Hptm Walter Fenske
 

Good evening everybody,
Is there anybody on the board who can tell me what happened to Hptm Walter Fenske (I.NJG1, 9NJG2, NJG5, NJGr10) on 28 March 1944 and where he is buried. I cannot find his grave on the site of the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgraeberfuersorge.
Where can I find a photo of him?
Tia,
paul

Re: Hptm Walter Fenske
 

In 28 th for sure nothing, on 26 th he died Bf110g-4 740006 Crash no location hv you more ???

Rémi

Re: Hptm Walter Fenske
 

Remi,
The date of 28 March 1944 is from the site http://jpgleize.club.fr
I do not have the crash-site.
paul

Re: Hptm Walter Fenske
 

Fenske first flew with V/LG 1. There are photos of him in Von Eimannsberger's book on that unit. I have one photo of him in a group of 3 but shows him mainly from the back left.

Re: Hptm Walter Fenske
 

Hi Paul ,

Please find here a picture of Walter Fenske.

Alain

Re: Hptm Walter Fenske
 

Remi/Paul

Balss in his second book says the WNr was 740003, can you confirm that 740006 is correct?

Also Walter Fenske was not on any operational flight and the crew which died with him were:
Techn. Insp. Helmut Hansen
Fw Alfred Steiner

The staffel is quoted as the third (ie 3./NJG 10)

Maybee one should not read too much into the Techn Insp. above, but the flight COULD have been a testflight where Fenske carried a technical controller aboard, and that this was a daylight flight.

The coming night was certainly one to remember for our own member Peter Spoden, who was wounded that night but luckily survived the ordeal.

Cheers
Stig

Re: Hptm Walter Fenske
 

You nd Balss hv to be right 740006 crashed two days before, nd as I don't hv the NVM for this one I suppose I made a typing error, no further info of scope of the flight marked as nonfoe-directed, so a peace flight I suppose

Reading the NJG6 Log-book, I noted that M.Spoden hv been very busy at the end of the war, the book give many detail on the technical-bias, has M.Spoden commited an other book, than the well known, I flew for the "Kanzler"...a more complete one I mean, I hv the german original one.

rémi

Re: Hptm Walter Fenske
 

I'd be interested if anyone can provide any more information on Fenske. I know he died in 1944. Alain57 kindly supplied a picture. My Wifes Grandfathers plane was shot down by him (Stirling BK646 75 Sq RNZAF)

Re: Hptm Walter Fenske
 

Walter Fenske was born on 22 June 1911 at Neuwedel. At the outbreak of WW 2, Oblt. Fenske was serving with 2.(Z)/LG 1. On 8 October 1939, 2.(Z)/LG 1 was redesignated 14.(Z)/LG 1. On 1 October 1940, 14.(Z)/LG 1 was redesignated 2./NJG 3. In autumn 1940, Fenske transfered to 3./NJG 1. In February 1941, he was appointed Staffelkapitän of 3./NJG 1. In October 1941, he transfered as Staffelkapitän to 9./NJG 2. By June 1943, he was Staffelkapitän of 11./NJG 5. By March 1944, he was serving with 3./NJGr. 10. On 28 March 1944, Fenske and his crew were killed in Bf 110 G-4 (WNr 740003) at Brodenbach. Fenske was credited with 14 victories of which 12 were recorded at night.

HTH
Gordon

Re: Hptm Walter Fenske
 

Hi,

during the polish campaign he claimed 2 victories:
- on the 1st September at 17.10 (probably P.11 from the 113 EM flown by Ppor.Dudwal - in fact badly damaged and subsequently abandoned)
- on the 3rd September at 07.4? another P.11

Regards

Robert

Re: Hptm Walter Fenske
 

There is no documentary evidence for the date of the Poland claims.

Regards,
Marius

Re: Hptm Walter Fenske
 

Dear Gordon,

I´m on research for Hptm. Werner Fenske. You showed a tremendous knowledge about him. Do you perhaps know when he joined to the Luftwaffe? Or anything about "secret" activities in the Spanish civil war? To which German towns he had to move, while changing from one NJG to another? He is supposed to be my brothers father.

Greetings to New Zealand,

Ellen

Re: Hptm Walter Fenske
 

Hello Ellen

I can't add much more information to that I posted above. However, contact me off board (goma1ATxtra.co.nz) and I will gladly send you what information I have for Fenske.

Regards
Gordon

Re: Hptm Walter Fenske
 

Hello Gordon,

Nice to meet again virtually ! May I refine your quite complete description of the career of Walter Fenske?

When Walter Fenske switched to the I./NJG 1 he first joined the 1./NJG 1 and also his victory in the night of 24/25 October 1940 was within that Staffel, then led by Oblt. H. Griese. In February 1941 he succeeded Oblt. W.Hansen, who was tragically killed (shot down by German Flak). He stayed with the 3./NJG 1 up to 1th October 1941, when a general reorganisation of the German nightfighter arm took place. However, he cannot have joined the 9./NJG 2, because this Staffel (and the 7./NJG 2 and 8./NJG 2) were formed by the end of June 1942 from the Erg.Staffel NJG 2 [ source: claimlists of the Erg.St./NJG 2 and III./NJG 2, microfilm C 2027 N-2). Therefore, there is a 'gap' between 1 October 1941 and at least 31 July 1942 because then we meet Fenske again in the claimlist of 9./NJG 2.
I also think that we must be careful about Fenske and the 11./NJG 5. We know for instance, that the 9./NJG 2 was used to form the 11./NJG 3, so it might be that Fenskes claim within the 11./NJG 5 could have been misread by Tony Wood. For this he is not to blame, those records are handwritten and sometimes difficult to read.

I have direct contact with Ellen (she is of Dutch origine) and her brother (of German origine but he is more fluent in Dutch than some of my neighbours haha!)

Sad story how under wartime conditions families became disrupted. Best wishes and hoping to 'meet' on one of all the forums we abuse,

Marcel Hogenhuis / Venlo

Re: Hptm Walter Fenske
 

Hi Marcel

Many thanks for posting updated information for Fenske. Your help is greatly appreciated and adds more pieces to the jigsaw!

I hope all is well with you
Regards
Gordon

Re: Hptm Walter Fenske
 

Hello Gordon,

I am fine, thank you! Quite busy at the moment with the last renovation campaign of our house, so that our three young children (girl of 2 years old and our twins, boy and girl of 8 months) can grow up in a house that is finished.

Well, I must correct my last posting: on the 1th Novmeber 1941 not an Ergänzungsstaffel (replacement squadron) of NJG 2 was established, but a Einsatzstaffel (inofficially the 7./NJG 2). The abbreviated name is the same: E./NJG 2 ! Well, from this E./NJG 2 a III./NJG 2 was created on 1th July 1942. That explains also why so many officers were member of that E./NJG 2.

All the best, Marcel