Loss of Ju-52 "NK+MB" 27.01.1942
 

Hi all,

Does anybody have information about the loss of Ju-52 "NK+MB" on 27.01.1942? The plane was taking off from Pleskau. It is listed as "100% Bruch".

I am seeking info about the crew, unit and cause of its crash.

Many thanks
Jason

Re: Loss of Ju-52 "NK+MB" 27.01.1942
 

Your bird is 7316, but no Ju52 wearing that number was lost on 27 Jan. 42 or around , where hv you found the data ?? Picture ??

Rémi

Re: Loss of Ju-52 "NK+MB" 27.01.1942
 

Hi Rémi,

Thanks for the quick reply. The data comes from the Flugbuch of an Uffz. Langer. Here it is:
Führer: Rzepka (I think that's what it says)
Begleiter: Langer
Muster: Ju 52
Zulassungs-Nr.: NK+MB
Zweck des Fluges: Transportflug
Abflug Ort: Pleskau
Abflug Tag: 27.1.42
Abflug Tageszeit: 1230
Landung Ort: Absturz
Landung tag: 27.1.42
Landung Tageszeit: 1232
Flugdauer: 2
Bemerkungen: 100% Bruch

Langer appears to be out of action form a few days because his next flight is on 1.2.42 in a different plane with a different pilot (although Rzepka - pilot of the crashed plane - re-appears in the Flugbuch on 14.2.42).

Jason

Re: Loss of Ju-52 "NK+MB" 27.01.1942
 

hm also can´t find anything about the january 42 crash, Fw. Erich Rzepka killed in october 1943 in another crash in russia.

khorat

Re: Loss of Ju-52 "NK+MB" 27.01.1942
 

Hi All,
if the damage was less than 10% it was not reported in the loss reports.

Regards,

Norbert

Re: Loss of Ju-52 "NK+MB" 27.01.1942
 

thats right, but the remarks say - 100% Bruch..

khorat

Re: Loss of Ju-52 "NK+MB" 27.01.1942
 

10 /100 % ???

Further no flights from 27.Jan. to 4.Febr. not a big gap

Rémi

Re: Loss of Ju-52 "NK+MB" 27.01.1942
 

Thanks for the replies, guys.

It definitely says "100% Bruch".

I'd really like to know to which unit Uffz. Langer belonged. The aircraft codes do not help (NK+MB, NJ+NC, NJ+KP, PF+PW, KC+RV, NI+NK [flew in this particular plane from 21.03.1942 until 16.08.1942), SE+XM, CR+NI, VA+NV, 7V+CF), all of which were Ju-52s.

Langer flew into the Cholm pocket 3 times (2.2.42, twice on 3.2.42) and 144 times into the Demyansk pocket. In late November 1942 he was sent down to Stalingrad but unfortunately this Flugbuch ends on 30.11.1942, just prior to supply flights into the pocket.

I thought his pilot's unusual surname – Rzepka – would help but it's not as uncommon as I hoped. Two DKiG winners, including Fw. Fritz Rzepka from 3./KGr.zbV 9, and three Ehrenpokal holders, two of whom were pilots, including Erich Rzepka, as mentioned by Khorat.

I'm actually wondering whether "my" Uffz. Langer is the one listed in the Ehrenpokal book: Uffz. Karl-Heinz Langer, Bordfunker, Ehrenpokal 26.10.1942. By this date, he had completed 2190 flights, including 182 combat sorties. Was that enough to warrant the Ehrenpokal?

Khorat, do you know any more about the incident in which Fw. Rzepka was killed?

Thanks again for the help
Jason

Re: Loss of Ju-52 "NK+MB" 27.01.1942
 

Here's something else that might help. During a flight out of the Demyansk pocket on 19.02.1942 while in plane PF+PW, Langer has written the following in the comments column: "Bodenbeschuß. CO+TJ abgeschossen". Obviously another plane from his unit. Are there any details about this plane?

Jason

Re: Loss of Ju-52 "NK+MB" 27.01.1942
 

Hello Jason,

"CO+TJ" is a Ju 52 with Werknummer 5006 shot down at Jalutschd on
19. Feb. 1942. It served with KGr. z.b.V. 700.
Source: GQM losses RL 2 III/ 1180 Freiburg MA

HTH

Carl

Re: Loss of Ju-52 "NK+MB" 27.01.1942
 

Hi Carl,

Thanks very much for that helpful info.

Initially, I thought Langer's unit might have been KGr.z.b.V. 800 because this Gruppe landed in Cholm in early February 1942 and was then assigned to the Demyansk supply lift. However, your info has given me a new starting point. According to http://www.ww2.dk/air/transport/kgrzbv700.htm, the bases of KGr.z.b.V. 700 were Orscha, Pleskau and Obliwskaya, and although the dates don't correspond perfectly, they roughly match.

Also, one of the aircraft codes I listed earlier (7V+CF) belongs to KGr.z.b.V. 700.

Does anyone have more detailed information about this Kampfgruppe?

Jason

Re: Loss of Ju-52 "NK+MB" 27.01.1942
 

Concerning the 26.Oct.loss

Rzepka erich fw f t
Schepe kurt ofw bf v
Wiesenberg august oge bs v
Wolter heinz uffz bm v

Just 4 , could hv been the 5. langer...

26 10 43 6 3 TG3 H Orscha A MSTO JU52 7588

KGrzbv700 called also Wittstock, became IV.TG4 i. may 43

A Fw Karl-heinz Langer was killed in 26.nov.43 with recce unit

26 11 43 2 1 F123 F /Neapel/ X JU88T-1 430360 4U+LH

Handrick horst ltn b t
Jung erich uffz f x
Langer karl-heinz fw bf t

Rémi

Re: Loss of Ju-52 "NK+MB" 27.01.1942
 

Hi Rémi,

Thanks for the info. It seems like Rzepka might be the right guy but I'm not sure about Langer. Would it have been unusual for a guy to transfer from Ju-52s to a Fernaufklärungsgruppe?

Jason

Re: Loss of Ju-52 "NK+MB" 27.01.1942
 

Most of the groups built-up for Stalingrad nd Tunisia, hv later been disbanded or renamed, in both cases could hv been people freed, but no norm. a fighter remains a fighter , a transporter a transporter nd people of the recce units skilled in their task remain in the recce area, just end of war pilots from all units pressed in the fighter nd attack-units other crews in the field units of the LWF.

Rémi

Do you hv is date of birth ??

Re: Loss of Ju-52 "NK+MB" 27.01.1942
 

It wasn't totally unusual for an incident to go unrecorded in the losses, particularly if there were no serious casualties.

And for 'CO+TJ':
Ju 52/3m, 5006, Bracht, Fw. Giselher, , , , KGr.z.b.V. 700, , CO+TJ, CO+TJ, , 19-Feb-42, MIA due to enemy fire. Bf & Bm also MIA.,, Transportverbände/Eins.Osten, Gen.Qu.6.Abt. (mfm #5)-Vol.8, , bei Salutsche, 100%, F, Bf Ogefr. Hermann Kausch & Bm Uffz. Hans Lechner, ,

Re: Loss of Ju-52 "NK+MB" 27.01.1942
 

You are right there are cases where nothing found in QGM returns matched, part.for transport units ??

Rémi

Re: Loss of Ju-52 "NK+MB" 27.01.1942
 

Not just - for instance, there are a few St.G.1 Stuka losses from Apr/May-41 that are known because of photos and/or text references. GRM could give more details for the Stukas, but there was one future RK winner and his Bf, whose name I don't recall off hand, who floated around the Med/Aegean for 2-3 days before being rescued! No mention in the Gen.Qu. losses. Then there are numerous incidents mentioned in FBs or from photos (lots from Schulen units) that are have no matches in the losses at all.

Re: Loss of Ju-52 "NK+MB" 27.01.1942
 

Hi Rémi,

No, I don't have his date of birth... I don't even have his first name. All I have is his Flugbuch containing his rank and surname (Uffz. Langer). By trying to ascertain his unit, I hope to eventually identify him.

Jason

Re: Loss of Ju-52 "NK+MB" 27.01.1942
 

Thanks very much for this info, Jim.