Some of Walter Koehne's opponents
 

Walter Koehne

6.10.42/0530
I-153 "Tchaika"
PQ 95544 @ low altitude
Penal squadron of 267 IAP. Legitimate victory, two losses: St.Serzhant Tsurko MIA and St.Serzhant Blelov baled out
(Eberhard Fritz caused the other loss)

9.10.42/0915
Yak-1 ("LaGG")
PQ 95722 @ 2500m
518 IAP, 236 IAD. Serzhant Ivan I Savchenko forcelanded back at base

3.11.42/1432
Tuapse (PQ 95713) @ 2500m
LaGG-3 (“LaGG”)
One source says Yak-1s and LaGG-3s of 6 GIAP, 25 IAP and 62 IAP of VVS ChF involved. Believe this was from 269 IAP, two losses including pilot Simonovich baled out (Barkhorn claimed as well his opponent was seen to bale out)

15.11.42/0843
LaGG
PQ 94184 @ 1500m
246 IAP and 518 IAP. Rabiega claimed at around the same time. These were both likely claimed against Serzhant G A Zinkevich KIA (first to be shot down in this engagement)

18.12.42/0740
IL-2 Sturmovik
PQ 39493 @ low altitude
Day's IL-2 losses include six from 686 ShAP, 206 ShAD, of which two force-landed near Verkhne-Kumskiy, fate of the other four is unknown

22.6.43/0955
B-17F-80-BO Flying Fortress
W of Raesfeld (PQ 05 Ost S/JO-8) @ 7000m/Bungern, 2km SW of Rhede
42-29998/DF-J of 324th BS, 91st BG. 1/Lt. Joseph E Slattery and 7 others KIA, remaining 2 crewmen both POW

17.8.43
B-17 Flying Fortress HSS
Location not given
Can’t be traced

Unwitnessed victory (LEGITIMATE)
5.11.43/1402
P-47C-5-RE Thunderbolt
Ooltgensplaad
41-6583/YJ-K "Alyce" of 351st FS, 353rd FG. Capt. Orville A Kincaid POW

11.12.43/1226
B-17F-90-BO Flying Fortress (downed with W.Gr. 21 rockets?)
2km N of Langeoog (PQ AQ-7) @ 7500m
42-30168/L "Slo Jo" of 550th BS, 385th BG. 1/Lt. Theodore E I Jennings and 6 others KIA, remaining 3 crewmen all POW

16.12.43
B-17 Flying Fortress HSS
Location not given
Can’t be traced

20.12.43
B-17 Flying Fortress HSS
Location not given
Can’t be traced

6.3.44/1205
B-17G-30-DL Flying Fortress
Vechta-Emsdek (PQ FR to ER) @ 6500m
Either 42-38197/LN-T "Half and Half" of 350th BS, 100th BG. Crew of 1/Lt. John Lautenschlager and crew all POW except one man KIA (came down Visbeck, N of Vechta at 1215 UST) or 42-97491/LD- "Ronnie R" of 418th BS, 100th BG. 1/Lt. Dean M Radtke and crew all POW except one man KIA

23.3.44/1047
B-17 Flying Fortress
5km E of Oldendorf @ 3500m
1st or 3rd BD, 8th AAF. 16 Losses including B-17G-20-BO 42-31532/JW- of 326th BS, 92nd BG. 2/Lt. Henry W Murdock and 6 others POW, 3 KIA. 325th BS lost B-17G-30-DL 42-38104/NV-I of 1/Lt. Douglas L Macdonald and 8 others POW, 1 evaded (also damaged by Flak). 410th BS, 94th BG lost B-17G-1-BO 42-31120/GL- of 1/Lt. Fletcher H Johnson and crew all KIA. 333rd BS lost B-17G-15-VE 42-97476/TS- of 2/Lt. Addison K Reno and 6 others KIA, 3 POW (also hit by Flak). 563rd BS, 388th BG lost B-17F-120-BO 42-30808/V of 2/Lt. Donald Filler and 4 others KIA, 5 POW. 728th BS, 452nd BG lost B-17G-25-BO 42-31731 of 1/Lt. Roy V Stephens and 5 others KIA, 4 POW. 730th BS lost B-17G-10-VE 42-39985 of 2/Lt. Robert J Brennan and 7 others POW, 2 KIA
(other losses attributed to other pilots and causes….)

8.4.44/1400
B-24 Liberator
W of Salzwedel/Fassberg-Uelzen (PQ 05 Ost S/EA-EB) @ 7000m
Lost near Uelzen: B-24H-1-FO 42-7599/GC- of 579th BS, 392 BG. 1/Lt. James W Dickson & crew all KIA except 1 man POW

22.4.44/1900
B-17 Flying Fortress
W of Rothaargebirge/NE of Koeln (PQ 05 Ost S/MQ) @ 6500m
1st or 3rd BD, 8th AAF. 15 lost out of 803 dispatched. 359th BS, 303rd BG lost B-17G-1-VE 42-39807/BN-K "Nero" of 2/Lt. John R Seddon and 1 other evaded capture, 8 POW. 349th BS, 100th BG lost B-17G-10-DL 42-37783/XR-B "Dobie" of 1/Lt. Frank W Harte and 2 others KIA, 7 POW. 570th BS, 390th BG lost B-17G-30-DL 42-38130/DI-B of 1/Lt. Harold E Reich and 1 other KIA, 8 POW
(other losses attributed to other pilots and causes….)

12.5.44/1500
B-24J-130-CO Liberator
Wetzlar area (PQ 05 Ost S/QS) @ 6500m
(Piffer claimed as well)
Two claims for 42-110042/NB-J- of 67th BS, 44th BG. 2/Lt. Lewis Ingram Vance and crew all POW except one man KIA

Re: Some of Walter Koehne's opponents
 

Hi Nick

I take it what you have kindly listed are only those you are able to comment on?
Seems Koehne was a honest guy then, both with JG 52 and JG 1. Those you list as H.S.S were never confirmed, and moreover Koehne did not claim to have shot them down, just removed them from formation, seems likely they made it back.

With the Russian claims I have calculated crash-sites using the grid references for the following four:-

6th October 30km North of Tuapse
9th October 20km NNE Tuapse
3rd November 10km North of Tuapse
18th December 30km South of Pitomnik

The Thunderbolt he claimed without witness on 5th November remained unconfirmed despite it actually falling.

That for 17th August 1943 I have a time of 1554 hrs
That for 16th December 1943 I have a time of 1425 hrs and place as Cloppenburg/Hereenveen
That for 20th December 1943 I have a time of 1212 hrs and place as Cuxhaven/Bremen/Ijsselmeer


Kind Regards


Johannes

Re: Some of Walter Koehne's opponents
 

Hi Johannes,

Yes, gaps in the list represent gaps in my knowledge so to speak and I held off putting in claim numbers/tally numbers because I wanted to be cautious, since sources so often disagree. I'd welcome any input you might have on that matter.

I am very grateful for the extra info of the timing and locations. I will make a point of checking your book series against my database to see that I am up to date/in accordance with your info for those particular claims

Cheers for your help

Nick

Re: Some of Walter Koehne's opponents
 

Hi Nick

Seems my help would have been misleading. I had a nagging doubt about Koehne, I had used my book for first reply. Anyhow I have been improving my biographies for the last few years, checked it and found that post-book I have acquired Koehne's abschusselist and other papers which paint a different picture, only two unconfirmed claims, and not the Thunderbolt of 5th November. List is giving altitudes also. This makes his claims even more honest, and explains your difficulty in matching the H.S.S claims.


Please find full claims list attached.


Kind Regards


JohannesAttachment 17332

Re: Some of Walter Koehne's opponents
 

Thankyou for the extra info, Johannes. I will check it against Bishop & Hey to see if the locations you've added bring up anything attributable