It's been a long time since I wrote an article about the German military cemetery at Bourdon, so today I'm going to talk about a pilot of Jagdgeschwader 52, who died tragically in an accident.
Who is Franz Essl?
Franz Essl was born on July 14, 1916 in Deggendorf, Bavaria. After that, despite leafing through books and magazines, I couldn't find any more information before the French campaign.
On Tuesday April 23, 1940, the Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-1 of the Oberfeldwebel Essl and eleven other aircraft from I./JG 52 were escorting a Dornier Do 17 when they encountered 13 H75 A Curtiss from G.C. II/5 of the French Air Force on a mission to escort a Potez 637. The fight is on, but Essl's Bf 109 is hit by the Curtiss of Second Lieutenant Jan Klan, a Czech from Havlíčkův. The German has to make a forced landing about 5 kilometers southeast of Sarrelouis, between Ensdorf and Schwalbach. Another source cites the village of Tromborn in Moselle, west of Saarlouis and in France!
The landing on his belly was a painful one, with Essl suffering several fractures, and he was sent to hospital for a few weeks. As you can imagine, he was pampered by the nurses.
On August 3, 1940, his group, I./JG 52, commanded by Hauptmann Siegfried von Eschwege, landed at the Calais-Coquelles airfield. The airfield is actually a meadow with rudimentary non-concrete infrastructure, located 4 kilometers west of Calais. He shares the site with Stab/JG 52.
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| In the center, Franz Essl inspects a French Potez 63. |
On September 1, 1940, I./JG 52 was assigned to escort He 111 bombers on a mission over England. Spotted by ground radar, the Germans were attacked by MK1 Spitfires.
At 12.15 p.m., at a height of 4,000 meters, Essl caught a Spitfire in his sights, and after a well-aimed salvo, the British plane nosedived and crashed in the Ashford area, south-east of London.
The following day, September 2, the weather was fine and warm, and this time Essl encountered a Hurricane, which also crashed south of Eastchurch. In two days, Franz scored his first two victories.
On October 12, despite a light fog, Leutnant Essl dons his LKpS101 over his head, radio tests all ok, engine vibrations can be felt in the cockpit, the Messerschmitt takes to the runway. Essl pulls back on the stick, the plane takes off. The I./JG52 has to find and protect bombers on a mission over London.
At around 3 p.m., the group clashes with the Spitfires. Once again, Franz distinguishes himself by shooting down one of the enemy fighters, but he doesn't yet know that it will be his last victim.
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| The I./JG 52 at Calais-Coquelles has a rudimentary infrastructure, with straw alcoves. |
Death at the end of the road
On October 25, 1940, Leutnant Franz Essl was on the road between Dunkirk and Gravelines when he had a serious accident. The circumstances are unclear, with some sources citing an accident with a truck, while others are unsure. What we do know is that the accident was very serious, as he died in Bergues hospital as a result of his injuries.
His grave at Bourdon German military cemetery
Today, Leutnant Franz Essl lies in the German military cemetery at Bourdon, block 16, row 7, grave 244.
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| German military cemetery at Bourdon |
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| The grave of Leutnant Franz Essl |
The Messerschmitt Bf 109E-1
Now I'd like to take a closer look at the BF 109E-1 that Franz Essl owned in early 1940. In September of the same year, he had probably received a BF 109E-4 or even an E-7.
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| Messerschmitt Bf 109E-1 in Spain |
As early Bf 109 models were limited by their engine power and armament, the Bf 109E-1, nicknamed "Emil", attempted to solve these problems. A new 1100 hp Daimler Benz DB601A engine makes the aircraft faster and more torquey, which is very useful for tactical maneuvers.
In terms of armament, the two MG 17s are still mounted in front of the cockpit, while the reinforced wings receive one MG 17 each.
Production was launched in 1938, and the aircraft was manufactured in three factories, two in Augsburg and one in Austria, at Wiener Neustädter Flugzeugwerke GmbH. A total of 1,073 were produced, plus 110 Bf 109E-1/Bs, a version capable of carrying a 250 kg bomb.
In December 1938, 44 Bf 109E-1s were sent to Spain as part of the Condor Legion, but aerial combat was rare at the time, and the aircraft was unable to demonstrate its qualities.
In 1939, new versions of the Messerschmitt equipped a large proportion of the Jagdgeschwader, including the JG 52. During the phoney war and in early 1940, it outperformed the French Morane Saulnier MS 406 and Dewoitine D 520, even if the latter had good pilots.
However, German engineers, faced with the threat of the Hurricanes and Spitfires, did not rest on their laurels, and in the summer of 1940 the E-3 and E-4 versions replaced the E-1 in the Jagdgeschwader. When not modified at the factory, the E-1 is used exclusively for pilot training.
A Messerschmitt in France ?
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| Messerschmitt Bf 109, once on display at the Musée du Bourget in Paris |
It's hard to find a Messerschmitt Bf 109 or even a Buchon in a museum in France. Not so long ago, a Spanish version was on display in Toulouse, but this no longer seems to be the case. The same goes for the Musée de l'Aviation at Le Bourget. The best solution is to travel to Germany, Switzerland or across the Channel...
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