Belgium—neutral Belgium— held its collective breath waiting for the inevitable storm of conflict known as World War II. At the German /Belgian border near Münster, two German officers were caught up in a bizarre incident that would alter the trajectory of the German invasion of Belgium. But first ,some background.
The 1939 German invasion of Poland left the Allies— including, but especially Belgium— in a state of shock and uncertainty about the future course of the war. Military operations were limited —adopting a wait-and- see strategy. At the Loddenheide Airfield (Münster), German aviator Erich Haenmanns was bored with his desk job. He wanted more reconnaissance flying time. After all, Erich was an aviator. One evening over a few beers in the mess hall, he met up with fellow officer Helmut Reinberger.
They agreed to travel to Cologne the next day but for different reasons. Erich wanted to deliver his dirty laundry to his wife as guilt-driven effort to “keep up appearances” and as proof positive that he was not having an extra marital affair in Münster. Helmut’s mission (undisclosed to Erich) was to go to Cologne to carry official documentation of Hitler’s secret war plans to attack Belgium.
Normally both would have taken a train but Erich, needing more flying time, was able to secure the use of a Messerschmitt reconnaissance plane. Erich knew full well his use of the aircraft was unauthorized. They took off in thick fog, lost their bearings, had engine failure and crash landed near Mechelen, Belgium. Erich and Helmuth survived the crash landing unscathed. Normally, the crash itself would not signal any great concern other than landing in a neutral country without permission. Belgian officials however, nervous about Hitler’s war plans, were immediately suspicious.
They took the two to a nearby Mechelen guardhouse whey ascertained the Helmuth’s war plan documents. Reinberger panicked fearing the consequences of his being accused of being a spy. Helmuth knew he most likely faced execution by German officials for letting the attack plan fall into enemy hands. He tried burning the documents in a nearby woodstove and even attacked a Belgian guard’s pistol in an attempt at suicide.
His extreme actions not only caught the attention of the Belgian Intelligence Service but also the Allies. Belgian, Dutch, English and French reactions varied when notified of the Hitler’s war plans. Some believed the incidence was a hoax— subterfuge meant to throw the Allies off balance. Other Allied officials believed the incident was proof positive that the German attack was imminent.
More importantly, when the news of Helmuth’s situation reached Berlin, Adolf Hitler and the German command became enraged. German attachés feared their plans for attack were compromised. The anxiety and confusion on both sides was palpable. That is when pilot Erich Hoenmans also began to panic. He feared German investigators would find evidence of his unauthorized use of the reconnaissance aircraft (a serious violation). He also feared his reckless extramarital affair would be exposed destroying his personal life. He, like Helmuth, feared the severe consequences of being a traitor to the German cause.
The drama reached a climax as the Belgians and the Dutch mobilized their troops and subsequently put them on high alert. Hitler not only delayed the attack date but shifted his strategy from an attack on the northeastern Belgian and Dutch coasts to a surprise attack in the Ardennes. It has been argued that the incident led to a major, albeit successful change in German attack plans.
Some believe Hitler changed his attack plans because of weather concerns. Others believe that an attack further south and east towards Dinant and the Ardennes would be more of a surprise since Belgium and the Allies had shifted their attention towards the coastline. Still others like the French, believed the incident was a hoax meant as deceptive trick on the part of the Germans to throw the Allies off balance.
Winston Churchill, then head of the British Royal Navy, was contacted about the incident and believed Reinberger’s documents to be genuine. This bizarre incident has become known as The Mechelen Incident.
After the war, Erich Hoenmans and Helmuth Reinberger were tried in absentia in Germany. In Reinberger’s case it was determined that transporting secret documents by airplane without explicit authorization was a capital offence. Hoenmans was considered a “ spy and a traitor” for his unauthorized use of the Messersmith plane and with testimony from his Cologne wife. Both were condemned to death but first were sent to an internment camps in Belgium and England.
Their death sentences were never carried out however. Erich was partially pardoned while Helmuth was fully acquitted. To this day World War II historians have debated the preposterous event.
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