Loss He.111 KG53 (KG3?) on 25th November 1944
 

Dear researchers,

On 25th November 1944 a He.111 (carrying a V-1) was claimed at 05.10 hrs 10 miles off Texel by F/O F. S. Stevens and F/O W. A. H. Kellett in Mosquito RX-J serial HK290 from 456 Squadron. They chased the Heinkel for 25 minutes and saw it exploding on the water surface.

According to the Fighter Command War Diaries written by John Foreman it concerned a He.111 from 1./KG53 piloted by Fw Kurt Hillmann.

According to local burial reports Fw Hillmann washed ashore on 27th November 1944 near beach pole 16 near the coastal village of Callantsoog, some 10 miles South of Den Helder, The Netherlands. His body was buried on 30th December 1944 at the cemetery of Huisduinen, 1 mile West of Den Helder. Again the grave reports mentioned the unit 1./KG53.

However, I cannot find any corresponding loss of KG53 in the book "Legion Kondor 53" by Heinz Kiehl, Motorbuchverlag. As KG53 was reformed to KG3 for V-1 operations against the UK I pressume the Heinkel (and Fw Hillmann) might have belonged to KG3.

Perhaps somebody can shed a light on this loss?

Thanks in advance,
Hans Nauta

He 111 H-16, Wk Nr 110304, A1+BH of 1/KG 53; I have the Verlustemeldung (and all others for KG 3 and KG 53 involved in V1 ops)if you are interested

Wow Chris,

That's more than I actually hoped for! I would be interested in (scans of)the Namentliche Verlusstmeldungen of Fw Hillmann's Heinkel together with 2 other Heinkels of KG53 and KG3 losses in my research area. It concerns:

09.10.44 He.111H-20 III/KG53
Crew, Werknr and code unknown to me.
This Heinkel ditched in the IJsselmeer on a spot known as "Vrouwenzand" between Enkhuizen en Stavoren. The 5 crewmembers were picked up by a rescue launch. The wreckage of the Heinkel was raised after the war. I doubt whether a NVM is made of this loss as, as far as I know, no crewmembers were injured.

05.11.44 He.111H-22 5./KG3
Werknr and code unknown to me.
FF: Ofw Paul FLIR
BO: Obgefr Fritz PLÖGER
BF: Uffz Hermann ANDERGASSEN
BF: Obgefr Willi MARR
BS: Uffz Herbert HÜBSCH
This Heinkel was shot down into the North Sea in the night of 05/06.11.44 by Mosquito mk.XIX serial TA389 of F/Sgt Neal and F/Sgt Eastwood from 68 Squadron. It was the first kill made by a Mosquito of that Squadron.
One of the BF's may have operated as BM. All crewmembers are stil MIA.



I've the NVM already concerning the next loss:
07.10.44 He.111H-22
160969 5K+DS
FF: Fw Lothar GALL, ErkM 54595/18
BO: Fw Mathias OBERMAYER, ErkM 53452/150
BF: Fw Heinz DAHMS, ErkM 54595/23
BM: Uffz Peter IRMTRAUD, ErkM 71061/586
BS: Obgefr Kurt BUSCH, ErkM 71069/350
This Heinkel collided on the way out with the southern mast of the German navigation beacon Elektra Sonne Anlage near Petten. The Heinkel crashed at 20.00 hrs local time on a house at Heerenweg 325 of the coastal village of Groet, The Netherlands. The Fire Arms and Germans eventually extinghuised the fire with sand at 23.00 hrs local time.
The crew was buried at the cemetery of Bergen on 11.10.44, however 4 as unknown and Fw Dahms being the only identified one.
There are 2 rumours about the V-1. Officially it was blown up on the beach by the Germans, however, some local people are said to have tried to break up the V-1 first, because they thought it was just a petrol tank with some valuable petrol still in it...

If you like I can provide the Dutch burial records of this crew.

Kind regards,

Hans Nauta

As suspected, nothing on the first one even though there were many losses on 9 Oct 44. Flir was flying He 111 H-20, 700666, A1+FN. I am afraid I do not scan

Dear Chris,

Thank you for your quick response. With regard to the NVM's the only information to complete my records now would be the names and ErkM of the 4 other occupants of Fw Hillman's He.111.

Perhaps you are able to post these names?

I can provide the Dutch Burial record of Fw Hillmann if that's of any use for your records.

Kind regards,

Hans Nauta

Thanks for the offer of the burial report but it is no real use to me! The details you are after are:

Hillmann 53543/193
Uffz Rudolf Martin 215508/122
Fw Ludwig Klalber 53543/195
Uffz Juergen Hauser 53543/196
Uffz Josef Fauernig 65060/1

Great Chris!

I've been looking for this info for some 5 years now. Thanks a lot for your help!

Much obliged,

Hans Nauta

Re: Loss He.111 KG53 (KG3?) on 25th November 1944
 

Hi Hans,

Do you have any loss reports for a He 111H-20 (possibly w.n. 700520 or 700720) that crashed in Björköby in the late hours of January 3rd, 1945? No trace of the crew was ever found by the Swedish military so they must have bailed out well in advance.

Cheers,
Jørgen

Re: Loss He.111 KG53 (KG3?) on 25th November 1944
 

Hello Jorgen,

Unfortunately I've nothing concerning Sweden. One of the books on my shelf is Kampfgeschwader "Legion Kodor" 53 written by Manfred Griehl. In one of the supplements on page 345 the next names are listed as being killed:

3.1.45: Ogefr Hubert Türks BS 7./KG53 Absturz KIA
3.1.45: Uffz Gerhard Tanner BF 7./KG53 Feindeinwirkung KIA

However, with regard to your discription these casualties don't match.

Maybe Chris Goss can help you a bit further.

Good Luck!
Hans Nauta

Re: Loss He.111 KG53 (KG3?) on 25th November 1944
 

Hi Hans,

Thanks for your reply. As a matter of fact I am not at all sure the He.111H-20 in question came from KG53. It might have been attached to a training unit. Do you have any idea if the w.n.´s 700520 and 700720 corresponds with a production batch of the He.111H-20 series?

Regards,
Jørgen

Re: Loss He.111 KG53 (KG3?) on 25th November 1944
 

Hi,

This may help, possibly someone else has records whereby they can double check!

WNr 700520 was in the H-20 series produced by Heinkel at Oranienburg but it would appear that 700720 was not in a batch of numbers used for the He111, and possibly not allocated to Heinkel either!

If I'd thought of checking on this tack earlier it may have resolved some early questions, apologies for that!

If someone could confirm or deny as regards the numbers I would be very grateful.

Regards

David

Re: Loss He.111 KG53 (KG3?) on 25th November 1944
 

Hello Chris
You might be able to crack this: On 3/1-45 at 21:30 hours a aircraft crashed at Bjerndrup Ostermark near Kliplev in southern Denmark with the loss of all onboark. I think that it was a He 111 of Kg 53 ? The crew must have been laid to rest in Flensburg.Can you sheed light on this ?

Re: Loss He.111 KG53 (KG3?) on 25th November 1944
 

Easy! He 111 Wk Nr 110264 A1+GK of 2/KG 53. Uffz Herbert Juergens + 4 killed and buried 8 Jan 45 at Leck

Re: Loss He.111 KG53 (KG3?) on 25th November 1944
 

Hi Chriss
Thanks a lot. Do you have the four names of the rest of the crew ? Just so I get it right on my home page when I get to 1945. Is there any indication of why it crashed ? From local hold it seems as if Jürgens tried an emergency landing but hit a small dyke.

Re: Loss He.111 KG53 (KG3?) on 25th November 1944
 

Fhr Franz wiethaupt, Uffz Heinz Wagner, Ogefr Erich Kesmitzki, Ofw Herbert Lange. 'Nach Rueckgekehrt in Folge Bodenberuhrung abgestuerzt'

Re: Loss He.111 KG53 (KG3?) on 25th November 1944
 

Hi Chris
That was very fast. Thank you.

Re: Loss He.111 KG53 (KG3?) on 25th November 1944
 

Chris
Today I visited the cemetery at Kirchstrasse in Leck where the 5 man crew of He 111 werknummer 110264 of 2./KG 53 crashed on 3/1-45 is buried.
I found four more graves from the same date. Do you know if 2./KG 53 lost more aircrafts in Northern Germany on that day ?
From 3/1-1945 these four persons rest next to each other:
Herbert Rose born 8/4-18
Heinz Kowalski born 2/5-21
Gerhard Taschner born 29/12-18
Hans Olm born 19/7-22.

Re: Loss He.111 KG53 (KG3?) on 25th November 1944
 

Wk Nr 162378 coded A1+DK crashed at Tinglev on the return. There was also a Gefr Gerhard Taeschner

Re: Loss He.111 KG53 (KG3?) on 25th November 1944
 

Chris
Thank you. Tinglev is in Denmark. Could it be that He 111 Wk Nr 110264 A1+GK of 2/KG 53. Uffz Herbert Juergens + 4 killed and buried 8 Jan 45 at Leck actually crashed in Northern Germany and Wk Nr 162378 coded A1+DK crashed at Tinglev on the return ? Because I have only records of one crash in Denmark on that date.

Re: Loss He.111 KG53 (KG3?) on 25th November 1944
 

I cannot comments as this is what is on the records

Re: Loss He.111 KG53 (KG3?) on 25th November 1944
 

Hi Chris
One last quistion. Am I right in guessing that it does not tell exact where
Wk Nr 110264 A1+GK crashed, but it says that Wk Nr 162378 coded A1+DK crashed near Tinglev ?

Re: Loss He.111 KG53 (KG3?) on 25th November 1944
 

Soren

For DK it says Leck but another Danish contact said Tinglev whilst GK it says Kliplev

Chris

Re: Loss He.111 KG53 (KG3?) on 25th November 1944
 

Chris
Bjerndrup Ostermark where the aircraft crashed is right between Kliplev and Tinglev. I trust that the Danish contact is Junker, and I will discuss it with him to learn where he have got his info from.

Re: Loss He.111 KG53 (KG3?) on 25th November 1944
 

Comclusion from Denmark: A1+GK crashed at Bjerndrup Oestermark between Tinglave and Kliplev in Denmark.
A1+DK crashed at or near Leck.

Re: Loss He.111 KG53 (KG3?) on 25th November 1944
 

Hi guys

I have been following this thread with great interest. As Chris knows, I am interested in KG53's activities during the V-1 campaign. I understand that an aviation magazine - possibly an issue of 'Aeroplane' published in 1976 - contained an article about or by Maj Martin Vetter, the commander of KG53 at the time. Has anyone a copy of this article that I may see, please?

Cheers
Brian