Re: Robert "Bazi"Weiss
 

Guys, anyone that has the Japanese book 'Messerschmitt Bf 109' from the Military Aircraft series from Delta Publishing dated 1995 #1 on p.217 has a photo of, what is most likely, a Weiss Bf 109G-6 coded 'white 10'. The book may still be available --

Re: Robert "Bazi" Weiss
 

Ooops...that looks like an error on ww2.dk (or the original documents) at least in parts. The Poltava you mean was liberated by the Red Army on 22.09.1943.

Re: Robert "Bazi"Weiss
 

Hi chaps,

I may have a reason why Weiss was flying with 1./JG54 in late September. From the records it looks as though the man he replaced (temporarily) as Staka of 3 staffel, Franz Eisenach returned to duty in September 1943. Eisenach had been injured on July 8 and I assume Weiss was second-in-command.

On Eisenach's return he may have gone to temporaily replace Walter Nowotny who had been promoted to the staff? There don't seem to be anyother high scoring pilots at command level (except perhaps Gerd Loos?) making claims in 1 Staffel in this period. Karl-Reinhardt Fischer became staka around this time at which point presumably Weiss went to 10./JG54?

Regards

Keith

Robert "Bazi" Weiss
 

Hi guys

For the time being this is what I have been able to piece together:

1./JG 54

Nowotny was appointed Staffelkapitän of 1./JG 54 on 25 October 1942. He was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 54 on 10 August 1943 whereupon Fischer took up the position of Staffelkapitän of 1./JG 54. He appears to have remained in this role until his death on 8 December 1943.

3./JG 54

Eisenach was appointed Staffelkapitän of 3./JG 54 on 17 April 1943. He was injured on 8 July following which Weiss took over Staffelkapitän of 3./JG 54 upon returning to combat duty. Eisenach returned to his position as Staffelkapitän of 3./JG 54 before the end of September 1943.

10./JG 54

Teumer was appointed Staffelkapitän of 10./JG 54 in July 1943. He was wounded on 3 September following which he was succeeded by Weiss.

Therefore, it would make sense that Weiss relinquished command of 3./JG 54 sometime after 11 September as he is listed as Staffelkapitän of 3./JG 54 according to loss list information regarding his wounding that day and we know that Eisenach had returned as Staffelkapitän of 3./JG 54 before the end of September 1943. Weiss was possibly transferred as Staffelkapitän to 10./JG 54 in September 1943 upon returning command of 3./JG 54 to Eisenach. On a related note, I noticed that various loss list entries for I./JG 54 indicate that the Gruppe was based at Schatalowka-Ost for the time period we are interested in. The only location that I have found for this airfield appears to be 55 kilometers south-southeast of Smolensk. I now believe that the co-ordinates given for his two victories with 1./JG 54 in September 1943 are in error as I entered these into the Luftwaffe Map Grid Converter and both are near Kiev. However, when I entered the co-ordinates of the victories prior to these two the results were indeed in the Central Sector of the Eastern Front. 10. and 11./JG 54 equipped with Bf 109 G-6 fighters at the time appear to have been based at Krasnogwardeisk and Siwerskaja respectively while 12./JG 54 equipped with Fw 190 A-4, A-5 and A-6 fighters was based at Schatalowka-Ost.

Horrido!

Leo

Re: Robert "Bazi"Weiss
 

Sounds cool Leo!

But another one, gentlemen and friends.... when did he become Oberleutnant? He appears to have been promoted on 1.3.1943 but left 6./JG26 an an Oberleutnant on 1.9.1942!

Was he a Leutnant when he joined JG26? He must have joined the Luftwaffe as a Flak Gunner in 1938/9? training as a pilot in 1939, and not 1940 surely?

regards

Keith

Robert "Bazi" Weiss
 

Hello Keith

My information is that he served with the Flak in 1939 and was selected to receive fighter pilot training in 1940. He was posted to 6./JG 26 as a Leutnant on 1 January 1941. I have no idea when he was promoted to Oberleutnant but it was before 12 January 1943 as he had that rank when he claimed his first victory on the Eastern Front with 1./JG 54 so it quite possibly was while with JG 26 in 1942.

Horrido!

Leo

Re: Robert "Bazi"Weiss
 

Hi Leo,

Yep, that's what I have too. He was probably promoted to Oberleutnant in the early Summer of 1942, after his claim in March and before that of May 31. I wonder if it had anything to do with his c.o. Obltn Otto Behrens being wounded 24 March? He would be senior to Wutz Galland, the only other candidate for acting staka.

salut,

Keith

Re: Robert "Bazi"Weiss
 

According to Henry L. De Zeng IV and Douglas G. Starkey:
WEISS, Robert (“Bazi”). (DOB: 21.04.20 in Baden near Wien/Austria). (RE, DKG). Fall 1939 entered
the Luftwaffe and assigned to Flak-Rgt. 22. 1940 trf to the Fliegertruppe for fighter pilot training.
01.01.41 trf to 6./JG 26. 01.04.41 promo to Lt. 1941-42 in 6./JG 26. c. 07.42 trf to 3./JG 54. 09.42
trf to 1./JG 54. 12.01.43 Oblt., 1./JG 54. 29.01.43 Oblt., 1./JG 54. 01.03.43 promo to Oblt.
07.03.43 Oblt., with 3./JG 54. 08.05.43 awarded Ehrenpokal. 12.07.43 Oblt., awarded DKG, I./JG
54. 08.07.43 appt Staka 3./JG 54 (to 15.09.43). 02.08.43 Oblt., 3./JG 54. 11.09.43 Oblt., 3./JG 54
WIA? - Fw 190 A-6 (White 8) damaged over Shatalowka. 15.09.43 appt Staka 1./JG 54 (to 28.09.43).
28.09.43 Oblt., appt Staka 10./JG 54 (to sometime after 31.12.43). 08.12.43 Oblt., 10./JG 54.
15.01.44 Oblt., 10./JG 54. 15.02.44 Oblt., 10./JG 54. 26.03.44 Oblt., awarded Ritterkreuz, Staka
3./JG 54. 01.05.44 promo to Hptm. 05.44 trf to III./JG 54. 21.07.44 Hptm., appt Kdr. III./JG 54 (to
29.12.44). 17.08.44 on furlough (to 17.09.44). 29.12.44 KIA – in Fw 190 D-9 (Black 10) shot down
by Spitfires of 331 Sqdn. over the Lingen/Ems area near Lengerich. 12.03.45 posthumously awarded
Eichenlaub, III./JG 54. Credited with 471 (some sources say over 500) combat missions and 121 air
victories.

Re: Robert "Bazi"Weiss
 

"Bazi" is a well-meant common designation used by Northern Germans for Austro-Bavarian people

Regards
RolandF

Re: Robert "Bazi"Weiss
 

Good evening,

I'm interested in Robert Weiss, too.
What is his correct spelling: Weiss or Weiß ?
Was the Spitfire kill on his last day credited to him as his #122 kill (and not #121?).

Michael