Paderborn Airfields
 

I am writing a article about Helmut Lent for a newspaper, but can' t get arround with Lent's last flight. It was referenced that Lent flew to Paderborn. Which airfield did he try?

Via google i can' t find infos about Paderborn airfields, not even on the wikipedia pages.

What i know is that there was a airfield at the so called Luftpark Paderborn. But there were also two Flugfelder very close to Paderborn, but i couldn' t find their names and not even the locations. Does anybody know more details?

Re: Paderborn Airfields
 

For Paderborn Airfield search Google(maps) under 51 41N,08 46E the site of the airfield is to the east of the Cementworks towards Haxterberg. Only a small strip is still in use, the book Fliegerhorste has a plan of the airfield, but not much now remains.

Re: Paderborn Airfields
 

Thanks Brian,

you mean the new build (1972) Airport Paderborn (district Haxterberg) was build on the old grounds of the WWII airfield? What was the name of this Airfield in WWII? All what i have is "Luftpark Paderborn".

Re: Paderborn Airfields
 

Hi,
For this and similar questions I can thoroughly recommend:
"Fliegerhorste" by K. Ries and Wolfgang Dierich ISBN 3-613-01486-6 from where the attachment is scanned.
The book is a collection of RAF Intel airfield drawings, unfortunately most of the occupied countries are not covered.
bregds
SES

Re: Paderborn Airfields
 

Hi Andrek,

As you can see SES has been kind enough to show the Paderborn Haxterberg map from ''Fliegerhorste'' ( unfortunately my scanner is broken). In the 1960's when I stationed at Paderborn I was told that was the airfield where Lent crashed,

Regards

Brian Bines

Re: Paderborn Airfields
 

Hi,
Did you try this:
http://www.google.dk/search?q=Fliege...&start=10&sa=N
bregds
SES

Re: Paderborn Airfields
 

Thanks @Brian and @SES for the help and the scan.

Yes @SES i tried google and the yahoo world. I also called the municipality of Paderborn. I tried the police of Paderborn to locate some old police logs, which exists in the police archive, but for the 10/5/1944 there is definitely no entry about a airplane crash in the Paderborn area. Which is very exeptional! I also tried the Paderborn town archive for some old newspaper articles or maybe photos. But no result, they don' t even have a Lent file. The municipil service of Paderborn has a very good log book archive and very helpful people, but they did not repair a power supply line in 10/1944.

Re: Paderborn Airfields
 

Hi Andrek,
In his book 'The Lent Papers' (ISBN 1 84145 105 3, pub 2003), Peter Hinchliffe gives Lent's destination as Paderborn/Nordborchen airfield.I would recommend trying to get hold of a copy as it covers his entire life and career and seems a well researched and balanced account.
Regards,Mark.

Re: Paderborn Airfields
 

Hi,
I must admit I am a little confused by now. What precisly is it you are looking for and which you think is not available? You mentioned that you checked WIKIPEDIA with no result, this is a quote from the site:

On the 5 October 1944, Lent flew his Junkers Ju-88 G-6, coded D5+AA, to Paderborn. During the landing approach, the left engine of the plane failed and the plane hit high-voltage cables. In the ensuing crash, two of his crewmen died instantly. His radio-operator for many years, Leutnant Kubisch, died the next day. Lent himself died on 7 October 1944.

The airfield in question was Paderborn Haxterberg located just to the NE of the village of Nordborchen.
bregds
SES

Re: Paderborn Airfields
 

Nordborchen is just south of the Airfield and Haxterberg on the eastern side both names refer to the same airfield. Most books just seem to refer to it as Paderborn airfield. I believe it is the same field used for Gotha training in WW1.

Re: Paderborn Airfields
 

Taken from Google earth, and with the help of the book Fliegerhorste I have outlined the airfield.

Regards Anders

Re: Paderborn Airfields
 

@Brian Bines

Yes, a came across the name Nordbochen. But there are two or three districts in Paderborn ending with a -borchen. They all have websites and only one mentions a airfield and that was not the website of Nordborchen.


@M sIMPSON

I am just collecting infos about Lent for a report and have simply no idea who Lent was. Before i write a single word i try to find some simple basics about Lent and his live. The most important two questions are: Was Lent he a nazi and was he - like Mölders - involved in war crimes. This is very important to know for the german public.

The Lent papers: Getting my hands on this book is a problem. Seems to be sold out. Me was told that this book was written by a non historian and it is more the kind of a typically american style book with lots of kc pics and - most important - details about the kills. Not very serious then. From a russian board i red that the kill list is wrong, but who can verify that? Could be possible that some of the kills are based on fake stories similar to the Hermann Göring shots.

@SES

Yes i red the wiki entry. BUT it is a wiki. Everybody can delete, write and again delete wiki entries. And as you can see, the info in your quote is incorrect. I have also red the german wiki about Lent which is not worth the reading. It is kiddy. If you can read german, try the talk page and you have fun. Both wikis allude Paderborn. But Paderborn is a large town and there have been two or three airfields and i must note that nobody of the professional (???) researcher tried to find the airfield were Lent crashes. They not even asked Mr. Jabs.

The most idiotic thing to me is that my grandpa was a member of the NJG 3 and he met Lent a few times. But i never asked him about Lent. Now he is dead. Nice mess!

Re: Paderborn Airfields
 

Thanks @anderbe for taking the trouble, just saw you post. Next time use white color. Black is difficult to read.

Re: Paderborn Airfields
 

Thank you for the compliment.
bregds
SES
www.gyges.dk

Re: Paderborn Airfields
 

In the 1960's I flew a few times with the Gliding Club at Paderborn from the airfield to the east of the Cement Works and was told that was the airfield where Lent crashed . In the book ''The Lent Papers'' a witness to the crash stated ''I was at the anti-aircraft gun site at the IIse works on the west of the airfield ''. Does the name of this works identify the airfield, as far as I can remember neither Bad Lippspringe or Paderborn Lippstadt had a ''works'' to the west. If the location of the IIse works in 1944 is found that should help comfirm the location.

Re: Paderborn Airfields
 

Well, post war nobody was a nazi and never heard of any crimes. ;)
Lent papers quote some of his letters and it seems he was at least under influence of German propaganda of the time. I cannot say if he took part in any straffings of civilian targets, I do not have any data allowing to identify ZG76 aircrew or Lent in particular.

Re: Paderborn Airfields
 

[quote=andrek;62346The most important two questions are: Was Lent he a nazi and was he - like Mölders - involved in war crimes. This is very important to know for the german public.

![/quote]

Wich warcrimes was Mölders involed in? His name was banned from Bundesluftwaffe on the grounds that he was in Legion Condor in Spain!!!

"The Lent papers: Getting my hands on this book is a problem. Seems to be sold out. Me was told that this book was written by a non historian and it is more the kind of a typically american style book with lots of kc pics and - most important - details about the kills. Not very serious then. From a russian board i red that the kill list is wrong, but who can verify that? Could be possible that some of the kills are based on fake stories similar to the Hermann Göring shots"

I think it would be a kind of insult to call Hincliffe's book amerikan style. He is british and was a member of RAF late in the war!! The Lent book is the best collected on him! You have to do a lot of basic research on such a matter. There is no easy way around this! To use the internet as a primary source is not a way to go!!!


Junker

Re: Paderborn Airfields
 

Hi Andrek,
Reading the acknowledgements to Peter Hinchliffe's book,it is clear that he has consulted a wide range of experts on the Luftwaffe,some of whom post on this forum,and a number of former nightfighter pilots.Perhaps the most important person he thanks for her cooperation is Lent's eldest daughter.
As for his 'kill' list, it is better considered as a list of claims he made,not all of which were necessarily confirmed at the time.The state of surviving Luftwaffe sources,especially for the later period of the war, make it difficult to reconcile claims against losses,but it is possible to identify more than 50% of his victims with a degree of certainty.
Although I am not quite sure exactly what you mean by an 'amerikan' book,I would maintain that it a seriously researched book.In the end the only way to judge its value to your project is to read it for yourself.
Regards,Mark.

Re: Paderborn Airfields
 

@SES

Ha? You asked Mr. Jabs?


@ju55dk

... think you red the MGFA report about Mölders from 2004 and also the expertise by the University of Kassel from 2005, so you know the facts.

... regarding Hincliffe, i wrote
@M sIMPSON

you wrote

You mean he not even investigated on his own, he paid people to do the job? From my own research i know that he never was in Stade and tried the archives. That is basic work if you know what i mean.



You wrote:

That is a very realistic opinion. I never ever red something like that before. Not in any forums or books.


You wrote:

Sorry, i mean american. A book written by a citizen of the United States and published on the U.S. market.

Re: Paderborn Airfields
 

Hi Andrek,
Whether or not Peter Hinchliffe consulted archives at Stade or anywhere else for that matter I do not know-he doesn't say in his book.What he does say is that he had access to a number of collections of contemporary papers or copies thereof held by Jochen Jahrow,former adjutant to Gunther Radusch,Lent's successor as commander of NJG3, and a case of papers,including 4 volumes of his flying logbooks,in the possession of Lent's elder daughter.
With regard to Lent's 'kills' or 'claims' (whatever you choose to call them),he consulted with Emil Nonnenmacher,a former nightfighter pilot who had compiled a list of virtually all German nightfighter claims.
With regard to 'consulting' other experts in any field of research on any other subject,I would have to say that it is quite acceptable to do so provided that help is acknowledged.After all it is what everyone does on this forum and indeed what you are doing by asking questions here.It does not mean that you are not also doing your own research.No one individual can know everything and it is a credit to this forum and others like it that people find the time to help and inform those who are keen to learn.

Regards,Mark.

Re: Paderborn Airfields
 

@M sIMPSON

Mark, my agency just bought a second hand copy of the Lent Papers via a british book seller. Thanks for your answers.

Re: Paderborn Airfields
 

Hallo,

I am a new member with bad english.
Paderborn is my hometown and the history of Luftpark Paderborn my hobby.
The airfield Haxterberg is not the ground of the airfield Paderborn during WW II. The Paderborn airfield during WWII was in the south of the city. Today you'll find industry-builings at that place. Some old airfield buildings are existing.

The area Auf der Lieth south/east of Paderborn was another airfield. It was called Flugplatz lieth or Ausweichhafen Dahl, because Dahl is a smal village near this airfield.

Then you'll find a Dummy-airfield near the smal village Dörenhagen.

The main airfield was lying between Paderborn, Borchen and Wewer.

Lent crashed after he was trying to land in Paderborn with a demaged engine. He died three days later in the Josefs-Hospital.
He crashed onto a field some hundred meters near the runway.

I hope I am a little help in the Promblems, with airminded regards Fitti

Re: Paderborn Airfields
 

Hallo Fitti,

If you are sending me a private message we could write in German, here on the forum I will write you in the English language:
Perhaps interesting for you is to know that the first loss of the unit which stayed very long in Venlo (the airfield in my hometown), the I./NJG 1, occured on 22th June 1940: the crew of Fw. Thier/Fw. Brutsche were shot down by accident near/over Paderborn by another German crew (not even a nightfighter!). The last Fliegerhorstkommandant in Venlo went to Paderborn, were he was captured by American forces.

All the best, perhaps we can continue in German?

Marcel Hogenhuis (Förderverein Ehemaliger Fliegerhorst Venlo e.V.)
www.fliegerhorst-venlo.net