Lt Rinker Wolfram NJG4
 

Hi ,
Lt Rinker Wolfram NJG 4 was killed in the crash of his Ju-88 werknumber 622829 3C+EK on march 4 1945 near Ellenstädt during Operation Gisela . Who were the other crewmembers and what happened to them ?

Re: Lt Rinker Wolfram NJG4
 

According to Simon Parry Intruders Over Britain, Rinker crashes due to fuel shortage after three crew had bailed out (no names given.) He also states that Rinker was injured rather than killed.

Do you know whether this Rinker is the same as Ofhr. Rinker of 1./NJG 4 who claimed a 4-mot on 19.07.44 at 01.05?

Thanks,
Tom

Re: Lt Rinker Wolfram NJG4
 

Rinker Wolfram or Wolfgang Rinker??

Ju 88G-6, 622829, Rinker, Ltn. Wolfgang, , , 2., NJG 4, , 3C+EK, , , 04-Mar-45, Crashed due to fuel shortage. Crew FSA, F injured., 3/4-Mar per Balss., Lfl.Reich/Ferne Nachtjagd, Gen.Qu.6.Abt. (mfm #12); Gen.Qu.6.Abt.-BA-MA Signatur RL 2 III/1199, p.56; Balss, Deutsche Nachtjagd, p.488; Parry, Intruders Over Britain, p.200, , Ellenstädt bei Vechta, 100%, F, , ,

Re: Lt Rinker Wolfram NJG4
 

Thanks
Alan57

Re: Lt Rinker Wolfram NJG4
 

Hi Alan,

Lt. Wolfram Rinker (according to Namentliche Verlustmeldung) / Lt. 'Wolfgang' Rinker (according to Flugzeugunfälle und Verluste bei den Fliegenden Verbänden 370/45, Lfd. Nr. 32) injured. Crew of Gefr. Reis/Reiss (BF) and Gefr. Fischer (BM), both uninjured. T/o Vechta 22.32, crashed 02.15. Ju88 G6 622829 3C+EK.

Cheers

Rod

Re: Lt Rinker Wolfram NJG4
 

Hi,


The Junkers 88G 3C+EK w/nr.622829 (engines jumo 213 w/nr. 1061522629 and 1061522673) is mentioned in A.I.2.(g) Report serial nr.268 as found severely damaged at Itegem.


The only ‘ Itegem’ I could find is a village in Belgium.


Looking forward to receive any comments.


Best regards


Luc

Re: Lt Rinker Wolfram NJG4
 

The Rinker crew abandoned their Ju88 near Ellenstädt (near Vechta) at 02.15 hrs, because of a shortage of fuel.

The crewless Junkers flew on for a further 90 minutes and 300 kilometres before crash-landing near Itegem in Belgium at 03.40 hrs.

Such strange occurrences were not unique. The crew of 103 Squadron Lancaster LM131 abandoned their aircraft over the Lincolnshire coast in the UK after returning from a daylight bombing mission on 12 March 1945. The pilot steered the Lancaster out to sea and engaged the autopilot before baling out. A few hours later, the crewless Lancaster crashed on land south-east of Wilhelmshaven in Germany at 21.01 hrs!

Cheers

Rod

Re: Lt Rinker Wolfram NJG4
 

Rod

I find it hard to believe the crew abandoned their aircraft due to fuel shortage.
After all it continued to fly for almost 90 minutes before crashing!

While it is perfectly clear the aircraft itself indeed crashed due to to fuel shortage, it cannot have been the reason for the crew leaving the aircraft.

Cheers
Stig

Re: Lt Rinker Wolfram NJG4
 

Hi Stig,

Gen.Genst,Qu.6.Abt. loss return -

URSACHE: "Absturz inf. Brennstoffmangel"

ULTRA CX/MSS/T.479/83 (I./NJG4 Ops report) -

"CREW OF LTN RINKER MADE PARACHUTE DESCENT 0115 HOURS [GMT] OWING LACK OF FUEL NEAR ELLENSTADT (VECHTA)".

To place this and other Nachtjagd losses on this night into a wider context, many crews baled out when fuel got low because they had extreme difficulty in finding a safe place to land due to bad weather. That does not mean all baled out only when the engines finally stopped...

Lt. Rinker and crew took off from Vechta at 22.32 hrs in the first wave for Unternehmen Gisela. Given that the Ju88G-6 had an average operational endurance of around four to four-and-a-half hours with full tanks (from memory), Lt. Rinker would have needed to land by around 02.32 - 03.00 hrs. The crew baled out at 02.15 hrs. The last Ju88 from the I./NJG4 first wave to land did so at Diepholz at 02.47 hrs. The time of the crash of the Ju88 is recorded in a British 2nd TAF ATI Report as "03.40 hrs" - if true, this equates to a flight time of 5 hours, 8 minutes (the longest flight time during Gisela I have recorded from many Nachtjagd Flugbücher is 5 hours, 25 minutes). The straight-line distance from Ellenstädt to Itegem is just over 300 kilometres (the precise crash location of the Ju88 was 3.2 km SW of Itegem).

Cheers

Rod

Re: Lt Rinker Wolfram NJG4
 

Well Rod

Thanks for providing the answer in black and white, but I still find it an odd reason. If everyone jumped out of airplanes with 85 minutes of fuel onboard, even if the weather is bad, no production in the world would have been enough to replace such losses.

Admittedly it was a rough night for Luftwaffe night fighters, so maybe it was after all the right decision to make in their case.

Cheers
Stig