August Lambert II./SG 2
 

Has the breakdown of his victories been published anywhere?

Tony Wood's lists seem incomplete since only a score or so are recorded, while Lambert is supposed to have bagged at least 70 victories from spring to autumn 1944, mostly over Crimea.

Thanks in advance.

Chris

Re: August Lambert II./SG 2
 

At least parts of Lambert's victory list is noted in Luftwaffe Aces, part 2, by Andrew Johannes Matthews and John Foreman, pages 711-712.

Re: August Lambert II./SG 2
 

Thanks for the tip. However, I don't have this book.
How many do they list?

Re: August Lambert II./SG 2
 

Hi Chris,

The book series mention only 14 of his claims being listed on the mircofilms (Tony Wood and all that...) and that his total was actually 103. They list about 50 claims in total for him.

If it helps any, the only claims of his that I can remotely match to Soviet losses are as follows:

Airacobra 26.3.44/1325. Actually a Yak from 274 IAP. Two losses (so likely a claim missing): 1043 of Lt. Stepochkin (returned in 4.44) and 0498 of Ml. Lt. Bakhramov baled out POW and only returned after the liberation of Sevastopol in May 1944. Thanks to http://www.yogysoft.de/Black_Friday_3IAK.htm for that one

19.4.44 Three claims for Pe-2s. 135 GBAP, 3 losses including unit CO, Kapitan Yevgeniy Vishnyakov KIA. BELIEVED to have been by Lambert
I think that came from Bergstroem's Bagration to Berlin or such.

Nick

Re: August Lambert II./SG 2
 

OK. Thanks.

Re: August Lambert II./SG 2
 

The majority of the Abschüsse listed in the book, are from April and May 1944.

Re: August Lambert II./SG 2
 

Anytime, Chris. Always happy to help.

Re: August Lambert II./SG 2
 

Hi Guys

For some reason the SG units claims are largely missing from the micro films, judged this with Hermann Buchner's and Helmut Mischke's personal abschusse liste. But Lambert's last claim was his 103rd on the day of his death 17th April 1945 a Mustang with III./SG 77. Apparently Lambert was dis-liked by a superior, and prevented from future claim opportunities. Don't know why he was dis-liked, maybe the French sounding name, maybe he was thought to be making fraudulent claims, maybe just jealousy, whatever the reason Mischke seems to have shared the same fate. I think that along with Buchner and Gunther Bleckmann these guys flew cover for there units ground attack missions, thus were a small group together confirming each others claims. No proof of this though, needs a Russian losses expert to investigate. Both Lambert and Mischke certainly deserved the next decoration in line, Mischke certainly was a very successful destroyer of Russian ground material. I believe all of the Schwarm spent time with training units in the second half of 1944.

Kind Regards

Johannes

Re: August Lambert II./SG 2
 

An interesting issue.
But these claims must have been recorded somewhere.
When Obermaier wrote that Lambert "succeeded in downing 12 (17.04.44), 14 (07.05.44) and 17 (no date) in one day", were his sources only hearsay or official OKW bulletins?
And where does come his remark that Lambert's score raised from 20 to 90 during the battle of Sevastopol from?
I am aware that at the time Obermaier published his Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe (1976) the official archives of WW2 were difficult to access. I assume that the section "It happened on..." in Jägerblatt (in the seventies) was only based on the Wehrmachtbericht reports.
However, these bulletins were based on some ground, weren't they?

Re: August Lambert II./SG 2
 

Hi

With the micro films there is a cut-off date(usually 23rd July 1942) when individual Staffel's claims(all listed together) stop, and daily micro claims are listed together for all units. However many of the actual Staffel claims failed to have survived, or are yet to be re-discovered. But strangely the SG units have large amounts missing in the end of 1943 through the first half of 1944, don't know why, but it is the case. However with Mischke his daughter has an official list for him with his earliest claims. This list would seem to be Luftwaffe generated. At the end of 1944 the daily micro film entries cease. However some KBT papers exist. These are Allied photo copies of Luftwaffe documents, and have various mentions of Luftwaffe personnel. These mentions are sporadic, and only certain units, also only top aces are mentioned. From these documents I found the mention of Lamberts 103rd confirmed claim, and many of Mischke's.

Only hope is that other SG 2 pilots logbooks have survived. These give various information, at best a pilot may have made note of witnessing another pilots claims......I have found several for Heinz Marquardt like this, and numbering his claim number!!! Also like Mischke Lambert should have had an official list of his earlier claims during 1943, and who knows what else. Best hope is to track down Lambert's family.

Mischke himself had no less than sixty-two confirmed claims, possibly many more, and without the Ritterkreuz, and quite unknown!

Kind Regards

Johannes