Emil Pusch - Ritterkreutzträger
 

Can anyone tell me what units he flew with, and whether he survived the war? The only information I have on him is he shot down 83 planes, including 17 four engined bombers. Thanks for reading this.

Re: Emil Pusch - Ritterkreutzträger
 

What is your source for this?? While I hesitate to say that no such person exists - I think its safe to say that there is nobody with that name who scored that number of victorys.

Re: Emil Pusch - Ritterkreutzträger
 

Emil Pusch is listed here

http://www.das-ritterkreuz.de/index_...archword=Pusch

However the note at the bottom imples he was a fraud. He certainly doesn't show up in any of the recognised claims lists, other than simple lists of aces.

Best Regards

Andy Fletcher

Re: Emil Pusch - Ritterkreutzträger
 

Hi Jim, I'm reading Luftwaffe Fighter Aces: The Jagdflieger and their Combat Tactics and Techniques by Mike Spick, Greenhill Books, 1996. He's listed in between Walter Ohlrogge of JG 3 and JG7, 83 kills, and Hans Goetz, of JG 54, 82 kills, both RK holders, page 233.

Re: Emil Pusch - Ritterkreutzträger
 

Thanks for the link Andy, my German is very rusty but seeing as how he was a Nachtjäger, I guess that rules out the 83 kills! Why would he be on the RK site if he was a fraud do you know? Thanks again.

Re: Emil Pusch - Ritterkreutzträger
 

Hi Troy,

I wouldn't put too much faith in "Luftwaffe Fighter Aces" by Mike Spick. Whlist it isn't a bad read, it isn't regarded as being a seminal work on the subject.

Best Regards

Andy Fletcher

Re: Emil Pusch - Ritterkreutzträger
 

I posted my library on the off topic forum, you may notice that their isn't a 'seminal' book on the Nachtjägers, could you recommend one for me? Thanks again.

Re: Emil Pusch - Ritterkreutzträger
 

Probably just to bring to light the fact he may be a fraud and that in the past he was said to be a Ritterkreuzträger.

All the best

Andy Fletcher

Re: Emil Pusch - Ritterkreutzträger
 

If you are after details of claims made by pilots then your best bet would be

"Luftwaffe Night Fighter Combat Claims 1939-45" by John Foreman et al

Re: Emil Pusch - Ritterkreutzträger
 

Hello,

1.) yes, he survived the war
2.) no, he wasn`'t RK holder, even not a pilot, but "faked" the mentioned record in order to be listed into the first volume of Obermaier's book, which was edited in mid 60's (after being identified as pure story teller he fortunately didn't make his way to the second edition) .

Regards

ghost

Re: Emil Pusch - Ritterkreutzträger
 

Thanks ghost, and thanks Andy for that book title recomendation.

Re: Emil Pusch - Ritterkreutzträger
 

Actually, Obermaier asked for specific information and a photo of Pusch in "Jägerblatt" 4/1988, mentioning a newspaper notice from November 1944 regarding P's Ritterkreuz-decoration. As I don't have all the Jägerblatt's from those years, I must assume, when the answers came, they were negative!
And, by the way, not only Obermaier got it down wrong in his 1966 book. Before him Gerhard von Seemen in his "Ritterkreuzträger 1939-1945" from 1955 and later also Erwin Feuerstein in his "Mit und ohne Ritterkreuz" from 1974 both mention Emil Pusch as a RK holder!

Hans

Re: Emil Pusch - Ritterkreutzträger
 

Pusch is not totally missing from Obermaier's second edition. The entry states that the listing in the first edition is not valid, that the inclusion was based on a press report, but that the author could find no substantiation despite extensive research.

Tom

Re: Emil Pusch - Ritterkreutzträger
 

Its significant that no such name has shown up in the loss reports or casualty reports that I've seen. Also the name doesn't ever appear on Tony Wood's transcribe claim lists. These aren't complete by any means but I'd wager that virtually all pilots with 75 or more claims show up somewhere in that list.