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On Aug 16 1940 the Luftwaffe Leutnant Heinz-Georg Möllenbrok (aged 20) was shot down in his Dornier Do 17, in his 20th mission and seriously wounded (his right hand was crushed in his attempt to bail out) during the raid on RAF Hornchurch, Essex. He was the victim of British Hurricane pilot, the Wing Commander Frederick "Taffy" Higginson (17 Feb 1913 – 12 Feb 2003), a fighter ace of the RAF.
Möllenbrok is seen here (on 6 Oct 1941 in Newhaven Harbor, Sussex) disembarking from the Hospital ship ‘Dinard’. The angry face of the English sergeant is more than eloquent. In this moment he and other seriously wounded German POWs were being repatriated to Germany via Sweden, but at the last moment Berlin decided to halt the exchange, as they weren’t happy with the disparity in the number of Allied troops expected to return from German POW camps, so he and the others had to return to their camps or hospitals.
Although the German authorities agreed to the repatriation of 1,200 British POWs in Sep 1941, they cancelled the exchange when it was found that only 150 suitable Germans prisoners were available for return. Not until Oct 23, 1943, was a transfer of 5,000 British, Commonwealth, and American repatriates arranged. Heinz-Georg Möllenbrok himself was returned to Germany in Oct of 1943, and survived the rest of the war.
Möllenbrok passing away at the age of 87 in 2007.
Möllenbrok is seen here (on 6 Oct 1941 in Newhaven Harbor, Sussex) disembarking from the Hospital ship ‘Dinard’. The angry face of the English sergeant is more than eloquent. In this moment he and other seriously wounded German POWs were being repatriated to Germany via Sweden, but at the last moment Berlin decided to halt the exchange, as they weren’t happy with the disparity in the number of Allied troops expected to return from German POW camps, so he and the others had to return to their camps or hospitals.
Although the German authorities agreed to the repatriation of 1,200 British POWs in Sep 1941, they cancelled the exchange when it was found that only 150 suitable Germans prisoners were available for return. Not until Oct 23, 1943, was a transfer of 5,000 British, Commonwealth, and American repatriates arranged. Heinz-Georg Möllenbrok himself was returned to Germany in Oct of 1943, and survived the rest of the war.
Möllenbrok passing away at the age of 87 in 2007.
