12/06/2026
For those of you who have visited the Kent Battle of Britain Museum Trust at Hawkinge (www.kbobm.org) you will know that we are not just an Aviation Museum but more of a Museum of the Men of The Battle of Britain, telling the stories of thousands of those who took part in the epic conflict during the summer of 1940.
Dave our head volunteer and chairman has dedicated his life researching the subject and originally trying to trace and interview the survivors, as well as the families of those that had fallen, and from both sides of the conflict. Earlier last year (17th March 2025) we lost the last known surviving member of ‘The Few’, Group Captain John ‘Paddy’ Hemingway DFC, most of the research is concentrated on finding the families of those that fell but also those that survived and have died since the war. As a museum that tells the complete story of the Battle, as much time is spent trying to locate Luftwaffe Aircrew as well as those that flew and fought in the Royal Air Force.
In 2023 we were very pleased to welcome Petra and Konrad Ehlers to the Museum and all the way from Germany, to see artefacts recovered from the wreckage of her father’s Dornier Do 17. The visit was organised by Nigel Staniforth, whose grandfather watched the Dornier on its final moments before crashing close to Barnehurst Golf Course on Sunday 15th September 1940. Nigel has spent many years researching this and many other aircraft that crashed around the Dartford area. Since 2023 Nigel and his research partner, Kathrin Dietze, have traced the families of all four crew and in doing so traced Petra Konrad, the daughter of Leutnant Herbert Michaelis.
Since the visit, Dave and Nigel have been chatting about their various research projects and this led Nigel offering to help locate some of the many Luftwaffe Aircrew that Dave has been trying to trace for over four decades! The next problem for Dave was to produce a short list of the many he has been trying to trace!
On 30th January 2024 Dave sent Nigel and Kathrin a list of eleven Luftwaffe Aircrew and all of whom are commemorated in the Museum. Ten dying during the Battle of Britain and only one surviving the war as a prisoner of war. Well four days later they had already found and made contact with one of the relations on the list, a descendant of Leutnant Ludwig Lenz! The great nephew of Ludwig had been found in New York!
Dave has been trying to find this family since the early 1980s and was made even more frustrating that he had heard that a member of Ludwig Lenz’s family had visit his grave, on two occasions, in and around the 1990s, and quite possibly had even visited the Museum without mentioning their connection! This story had been relayed to Dave by Tom, a former gravedigger, who lived until his passing in one of the houses in the Hawkinge Cemetery, where Ludwig Lenz had been buried on 21st October 1940 and the service being carried out by Father Thomas. Tom had met the family and both occasions and even invited them into his home. On the second occasions they had given him a bottle of schnapps to say thanks for looking after Ludwing’s grave.
Since 4th February 2024 Dave, Nigel, Kathrin, and the great nephew of Ludwig, Bernhard Lenz have been busy exchanging emails, carrying out additional research, and exchanging photographs. After over forty years Dave now has a number of photographs of Ludwing Lenz that can now be added to several displays within the Museum that commemorate his short life. With thanks to Bernhard, we can build up a more person story of Ludwig and his family and not just of his short service career. As with many families drawn into the Second World War by politicians and madmen, they suffered terribly during the war. Ludwig was one of eleven siblings born to Johannes Paul Lenz and Maria Elisabeth Lenz (Zweygart) and six of these brothers and sisters were killed during the War.
Dave had a message from Bernard Lenz in the middle of May this year (2026) saying that an uncle had ‘rediscovered’ a photograph of Ludwig Lenz’ grave in the early years after his death and the card sent to his parents by the Red Cross. Dave asked if the family would consider donating this to the Museum to add to the display that commemorates his short life and the following day Bernhard sent this message ‘Good news. The ‘elders’ of the family agreed with donating the card.’
A few weeks ago, it arrived and was accompanied by a beautiful letter from Adelheid and Lutz Lenz, Dave, ‘My name is Lutz. I am the godson of Ludwig Lenzy, whose grave you maintain. Mu nephew Benni from New York informed you that my sister and I found among our aunt’s belongings, the death certificate of her brother Ludwig, along with the photo of his grave, and an official notice. We are sending you these documents for your museum. We sincerely thank you for your care and maintenance of our uncle’s grave, which is not something to be taken for granted.’
Warmest regards and, once again thank you very much,
Adelheid and Lutz Lenz
Here is some of Ludwig Lenz’s story: -
Ludwig was born on 25th September 1912 in Böblingen, Federal State of Baden-Württemberg. His profession before the war was a "Technical Merchant" and he was in line to take over the family's Lenz Textile Factory in Böblingen. As yet, we have not established when he joined the Luftwaffe.
On Tuesday 15th October 1940 the Luftwaffe sent “light units of Luftflotte 2” to attack targets in London and south-east England. This involved Jabo units (fighter-bomber units), of JG 2, JG 26, JG 3, JG 51, JG 52, JG 54, and LG 2, all with fighter es**rt.
Just after breakfast, Arthur Wootten, the proprietor of the Elham Garage, heard gunfire to the south-east and saw a Messerschmitt Bf 109E followed by a Spitfire approaching Elham at 2,000 feet. Following a considerable din of gunfire, the Messerschmitt Bf 109E exploded, scattering wreckage over a wide area of North Elham. The fuselage broke in half and its Daimler-Benz DB601 engine, with the propeller still spinning screamed down towards Elham. It just missed the village, landing in a paddock near the cricket pitch off Park Lane. The main portion of the Messerschmitt Bf 109E-7, Werke No. 3734 of Stab 1 / Lehrgeschwader 2, with Leutnant Ludwig Lenz still strapped into the cockpit, fluttered down, and crashed at Older’s bank on Older’s Poultry Farm. When the villages reached the wreckage, they found Lt. Lenz barely alive and trapped in the buckled remains of the cockpit. As they struggled to release his crushed legs from the wreckage, they noticed he was not wearing a tunic over his French-made civilian shirt. once released, he was carefully lifted out, but he succumbed from his wounds that afternoon. He was 28 years old and is buried in the Commonwealth War Graves Section in the Hawkinge Cemetery.
It is believed that the explosion was caused when a bullet from the Spitfire hit the Messerschmitt Bf 109E’s bombload, detonating the 250-kilo bomb carried under the belly of the enemy aircraft. It is believed that the Spitfire was from No. 92 squadron but to date we have been unable to identify which pilot was responsible for the destruction of this aircraft.
An air intake was found at Chalkole Field, North Elham, by the farmer and landowner John Palmer, who kindly donated this exhibit to the Museum. It originates for Messerschmitt Bf 109E-7 Werke No. 3734 of Stab I / Lehrgeschwader 2 which exploded over Spruce Lawns, Elham at 9.20am on Tuesday 15th October 1940. The pilot, Leutnant Ludwig Lenz, fell with the cockpit section at Older’s Bank and died from his wounds several hours later.
At the time of his death he had recorded three aerial victories, a Hurricane over the Thames Estuary on 10th July 1940, a Spitfire off the Isle of Wight on 18th Augst 1940, and a Spitfire over the Dover area on 24th August 1940.
A letter dated 12th November 1940, was sent to his parents, Johannes Paul, and Maria Elisabeth Lenz, from Major Hans Trubenbach, who had commanded the Gruppe between November 1938 and August 1940. The command had passed to Hauptmann Herbert Ihlefeld and we can only surmise that it was probably felt better that Major Hans Trubenbach should write to Ludwig’s family as he knew him and had served with him for a longer period of time. Some of what is stated in the letter differs from the known facts as to Ludwing’s loss.
Translation of the letter:
Dear Mr. Lenz, dear Madam!
Having learned a few days ago, now with absolute certainty, that your son Ludwig was killed in action during an air battle over England, I am today, as his Commodore, fulfilling the deeply sad duty of informing you of his heroic death. I deeply regret the loss of this irreplaceable, capable officer and comrade, who served his group in an exemplary manner and was a loyal and outstanding fighter pilot to me personally as my constant companion on all enemy flights.
On his last flight, we both flew back from the area southeast of London at a very high altitude above the squadron, but turned back near the coast, as from there we had a very favourable position for an attack from the sun. A short time later we came into contact with a large number of English fighters, which forced us to evade the superior numbers and turn downwards in the course of the attack. Ludwig, however, no longer heeded my order to do so and must have been badly hit in the meantime. As I was badly pressed myself, I was unable to follow his plane - but it is assumed that their son came to earth in the Redhill area. The International Red Cross will provide more detailed information.
As I express my deepest sympathies once again, I comfort you with the knowledge that Ludwig died for the greatness of the Reich. As long as there are hunters, he will live on in us.
Your devoted Trübenbach
During conversations two years ago, it came to light that unconfirmed rumours heard by Bernhard Lenz as a child from members of his family, was that Ludwig indeed did survive the crash but was pitchforked by local farmers that weren't too happy about his sudden appearance on their fields. However, having now seen the damage to his plane, Bernhard feels that it is much more likely that his passing can be attributed to the explosion and crash itself, rather than any external factors. Dave was also able to dispel any of these rumours, having known three eyewitnesses to the crash and some of whom had used farm tools to help extract the dying Ludwig Lenz from the twisted remains of his cockpit.
Four years after the loss of Ludwig, the family factory was hit by five bombs during an American Bombing raid. The factory was close to the rail station and airfield in Böblingen and became a collateral target due to some misplaced Christmas tree markers dropped by the leading pathfinder airplanes. Three of Ludwig's siblings took shelter in the basement of the factory and the heavy machinery from the floors above came crashing down upon them, killing them instantly. They were Anna Maria 1910 – 1944, Ernst Wilhelm 1915 – 1944 and Gertrud Dorothee 1917 – 1944. Another brother, Helmut Johannes, was killed in action in Demjansk, Russia and the youngest brother, Albrecht Joachim, a Luftwaffe pilot, died in Schwerin Military Hospital in 1945. Thus, six of eleven brothers and sisters were lost during the Second World War.
Back on Sunday 4th February 2024 Dave visited the Commonwealth War Graves Section in the Hawkinge Cemetery and laid a bunch of flowers at the grave of Lt. Ludwig Lenz on behalf of Bernhard Lenz, the Lenz family, as well as Nigel Staniforth, Kathrin Dietze, and all the volunteers at the Kent Battle of Britain Museum Trust.
On Saturday 10th February 2024 Dave and several of his fellow volunteers were back at the CGWC Section to mark the loss of F/O Peter McD. Hartas. Dave was very touched to receive an email from Bernhard Lenz saying: ‘If it’s not too late, please give the family my regards and condolences. Their son died for the freedom we live in!’ Now that is exactly what the Museum is about.
It is also of interest to note that before Ludwing, the family had married into the Zeppelin family and after Ludwing there was a marriage to the Dengler family. Dieter Dengler was one of the first pilots to be shot down over Vietnam, flying with the United States Navy, and had a harrowing imprisonment, torture, escape, and his rescue are well documented. Bernhard’s very own father was an Aeronautical Engineer and worked for Panavia on the British, German, and Italian Tornado combat aircraft.
The photographs and some of the additional information gleaned from Bernhard and his family will be added to several displays within the Museum that commemorate Ludwig Lenz’s short life.
We would like to extend grateful thanks to Nigel Staniforth, Kathrin Dietze, and Bernhard Lenz.
For everything you need to know about the Museum, Museum Shop, No. 25 Squadron Mess and Tea Rooms, and lots, lots, more, please have a look at and browse through our excellent and informative website: www.kbobm.org
Please ‘like’, ‘share’, and ‘comment’, if you so wish.
(Please note: any posts about N***s etc will be deleted as he was just an airman doing his duty. If he had not fought, he would have no doubt been shot by his own side. He fought for N***s Germany due to being born in Germany and because of politics, evil dictators, and madmen).
Many Thanks as always…
