On June 1, 1943, at 0730 hours GMT, a Dutch KLM Douglas DC-3 took off from Lisbon, Portugal, bound for Bristol in the United Kingdom. KLM had been flying this route since September 1940, during the waning days of the Battle of Britain. The Germans were obviously aware of these civilian flights. On two occasions, KLM airliners were intercepted and damaged by Luftwaffe planes. However, the Germans had not demonstrated any particular interest in disrupting this regular service between Portugal and Britain. And on this occasion, as he steered his DC-3 towards its destination in the U.K., Flight 777-As Captain Q. Tepas had no reason to believe his flight was going to be anything but regular. There was, however, one important difference: the Germans apparently believed that 777-A was carrying either Winston Churchill or his double, a general, and various high-ranking officials; in short, there were rumors of VIPs aboard Flight 777-A. The flight manifest actually consisted of civilians, including the director of Shell Oil (Lisbon), and the famous British actor Leslie Howard. Perhaps German intelligence mistook Leslie Howard for Winston Churchill or his double; perhaps someone else on the flight was deemed an important enough target. Perhaps the Germans calculated that the loss of Leslie Howard would be a blow to British morale. Whatever the reason, 777-A was to meet its destiny over the Bay of Biscay. At 1000 hours, long after 777-A's departure from Lisbon airport, eight Junkers Ju-88C-6s took off from an airfield near Bordeaux, France. These Ju-88s belonged to 14 Staffel of Kampfgeschwader 40. As part of Gruppe V/KG 40, 14 Staffel's area of operations was the Bay of Biscay. Despite its parent formation's designation (Kampfgeschwader, or bomber), Gruppe V was actually made up of heavy, long-range fighters (Zerstorer). Its main operations were conducting maritime patrol, providing air support for U-boats returning to ports along the French coast, and intercepting Allied aircraft being ferried to North Africa. By June 1943, V/KG 40 had taken a steady toll of Allied aircraft. That morning, after having shot down two British Wellingtons headed for North Africa, 13 Staffel returned from its patrol, to be replaced by 14 Staffel. The flight of eight 14 Staffel Ju-88s was ordered to look for and escort two U-boats back to port. However, poor weather conditions caused that mission to be aborted. The flight was then ordered to patrol the bay, in an area a little further west than its normal area of operations. Meanwhile, Flight 777-A continued toward its destination. As it turned out, the flight paths of 14 Staffel and 777-A crossed far out to sea over the Bay of Biscay. At 1054 GMT, the DC-3 crew radioed Whitchurch airfield near Bristol with the message that 777-A was being followed, and soon after that it was being attacked. This was the last message from 777-A. The Ju-88s of 14 Staffel, led by Staffel Kapitan Oberleutnant Herbert Hintze, spotted the airliner at around two miles range. It was correctly identified as a DC-3, a type flown by the Allies. At that range, however, it was impossible to determine the DC-3's markings. Flying top cover, Oberleutnant Albrecht Bellstedt and his wingman Leutnant Max Wittmer-Eigenbrot, dove to attack. Meanwhile, the rest of the flight prepared to attack the DC-3 from below. Bellstedt's first attack set fire to the port engine and wing. By then, Hintze had flown into firing range with the rest of the flight. Recognizing the civilian markings on the airliner, Hintze immediately called for firing to cease. It was too late; the DC-3 was doomed. As the airliner descended in flames, Hintze reported seeing three parachutes that did not deploy fully because they were on fire. The DC-3 ditched and sank shortly thereafter. There were no signs of survivors. Upon the return of 14 Staffel, the pilots were told that they had indeed shot down a civilian airliner but that enemy VIPs were on board. ANALYSIS Over the vastness of the sea, without airborne radar or ground control, the chance of intercepting one very specific target is slim. Of course, the routes of civilian airliners are somewhat predictable; combined with an accurate schedule, a point of interception can be reasonably projected. The Ju-88C-6 was the best long-range fighter in the Luftwaffe arsenal and was the obvious aircraft of choice. Single-engine fighters lacked the range to undertake the mission. Moreover, V/KG 40 was enjoying success against Allied aircraft, and its crews were seasoned and well suited to a long-range interception. The pilots of 14 Staffel had a good chance of successfully carrying out the attack and the success of the interception hinged on their experience and skill. Hence, the odds of interception, though slim, were the best possible given the circumstances. The interception of Flight 777-A was not meticulously planned given the short amount of time. Indeed, the Ju-88 crews were neither aware of their target nor of the importance of the mission. They were upset upon discovering they had been sent out to shoot down a civilian airliner, arguing that if the object was to eliminate VIPs onboard, it would've been just as easy and much more effective a propaganda coup if 14 Staffel had been allowed to intercept, then escort the unarmed DC-3 back to Bordeaux. The loss of Leslie Howard may have been a blow to British morale but its effects were neither shattering nor long lasting. Certainly, it is highly unlikely that German intelligence seriously considered that Winston Churchill was onboard Flight 777-A. Even if Churchill's double had been on board, the loss would not have had an impact on the war. It is possible that German intelligence decided to initiate the interception in the hopes the airliner would indeed be attacked and shot down as the opportunity arose. The target was not of utmost strategic importance, and correspondingly, the resources allocated were not especially out of the ordinary. Whatever gains the Luftwaffe hoped to attain was at best marginal. Sadly for the passengers and crew of Flight 777-A, the Luftwaffe did achieve this "marginal" success. The Pioneers of Aerial Assassination Three WWII Missions Introduction The Punctual Admiral: April 18, 1943 Dutch KLM 777-A's Last Flight: June 1, 1943 Target Von Rundstedt: October 16, 1943 Back to Table of Contents -- Against the Odds vol. 2 no. 3 Back to Against the Odds List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2004 by LPS. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com * Buy this back issue or subscribe to Against the Odds direct from LPS.