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Photo taken
by Heinz Knoke
on the frozen river Hallidal near from Nesbyen in Norway.
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On March 6, 1942 the
Losigkeit Group start round 14:00 its travel from Norway, back
to Germany.
While the first stage, travelling back from Vaernes (near Trondheim)
to Fornebu (near Oslo), two Messerschmitt Bf109 of the Group,
belly-land on the river Hallidal, out of fuel.
The planes belongs to Dolenga and Sergeant Wennekers (see Wennekers's
flightbook below).
For his part, Heinz Knoke continued flying East before belly-landind,
out of fuel to, some 30 miles farther on a frozen lake : Sperillen
lake.
The Bf 109E/4 16
on the photo belongs to Heinz Gerd Wennekers who's sitting
on the wing of his aircraft.
This picture wasn't taken on March 6, but on the following days,
while raising operations of the aircrafts.
(Photo
from
Heinz Knoke's personnal albums)
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Early in May 2002 Jørgen
Moe send me this message :
"I am now sure that Knoke didn't land on the Hallidal river
with Dolenga and Wennekers
! I talked to an old man a couple of days ago, and he told me
that he saw both Dolenga and Wennekers force land on the river.
He was only 12years old then, and he said :
<<First came Dolenga schwarze
1,
he tried to land with the landing wheels down and he almost
flipped over plowing his airscrew into the ice. Next came Wennekers
schwarze
16,
he had seen what Dolenga did and landed perfectly with the landing
gear retracted. Next came a third aircraft flying low over the
two others on the ice, but continued flying east or south.>>
He did'nt see what kind of aircraft it was, but he thought could
have been a Spitfire. The 12 years old boy, his name Mikal
Mjølid
walked over to "schwarze
16"
were he met a friendly Wennekers.
Wennekers let him
try ti sit in the cockpit of his 109E, and he remembered that
he coul'nt reach the rudder pedals. He said that Wennekers
was a nice man, but when the other local people came
to near his 109 he fired his signal gun over their heads to
keep them away. He also said that Dolenga was very confused
and thought he had landed in sweden. He went to a nearby house
and telephoned to Gardemoen. After a while Luftwaffe rescue
teams came and disasembled the two 109's and sent them by train
to Oslo.
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- - - A great "Thank you !" to Jørgen
Moe for his help
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