Discussion in 'United Kingdom' started by Kuno, Jul 13, 2010.

  1. Kuno

    Kuno Very Senior Member

    Colleagues; I know, normally you are used to see me posting something about North Africa. Now... this would be slightly further North. Had the chance to visit some positions of the former AA Defences of Bristol. There is even a story related to them:

    " Sometime later I learned that on September 27th, 1940, a German Messerschmidt 110 fighter bomber crashed near Manor Park Hospital in Fishponds. The pilot was only 26 years of age and named Oberfeldwebel Hans Tiepell. Also there was a Gunner, aged 20 years, Unteroffizier Bresiq from Bresan. They died instantly and are both buried at Greenbank Cemetery, in Bristol."

    Source: BBC - WW2 People's War - Rough Hewn and Tender Pride-Fishponds 1939-1940

    I don't know, if some photos of the positions (or better: what remains of them until today) would be interesting for you or (what I rather guess) if such is already commonly known and was only new for me.
     
    wtid45 likes this.
  2. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    Attached Files:

  3. Kuno

    Kuno Very Senior Member

    That's them. Unfortunately, when I had visited the cemeteray, I did not know yet that it was a Bf.110. I have photographed the graves o a 3 man crew then...
     
  4. Medic7922

    Medic7922 Senior Member

    A small snippet of info from

    The Blitz Then and Now vol 2

    local website
    Bristol Past : Fishponds Local History Society

    I work behind the old Manor Park Hospital and knew Ian Macrea some years ago, I was not aware that a german aircraft had been shot down in that area.
    Was the Bf.110. brought down by another aircraft or Anti aircraft defences,

    If the Bf.110, was downed by AA then I wonder if the large AA site on Purdown just across the (now the M32) was responsible, as the crash site is very close to Purdown (The site of the BT tower) is less then 1 mile as the crow flys.

    For those who may not know the area, parts of Manor Park Hospital was built by French POWs from the Napolianic wars, Also in the same grounds is the former Glenside mental Hospital which is now used to train Nurses etc by the University of the West of England, it was also a Military Hospital in the First World War.
     
  5. Kuno

    Kuno Very Senior Member

    @ Medic; if 'BT' means "British Telecom", then I think, we talk about the same place.

    I was told that it was them bringing down the Bf.110 and that it was the only time they did this throughout the war.
     
  6. Kuno

    Kuno Very Senior Member

    Here the photos of the gun position:
     

    Attached Files:

    Medwyn Edwards likes this.
  7. Medic7922

    Medic7922 Senior Member

    Kuno, Yes thats the site, on your last image you can see Stapleton church to the left out of view you would see the clock tower of Glenside Hospital that is the area the Bf.110. crashed. My grandfather served up on Purdown during the war and was camped in Eastville park, The local used to call the guns Purdown Percy, it protected central Bristol and the main railway lines that intersected the area.
     
  8. wtid45

    wtid45 Very Senior Member

    Nice post and pics Kuno, I live not far away down the road in Little Stoke I was aware of the graves as I was in Greenbank cemetery a few months back geting some pics for members and came across the German plots. I also have a book called Target Filton will have a look to see if this happens to be mentioned in there.
     
  9. wtid45

    wtid45 Very Senior Member

    The book covers the incident and confirms it was shot down by the Hurricane mentioned in Medics link(thats a very good site by the way I have used it to look into civilian casualties local to me) also has a pic of the plane flown by Tiepelt...........thats how its spelt in the book, and a pic of the wreckage which I will attempt to post although I have no scanner so Camera pic only im afraid.Wish I had known you were in Bristol Kuno, would of been good to have a chat about your work and the Jebel book which I keep meaning to get:) Medic never knew I had a member so close to me!
     
  10. Kuno

    Kuno Very Senior Member

    The world seems to be very small :)
     
  11. Medic7922

    Medic7922 Senior Member

    Medic never knew I had a member so close to me!

    As said a small world, I live in Downend and used to work close to you @ MOD Abbeywood
     
  12. wtid45

    wtid45 Very Senior Member

    As said a small world, I live in Downend and used to work close to you @ MOD Abbeywood
    You just never know!
     
  13. Bodston

    Bodston Little Willy

    This from 'Wings over Gloucestershire' by John Rennison

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG][​IMG]
     
    wtid45 likes this.
  14. wtid45

    wtid45 Very Senior Member

    Bodston, just the pics I had in mind plus a couple more cheers for that:)
     
  15. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

  16. pork-chop

    pork-chop New Member

    This was a sad day indeed for these two young German luftwaffe crew. I did some investigation into this crash a few years back. I managed to speak to a few old people from the area and a man who`s father was caretaker of block `D` where the aircraft crashed. Anyway the story goes . . . the aircraft appoached Bristol in the morning from the South East. It was custom to use Cossham Hospital as a `marker` due to its position on the horizon. Tiepelt flew directly over the hospital and along Lodge Causeway. People have told me that he swooped to a very low altitude to avoid gun fire from two Hawker Hurricanes from 504 sq based at Filton. Officers , Sgt H.D.B Jones and P/O Michael Royce spotted the aircraft and gave chase. Jones fired a quick burst and flew away leaving Royce to finish the job. He finished the job he started. Emptying his ammunition on this one aircraft, it stood no chance. Over the school playing field at Channons Hill, the Bf110 was only 30 ft above the ground with both engines ablaze and a fire in the cockpit. Royce was still firing at this point and members of the public were almost hit by the .303s ! Snowdon House (opposite Stapleton institution) was hit by the right wing and underbelly of the Bf110. Ricocheting the aircraft into the wall,roof and ground outide `D` block. Hans Tiepelt was killed instantly. His body blown to pieces by the impact. It took days to collect the parts for burial. Herbert Brosig`s demise is a little less quick. He was sumersaulted from the cockpit through the impact hole in the wall of `D` block, landing in a `cloakroom.` His journey into the cloakroom sealed his feat for him. He collided with a pillar on the way in, breaking his back so badly he was literally `bent in half`. Screaming in pain and suffering horrific burns, the caretaker did the kind deed and put him out of his suffering by means of his `shovel`.
    This is a gorey storey I know but its milf to what went on when `locals` arrived at the scene. Tensions were high at the time and the public were not in a sympathetic mood.
     
  17. Medic7922

    Medic7922 Senior Member

    I recently visited the Glenside Hospital Museum and noticed bits of the Bf110 are on show, Its very sad but not many locals or staff at the hospital knew the story also the important role the Old Glenside Hospital played in the First war.
     
  18. HAARA

    HAARA Well-Known Member

    Slightly off topic, for which I apologise, but another gun site is 'Bristol 3' and Gordano, map reference ST 525747, and is worth a visit. The following is an extract from a history of 76th HAA Regt during WW2.

    "The Luftwaffe raided Bristol on 3 January 1941 with 178 aircraft, followed by a further raid on 16 January by 126 aircraft, one of which was shot down by Cardiff based anti aircraft fire. Another aircraft failed to return, and was assumed to have crashed into the sea. Luftwaffe activity during February was considerably less, being principally single aircraft raids. One of these was brought down by 236 Battery 76th H.A.A. Regiment on 22 February firing from Gordano, this being the second and last aircraft verified as directly attributable to heavy anti aircraft fire from Bristol batteries during the war. Individual diaries by battery members, however, make more significant claims, these probably relating to successes by the R.A.F. Whilst the formal record may seem a small return for the considerable number of rounds fired, the effect of intense heavy anti aircraft fire at enemy aircraft resulted in aircraft flying higher or turning away to avoid barrages, making their bombing less accurate, reducing the potential and actual destruction of key target areas.

    Heavy enemy raids resumed on 16 March when 167 aircraft bombed Bristol, followed by a further large raid on 3 April by 76 aircraft, during which bombs fell on 236 Battery’s site at Gordano killing one and injuring five, and also damaging equipment. On the following night of 4 April 85 aircraft raided, a bomb falling on 238 Battery at Brickfields, killing one, whilst a second was killed by machine gun fire."

    Attached photos show some buildings at Gordano still in remarkably good condition, although the emplacements are being used for farming purposes! Aerial view courtesy of Google, of course.
     

    Attached Files:

    wtid45 likes this.
  19. pork-chop

    pork-chop New Member

    Nice photos ! Another `well kept` site is Sheepway. Had a good nosey up there many years ago. Interesting site with alot of the buildings still standing. After nosying I ventured down to the mud flats to see if the He111 was still visible with the tide out - what a mistake that was!
     
  20. pork-chop

    pork-chop New Member

    Hi medic, theres some bullet cases in the hospital museum which I donated about 15 years ago. These were given to me by the caretakers grandson. The majority of the Bf110 is still on the grounds of the hospital - not alot of people are aware of this!
     

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