German plane shot down 11.04.1945 near Hildesheim
 

Hello,

my uncle Ernst Hinrichs was an injured passenger in a transport plane (air ambulance ?) and shot down on 11.04.1945 near Hildesheim.

Does anyone have further informations ?

Thank you

Jochen

Re: German plane shot down 11.04.1945 near Hildesheim
 

Hello Jochen,

the Luftwaffe losses gathered by Michael Balss give two crashes for the II. Gruppe/Transportgeschwader 3 on that date. The two Junkers were engaged in a supply operation to Deilinghofen airfield in Nordrhein-Westfalen.

In a Forum der Wehrmacht thread, someone by the name of streak98 asks if people know more about these operations in April 1945, and if wounded have been evacuated from the Ruhrkessel. Kessel is something like 'pocket' I presume?
https://www.forum-der-wehrmacht.de/i...el-april-1945/

A user by the name of Ingo give the following chronicles of the Transportflieger:

7./8.4.45 Abgebrochener Einsatz mit Ju52 Ladung:Werkzeugmaschinenteile für Munitionsfertigung
8./9.4.45 Landung von Ju52 in Iserlohn-Deilinghofen Ladung: Werkzeugmaschinenteile
9./10.4.45 4 Ju52 Landung Deilinghofen mit Versorgungsgütern; 6 Ju 52 Abwurf von Lebensmitteln
11./12.4.45 Einsatz von 13 Ju52 mit Versorgungsgütern Landung Deilinghofen
12./13.4.45 17 Ju52 Landung Deilinghofen
13./14.4.45 Keine Landungen mehr möglich. 8 Ju52 Abwurf von Versorgungsgütern

Ingo also says:
Auf den o.a. Flügen von Deilinghofen wurden vor allem "wichtige Unterlagen" und Feldpost ausgeflogen.
It is therefore not sure if wounded passengers were also transported.

The two crashes I could find were (cause of the crash both unknown):

5./TG 3
location: Einbeck area according to Google Maps, the centres of Einbeck and Hildesheim are roughly 35 kilometres apart as the crow flies
operation: Versorgung Kessel Deilinghofen: supply operation pocket (or: encircled area) Deilinghofen
Ju 52 /3m g10e / WNr. 10053 / 4V+BN
total loss (100%)
(FF) Ofw. Scheid, Engelbert gefallen
(B) Fw. Weinhold, Ernst-Karl gefallen
(Bf) Fw. Walter, Bernhard gefallen
(Bm) Ofw. Dralle, August vermisst
sources: Liste (M.S.); VDK

II./TG 3
location: Deilinghofen (Kessel)
operation: Versorgung Kessel Deilinghofen: supply operation pocket (or: encircled area) Deilinghofen
Ju 52 /3m / WNr. 131155 / 4V+NR
total loss (100%)
(FF) Fw. Kaiser, Günther gefallen
(B) Uffz. Fally, Werner vermisst
(Bf) Uffz. Salewski, Heinrich gefallen
(Bm) Ofw. Vockel, Josef vermisst
source: Liste (M.S.)

Very well possible he was on one of these aircraft.

Re: German plane shot down 11.04.1945 near Hildesheim
 

The translation for kessel is boiler or cauldron.

Re: German plane shot down 11.04.1945 near Hildesheim
 

And it also can be translated to "kettle". But in the context of above it does translate to "pocket" or "siege/ besiegement".

Re: German plane shot down 11.04.1945 near Hildesheim
 

Pocket is the normal English term although I agree that cauldron is a much better reflection of the hellish reality.

Re: German plane shot down 11.04.1945 near Hildesheim
 

Hello,

The 422nd NFS made the following claims on 11/12/13-04-1945:

11/04/45

0100 - Ju 88 - B-9943 - Soest-Schmallenberg area.
1/Lt. Lewis A. Gordon
F.O. Joseph F. Crew (R/O)
P-61B 675

0108 - Ju 52 - B-7559 - Holzminden-Kassel area.
1/Lt. Eugene D. Axtell
1/Lt. Creel H. Morrison (R/O)
Capt. Edward S. Page (Obs.)
P-61A 42-5568

0125 - Ju 52 - B-5660 - Soest-Schmallenberg area.
1/Lt Lewis A. Gordon
F.O. Joseph F. Crew
P-61B 675

0455 - Ju 52 - B-9022 - Holzminden-Kassel area.
Capt. Robert O. Elmore
2/Lt. Leonard F. Mapes (R/O)
1/Lt. Churchill K. Wilcox (Obs.)
P-61B 675

2134 - Ju 88 - B-6207 - Holzminden-Kassel area.
Capt. Tadas J. Spelis
1/Lt. Eleutherious Eleftherion (R/O)
1/Lt. Philip M. Guba (Obs.)
P-61A 42-5579

2307 - Ju 52 - B-8505 - Holzminden-Kassel area.
1/Lt. Eugene D. Axtell
1/Lt. Creel H. Morrison (R/O)
Capt. Edward S. Page (Obs.)
P-61A 42-5568

2340 - Ju 52 - B-8252 - Soest-Schmallenberg area.
1/Lt. Edgar E. Merriman
2/Lt. Delbert W. Dow (R/O)
P-61A 42-5544

12/04/45

0215 - Ju 52 - C-4525 - Seesen-Eschwege area.
1/Lt. Fred E. Burnett
F.O. Clifford E. Brandt (R/O)
P-61A 42-5577

0300 - Ju 52 - C-8585 - Soest-Schmallenberg area.
Capt. Robert O. Elmore
2/Lt. Leonard F. Mapes (R/O)
P-61A-10 42-5579

13/04/45

0310 - Ju 52 - C-2612 - Soest - Schmallenberg area.
1/Lt. Theodore I. Jones
1/Lt William G, Adams (R/O)
P-61A 42-5577

See: Olynyk/USAAF (European Theater) Credits -Air to Air- WW2/Victory List No.5/Aurora/1987/232-233.

Col.

Re: German plane shot down 11.04.1945 near Hildesheim
 

Seesen is only 40km from Hildesheim, could be the one.