German WWII pilot apologises for bombing raid

LONDON (AFP) - A former World War II pilot from Germany asked for forgiveness during an emotional return to the English village which he had bombed during the six-year conflict.

"I want to see the people in Bolam from that time and explain what I was doing and say sorry for the damage that was caused," 82-year-old Willie Schludecker said of the 1942 raid on Sunderland, County Durham.

He told villagers he had come to Bolam to tell them he was sorry for wrecking their church, and added: "I am very happy that no one was hurt."

One of his bombs hit the village's ancient St Andrew's church, causing severe damage to the historic structure.

Schludecker had been unaware of the exact damage done by the bombing until he was tracked down by a local historian, Bill Norman, in Cologne, western Germany.

Norman's research into the German bombing raids in northeast England led Schludecker to make his first visit to Bolam since the May 1, 1942 raid and apologise to its residents.

"I was attacked by night fighters and went into a steep dive and then recovered the plane," he told villagers.

"I wanted to jettison the bombs on the railway line, because the plane was damaged and I wanted to get rid of the bombs so I could fly back home."

Norman agreed Schludecker's bombs had probably been dropped without ill faith because the village had no strategic importance.

"Bombs were often jettisoned if a plane was in extreme danger, as Willie was that night," he said.