Help with family research required!!!
 

I am researching my family history and am particularly interested in finding out what happened to my late uncle Rudolph Morgenstern. He was a pilot in the Luftwaffe. We have a letter notifying the family of his 'missing in action'. It seems that on 8th April 1942 at 10.30am he took off on an observation flight with a navigator and 2 others - front and rear gunners. They flew over railways south of the Ladgasees (?). They had not returned by the next morning and therefore were reported as missing in action. However, the family had further information later that he had been seen in a Russian prisoner of war camp - not too sure. The Red Cross can find nothing. All the letters I have are in German and my German is poor! The letter reporting of him missing came from Hauptmann Hemsel, F.P. Nr L01154, Luftbaupostampt, Konigsberg. We have photographs and we believe Rudolph to be flying a Dornier DO17 Mk? The names of his crew seem to be Beobachter, Herrn Oberleutnant Harlan, Bahnerkundung - of course, this could be wrong as I am finding it difficult to interpret the letter! Any assistance, help, advice would be greatly appreciated! If anyone knew of him or his squadron etc information would be great!

Re: Help with family research required!!!
 

No loss match your flight on 8.april 42, no Morgenstern rudolf nd no Harlan pop-out from the missed men for 1942, really strange case..

remi

Re: Help with family research required!!!
 

Ladogasee, or lake Ladoga, Leningrad area.

p.

Re: Help with family research required!!!
 

I found our man

Alheit martin fw bf x
Joppich willi ge bs x
Karlan horst oblt b x
Morgenstern rudolf oge f x

8 sept 41 1. Staffel Aufkl.gruppe 22 /Wolgda-salzy/ JU88 1269 4N+KM/H
So your date is wrong

Name of Oblt is Harlan horst 05.july 1913

Remi

A copy of the letter could clear the case for your date...

You could post it to cdts@cdts.fr

Re: Help with family research required!!!
 

Hello Heather,

Feldpost number L01154 relates to 1./(F)22.
Thanks for the further info Remi, well done.

Regards

Melvin

http://www.aircrewremembrancesociety.com/

Re: Help with family research required!!!
 

I suggest you contact the Bundesarchiv in Germany here:


http://www.bundesarchiv.de/kontakt/index.html?lang=en




Good luck,
Ed

Re: Help with family research required!!!
 

Oh thank you all for your help! I will follow up your suggestions. I am intrigued to know what happened to Rudolph. A man on the 'Luftwaffe Missing in Action' site suggested I came to this one. He had found 5 flights to the Eastern area on that day BUT none reported as Missing in Action! How strange! My mother wrote to the Red Cross but no help at all. My father passed away 5 years ago never knowing what happened to his brother and I am doing this for him and my geneology research. It is all very confusing, especially as I am female and dont understand about planes and technical terms etc!

Re: Help with family research required!!!
 

Rudolph Morgenstern. RT you are quite correct! The date was 8.9.42. I didnt have my glasses on when I read it first time!

Re: Help with family research required!!!
 

8.sep. "1941"

Re: Help with family research required!!!
 

Thankyou! The date you have is correct!

Re: Help with family research required!!!
 

with all due respect WASt would be more appropriate :)

regards,
Pawel

Re: Help with family research required!!!
 

True, Pawel. Let her contact the Deutsche Dienststelle (WASt) in Berlin and she will get whatever they have. Indeed a loss on 8.9.1941 with 4 men crew in Ju 88D-1 of 1./(F) 22. Reported missing in Wologda-Salzy area.

Oblt. Horst Harlan, born 5.7.1913, and the Beobachter of the crew, is listed in the Bildlisten of the DRK-Suchdienst.

Regards,

John

Re: Help with family research required!!!
 

Heather,

There is an entry for what I think is your relative on the www.volksbund.de website: http://www.volksbund.de/graebersuche...DDF936BBCF35B2

If indeed he's the Rudolf Morgenstern of your research, then the date he was officially reported missing was 10.9.41, so just a few days after his plane was lost.

Website says that his remains haven't been brought to a German cemetery, nor could be retraced as yet. They presume he's still buried at/around Pustinia, Russia.

Regards,

Leendert

Re: Help with family research required!!!
 

Good job everyone! I was the one who suggested she post on this board after I could not find the loss (wrong date!). Just shows what I told her: the best site on the web! Someone always knows something!

Help with family research required!!!
 

Hi guys

I am glad that Heather was able to uncover the information on her missing relative, thanks in large part to Remi. However, in order to make some of the jargon more easy for her to understand here are some definitions. If I have made a mistake please correct me.

1./Aufklärungsgruppe 22

• 1st Squadron of Reconnaissance Group 22
  

Ju 88 D-1 "4N+KM/H" (W.Nr. 1269)

• Ju 88 D-1 is the type of aircraft, in this case the reconnaissance version of the Ju 88 bomber
  
• "4N+KM/H" is the identifying tactical code that the aircraft carried
  
• (W.Nr. 1269) is the airframe number of the aircraft

Wolgda-Salzy

• Wolgda-Salzy is the area where the loss occurred

Crew

• Oberleutnant (1st Lieutenant) Horst Karlan was the observer
• Feldwebel (Technical Sergeant) Martin Alheit was the radio operator
  
• Obergefreiter (Corporal) Rudolf Morgenstern was the pilot
• Gefreiter (Private First Class) Willi Joppich was the gunner
  

I hope this clarifies somewhat.

Horrido!

Leo

Re: Help with family research required!!!
 

Good idea and post, Leo!:)

We are all guilty of assuming that anyone who logs on this board knows Luftwaffe stuff.