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Heinz Rokker
| Capt Heinz Rökker (deceased) Oberleutnant Heinz Rökker was born in Oldenburg, Germany on 20th October 1920. In October 1939 Rokker joined the Luftwaffe and began his training in July 1940 with Flieger Ausbildungs Regiment 22 at Gustrow. Heinz Rokker attended Blindflugschule 5 in Belgrade before completing his training in September 1941 at Nachjagdschule 1. In May 1942 Rökker was then posted to 1 Staffel, Nachtjagdgeschwader 2. The squadorn was operating in the Mediterranean theatre and on the 20th of June 1942 Rokker shot down a Royal Air Force Bristol Beaufort over the Mediterranean Sea whilst transiting from his base at Catania to Kalamaki in Greece. His aircraft received 25 hits from return fire during the action but he landed safely at Kalamaki. From bases in Libya, he undertook intruder missions over Egypt claiming four RAF Wellington twin-engined bombers shot down. He claimed an RAF Wellington twin-engined bomber shot down near Marsalla on the night of 19/20 April to record his sixth victory. On 4th August 1942, 1./NJG 2 was relocated to Belgium. Rökker was appointed Staffelkapitän of 1./NJG 2 on 15 December 1942. In April 1944 he was awarded the Ritter Kreuz (Knights Cross) and Oak Leaves. On the night of 6/7 June, he then claimed 5 RAF bombers and recorded his 40th kill on 7/8 August. On 4/5 November he claimed 4 more enemy aircraft and recorded three more victories on the night of 3/4 February to take his score to 52. He claimed six enemy aircraft on the night of 21/22 February. Heinz Rokker shot down Thomas Harvell on the night of 28/29th July 1944 over Domremy, the birthplace of Joan of Arc. The Lancaster No.LM206 crashed into a farm and the River Meuse. One of the engines can be seen in the museum near Neuf Chateau. His final total was a staggering 64 kills (63 at night ). Hauptmann Rökker was awarded the Eichenlaub in March for 60 victories. On the night of 15/16 March, Rökker recorded 4 enemy aircraft shot down as his last victories of the war, including a Mosquito shot down over his airfield at St Trond. Heinz Rokker mainly flew the Junkers JU 88 G-1 and was credited with 64 victories in 161 missions. Oberleutnant Heinz Rökker recorded 63 of his victories at night, including 55 four-engined bombers. He died on 2nd August 2018 aged 97. |
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Combat Over Domremy by Graeme Lothian. During WW II ofjuly 1944, the RAF Bomber Command were planning yet another bombing raid, this time over Stuttgart in Germany. The no.514 Sq., based in Cambridgeshire, England, were one of the Lancaster Bomber Squadrons chosen for the mission. Flight Lieutenant THOMAS HARVELL was a member of the 7 man crew for Lancaster Bomber no.LM206 selected, (the crew being Flt Lt. Robert Jones, Flt Lt Thomas Harvell, Co-pilot, Flt Lt Kenneth Hedley, Loader, Bomb Aimer, Sgt George Robinson, Navigator (survived) Sgt Robert Lane, Air Gunner, Flt Sgt Frank Stanley Johns, Wireless operator, and Sgt Alfred Braine, Air Gunner.) He was flight engineer and co-pilot with II missions already behind him. The RAF carried out nearly all their raids at night. This was the night of July 28/29 1944 and they were on course in the vicinity of Neuf Chateau (S.WNancy) France. Suddenly they were attacked by a prowling Luftwaffe Nightfighter aircraft, which later proved to be a JUNKERS 88 flown by HEINZ ROKKER. The Lancaster shuddered on the first hit but continued flying. THOMAS HARVELL was moving to the back of the aircraft and had dropped window, (strips of foil) to confuse ground radar, when they were hit again. This time they lost an engine after an explosion and LM206 started to plunge earthwards. (The Merlin Engine can been seen today at the French Airforce museum, St.Dizier, Lorraine) FI.Lt. HOMAS HARVELL was literally blown out of the doomed Lancaster, hitting his head and becoming unconcious. As luck was on his side, he regained his senses whilst falling through the air and pulled his chute at the last minute. He landed heavily and injured his leg. The pilot and four other members of the crew perished but navigator George Robinson also managed to use his chute and was captured after landing, by the german occupation forces. George Robinson now lives in South Africa. The other five crew members are all buried at Neuf Chateau and their graves can be seen to this day. THOMAS HARVELL was able to evade capture and was found by a member of the FFI (French Resistance), who hid him in various hideouts. After being treated for his wounds by Dr.CORNU, a prominent surgeon of Neuf Chateau, several attempts were made to smuggle THOMAS HARVELL back to England without much success. It was decided, by the FFI, to make one last attempt and this time THOMAS HARVELL was given a bicycle and new identity papers. He was told to cycle in the direction of the Swiss border west of Besacon and make contact with the Daubs area FFI commander, JEAN LAPPRAND.It was decided it was too dangerous to cross the border at this time and as THOMAS HARVELL had already become a member of the French Resistance, he continued fighting the war side by side with his French Resistance colleagues. It was in this part of France, that he witnessed a trial of a double agent/traitor of the FFI, who was quickly executed by firing squad. At this point in time, OREST BILAK came into the picture. He was born in Ukraine and had joined the Ukranian Army in 1942. He had become a senior NCO officer when his whole battalion were ordered to join forces with a german SS unit. They had much fighting experience and took part in some very bloody battles. Some elements of the Ukranian people had, at first, welcomed the germans but this soon changed and sometime in 1944 many were deserting. This was the case with OREST BILAKs battalion who had just been ordered to march into the mountain stronghold of JEAN LAPPRAND and wipe them out. Instead they had killed their german SS commanders and after talks with JEAN LAPPRAND had fought on with the FFI including THOMAS HARVELL. Together they liberated the region including the town of PIERREFONTAINE, ahead of the advancing allied forces Sept. 1944. It could be said that THOMAS HARVELL was the only British serviceman who fought with the german SS without being called a traitor. Another RAF pilot, Paul Bell a canadian and THOMAS HARVELL were now able to make contact with the 711 US Army. After six weeks, including a ride in the Dakota of General Patch, they finally made it back to England. On his arrival, THOMAS HARVELL became an instructor/advisor until the end of the war. He later made a career in the British Police Force. He regularily travels to France to meet all his wartime colleagues and now lives in Southampton, England. OREST BILAK was demobilised in 1946. Around this time he met his future wife (in France) who was also Ukrainian and had been working during the war in underground factories for the germans. By pure chance they had both attended the same school in Ukrainia. After the war OREST BILAK made a career in the clothing industry They live in retirement at a small mountain village near Lyon, France. They have 10 grandchildren. He has also devoted much of his time and money for a childrens home, in France, for the underprivileged from Ukraine. Out of his battalion of 450 men, of those who survived, 230 stayed with the French Foreign Legion, some emigrated to Canada, USA and Australia. 116 returned to the Ukraine, only to be arrested and sent to a Siberian prison for 10 years and a further 10 years hard labour. OREST BILAK and his wife visited the Ukraine for the first time in 1994 and met some of their old colleagues. JEAN LAPPRAND remains, to this day, secretive about his time in the FFI. Without a doubt he was very lucky to survive the war, considering his responsibility and fame. After the war he had his own carpentry business and lives in retirement with his wife at Pierrefontaine in good health. After much research we were able to trace and find HEINZ ROKKER, the Luftwaffe pilot who shot down Lancaster LM 206. We had a remarkable reunion at Neuf Chateau on September 14th 1999, where Thomas Harvell and Heinz Rokker met for the first time. It was a civic event with official invitation from the town mayor. A visit was made to the cemetery where the five Lancaster crew members are buried and HEINZ ROKKER laid a wreath on behalf of the german Nightfighters Pilots Association. This was followed by a speech at the town hall. A magnificent feast finished the event at the restaurant next to DOMREMY. |
Clipped Signature - Heinz Rökker. A Ju88 night-fighter pilot with NJG2 from late 1942, he scored 64 victories in 161 missions, all but one of which were at night. He was awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves. He died in 2018. |
Sicilian Vespers by Iain Wyllie. Leutnant Heinz Rokker of NJG 2 based at castelvetrand in Sicily in June 1943 warms up the engines of his JU- 88C-6 prior to taking off on another sortie. his prize wartime total was 64 kills. |
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