Shooting of the Mees

1939 KLM Douglas DC-3 shooting or Shooting of the Mees refers to an incident on 26 September 1939 in which a regular passenger flight operated by KLM with the Douglas DC-3 named "Mees" (translated: Tit) (registration PH-ASM), en route from Copenhagen, Denmark to Amsterdam, Netherlands (both countries were neutral at the time), was attacked by a German aircraft, resulting in the death of one passenger.

As a result of this shooting, the Mees became the first passenger aircraft in Europe to be fired upon.

The incident exposed the dangers faced by neutral civil aviation during wartime and prompted the introduction of clearer aircraft identification measures, including new military markings, and KLM and other countires repainting its planes in bright orange to prevent misidentification.

Background

At the outbreak of the Second World War, the Netherlands maintained neutrality, but civil aviation operations still carried significant risks. KLM continued operating international flights, including routes between neutral countries such as Denmark and the Netherlands.

Flight

On 26 September 1939, the aircraft departed Copenhagen for Amsterdam with nine passengers and crew under the command of Captain Jan Moll. At approximately 14:10, while flying at an altitude of about 800 metres and roughly 120 km northwest of Heligoland, the aircraft was attacked from behind by a seaplane.

The attack was first noticed by the stewardess, who heard unusual sounds at the rear of the aircraft and alerted the cockpit. The aircraft was fired upon for several minutes, with bullets striking mainly the rear fuselage and baggage compartment.

Captain Moll descended into cloud cover, after which the attacking aircraft broke off the engagement, allowing the flight to continue to Schiphol.