In this final report on air operations, we will not limit ourselves to the events of 17 May 1940. We will also examine aircraft losses and crash sites in the Zeeland region during the period from 18 to 29 May.
Three German aircraft crashed on or near Walcheren on 17 May, while the Luftwaffe claimed five French fighters shot down during the day's operations.
A Heinkel He 111P of the headquarters flight (Stabsstaffel) of Kampfgeschwader 4 crashed near Ellewoutsdijk, approximately ten kilometres east of Flushing. Three of the four crew members were killed; the fourth was taken prisoner. KG 4 had been heavily involved in the intensive bombing of the Walcheren area during the preceding days. The cause of the crash remains unknown.
Possibly a second aircraft, also reported as a He 111 from the Stabsstaffel of KG 4, came down near Kapelle. Although both incidents are recorded as separate losses, it is possible that they refer to the same aircraft, as the reported crash locations are relatively close to one another.
At approximately 0800 hours, a Junkers Ju 88 of III./KG 30 crashed near Renesse on Schouwen-Duiveland, probably following an encounter with Allied fighter aircraft.
Around 1600 hours, two German Bf 109E fighters were shot down by French Curtiss Hawk 75 fighters. One aircraft, belonging to 1./JG 20 and flown by Unteroffizier W. Otterbeck, crashed into a food warehouse in Middelburg. The second, from 5./JG 20 and piloted by Unteroffizier M. Kazmeier, came down at Nieuw- en Sint Joosland, just east of Middelburg. Both pilots were killed. A third Bf 109E of 2./JG 20 was shot down near Ossendrecht.
Pilots of 1./JG 20 and 2./JG 20 claimed five French Hawk 75 fighters destroyed, four of them over Walcheren and a fifth near Sint-Niklaas, just across the Belgian border. The claims were recorded at 15:54, 15:55, 15:56, 15:56, and 15:58 hours (Dutch time). It is certain that at least two French Hawk's crashed on Dutch territory. One, flown by Sergent D. Bompain, came down north of Middelburg. Another, piloted by Lieutenant J. Hirschauer, crashed into the Western Scheldt. Both aircraft belonged to Groupe de Chasse I/4 (GC I/4).
The final aircraft loss recorded in Zeeland on this eighth day of the war involved a French Chance Vought V-156-F, the French naval version of the American SB2U-2 Vindicator carrier-dive-bomber. These aircraft had originally been acquired for service aboard the French aircraft carrier FS Béarn, but the outbreak of war prevented their intended deployment. Two French naval aviation squadrons, AB-1 and AB-3 (Aéronavale Bombardement), each operated twelve of these American-built aircraft. The aircraft lost in Zeeland, serial number 84/X-884, belonged to AB-3, based at Alprech Air Base in France. The unit had been called upon by Admiral Platon on the morning of 17 May to support French operations on Walcheren.
The V-156-F was a carrier dive-bomber rather than a fighter. With a maximum speed of approximately 400 km/h and armed with two 12,7 mm machine guns, it was not suited to contest German air superiority. Nevertheless, it was pressed into service against German targets in the Zeeland theatre. The precise objectives attacked by these French aircraft remain unknown..
During 18, 19, and 20 May, no aircraft losses have been recorded in Zeeland. On 21 May, however, a Junkers Ju 88A-1 of 1./LG 1 crashed near Breskens, for reasons not known.
The next recorded loss occurred on 27 May. Once again, the crash site was south of Breskens. At approximately 15:00 hours, a Dornier Do 17 of 9./KG 2, flown by Leutnant W. Stöcker, was shot down. The exact cause of the loss is unknown, although anti-aircraft fire is the most probable explanation.
On 29 May, yet another German aircraft was lost south of Breskens. A Ju 88 of 1./LG 1 crashed in the area. The aircraft was piloted by Feldwebel Giessen.