Stodmarsh
Note: This map only shows the position of Stodmarsh village within the UK.
STODMARSH: WW2 crash landing site
Location: S of the A28 about 4.5nm NE of Canterbury
NOTES: In his book East Kent At War Brian Collyer shows a picture of a German bomber which had crash-landed at STODMARSH and I reckon his caption is well worth recording: “This Dornier Do17Z bomber of 7KG2 was an early morning arrival at Stodmarsh returning from an attack on Eastchurch Aerodrome, Isle of Sheppy, on ‘Eagle Day’, 13 August 1940.
Engaged by Hurricanes of No.111 Squadron, this aircraft crossed Canterbury before being forced to land near the ack-ack site, where John Shilson recalls, “We were roused from our slumbers to man our Bofors gun clad just in boots, tin hats and our underpants – I shudder to think what the German crew thought of the British Army!”
This seems as good a chance as any to explain a few other truths appertaining to Army ack-ack ground forces, and the Royal Navy in WW2. The first point is that by and large the Army and Royal Navy would fire at any aircraft, not caring if it was friend or foe. Indeed, as a general rule they would invariably try to shoot to kill any pilot or aircrew, from either side, parachuting after abandoning their aircraft.
A fact not much promulgated is that the first aircraft to be shot down in WW2 and the first RAF pilot killed was a result of both ‘friendly fire’ by RAF fighters and British Army ack-ack. Look up the ‘Battle of Barking Creek’ for more info.
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