Wekusta 1 strange case 21.Apr.42
 

Hello friends,

According to Gen.Qu.6 list, Ju88Е-1 WNr.1579 from Wekusta 1 lost on 21.Apr.42 in Kholm - Staraya Russa area.

Really this weather recce was a/c downed by fire of 931.AA battery (made 3 shots only!) from Lavensaari Island, Baltic sea, roughly 300 km from Kholm - Staraya Russa area and in very different direction from airbase (Pskov = Pleskau). Lt. Storz became POW, Uffz Hahn KIA, other crewmen escaped.

Maybe more details are known from WASt or other sources?
Did Storz survived the war?

Best regards,
Andrey

Re: Wekusta 1 strange case 21.Apr.42
 

You see here, Ju 88 E-1 likely typing error for D-1 (and W.Nr. suggests so), maybe it was off course from/to that area or incorrectly entered in GQM.
http://www.ww2.dk/oob/bestand/aufkl/bw1.html

Four crew missing: F Lt. Werner Storz rep ret uninjured in t/19.11.42, B Reg.Rat. Wilhelm Dunnweber and BF Uffz. Hein Esswein rep ret safe e/06.05.42, but BM Uffz. Georg Hahn rep killed in b/30.11.42

Thats all I have.

Re: Wekusta 1 strange case 21.Apr.42
 

I have:
1942-04-21, Wekusta 1, Ju 88D-1, (88)1579, B7+OA, 10 km westsüdwestlich Lavansaari, Absturz auf dem Eis infolge Flakbeschuß über Lavansaari. Bruch 100 %.
Flugzeugführer Lt Storz, Werner
Beobachter Reg.Rat Dünnweber, Wilhelm
Bordfunker Uffz Esswein, Hein
Bordmechaniker Uffz Hahn, Georg, +

According to my info, Lt Storz didn't become POW. He was killed later:
1943-08-13, Wekusta Ob.d.L. 1, Ju 88D-1, 430540, D7+GH, Fl.Pl. Stavanger-Sola, Absturz nach Rammung Hochspannungsleitung beim Werkstattflug. Bruch 100 %.
Flugzeugführer Olt Storz, Werner, +
Bordfunker Fw Dipper, Heinz, +
Bordmechaniker Uffz Schneider, Adolf, +
Prüfer Stephan, +

Normally in GQM loss list description of location, which is in brackets like in this case (Cholm - Staraja Russa), means a general area, where the aircraft was supposed to fly and where it possibly has disappeared. If the route is long and contains several turning points, only the most important or maybe the most probable locations are shown. In this case I suppose, that the route continued from Cholm - Staraja Russa area north to Gulf of Finland and then back to Pleskau. When the crew returned, correct place was written in NVM, but nobody was interested in correcting GQM info, because it was not essential. Maybe you can find a document, which (hopefully) confirms this or shows, that I am on a totally wrong track.

Matti

Re: Wekusta 1 strange case 21.Apr.42
 

Matti, I think you are quite on correct thinking/interpretation on 1579 and GQM (it likely did not matter as they were into statistics than historical correctness); on 430540 loss an RAF Mosquito of 333 (Norwegian) SQ may have contributed (according a note of mine, but have not checked 333 SQ Form 540. Maybe Norway experts know.

Re: Wekusta 1 strange case 21.Apr.42
 

The story.............


"The spring had been delayed and the Gulf of Finland was still ice-covered when, on 21 April (1942), Ju 88 D-1, B7+OA (W.Nr. 1579), with Lt. Werner Storz (F), Reg.Rat Wilhelm Dünnweber (Met B), Uffz. Hahn (Bm) and an unidentified wireless operator, was damaged by Soviet AA fire. As a result, they made a belly landing on the weakened ice WSW of the island Lavansaari. While Dünnweber and the wireless operator escaped unhurt, Storz was injured and could not walk and Hahn was seriously wounded with two broken legs. Because of the ice, it proved impossible to ferry the injured to the distant shore in the rubber dinghy. As a result, while Storz took care of Hahn at the wrecked aircraft, it was decided that Dünnweber and the wireless operator should walk south towards the coast over the melting snow and partly flooded ice to alert their Staffel. This march took them ten hours but a call for help was set in action and a Fi 156 Storch STOL aircraft was sent to pick up the two crew members left behind on the ice. Unfortunately, bad weather delayed the rescue operation for two days and when a landing at the site was finally made, Hahn was found shot dead, while Storz had disappeared without trace.

Six months later, Storz reported to his Staffel and the full story finally emerged. Apparently, while Dünnweber and the wireless operator were away, a Russian platoon had reached the site, Hahn was killed and Storz taken prisoner. As a PoW he was subjected to many torturous interrogations and to save his life declared himself willing to act clandestinely as a Soviet agent in German uniform. He was trained as a wireless operator and, on 27 October, was dropped, equipped with a Russian radio set, from a Soviet aircraft by parachute behind German lines but reported to a friendly unit. After further missions under a false name, to protect him against reprisals if re-captured, he was posted to Wekusta 1 Ob.d.L. in the West, promoted to Oblt.and assigned to Wetterkette Stavanger. On a test flight in August 1943 his aircraft, Ju 88 D-1, D7+GH, collided with a high-tension line over Lys Fjord and crashed in the sea with Storz and his crew being killed."

[Source: Kingston, John A. and Franz Selinger. Wekusta: Luftwaffe Meteorological Reconnaissance Units & Operations 1938-1945. Ottringham (East Yorkshire): Flight Recorder Publications Ltd., 2006. ISBNs: 0 9545605 8 2 and 978 0 9545605 8 4. Hb (oversize). Dj. 256p. Heavily illus. Color profiles. Maps. Charts. Tables. Appendices. Bibliography. Index. Pp.71-72].

L.

Re: Wekusta 1 strange case 21.Apr.42
 

Dear friends,

thank you a lot! Interesting and unusual story.
It is pity that NVM records far less available than GQM lists.

What is it "t/", "e/" and "b/" ?

Best regards,
Andrey

Re: Wekusta 1 strange case 21.Apr.42
 

Amendments (corrections) are marked a., b., c., d., etc. (and "t/" marks that amendment that day) in GQM lists, for easy checking.

Re: Wekusta 1 strange case 21.Apr.42
 

Thank you!

In copy that I use, small handwritten Letters almost unreadable :(

Best regards,
Andrey

Re: Wekusta 1 strange case 21.Apr.42
 

Hi, Andrey

If you come over losses with corrections you cannot read please contact me. I have all corrections and admendments registered in my database and can send info on them

Regards,
Andreas B

Re: Wekusta 1 strange case 21.Apr.42
 

This Ju 88 aircraft from Wettererkundungsstaffel 1/ObdL (Wetterkette Südnorwegen)collided during a test flight with a high-tention line over the fjord Lysefjorden and crashed into water in fjord Høksfjorden nearby. The German aircraft was shortly before probably attacked by a British Mosquito of RAF 333 SQN. The pilot was the Norwegian Lt. Wenger, who was allowed 1 Ju 88 as probable. Lt Wenger reported that the German aircraft disappeared into the clouds trailing black smoke. This incident and the clouds led probably to the collision and the death of this experienced German Wetter pilot.
The crash site (Pl.Qu.05/Ost/6914) lays appx 20km SE of stavanger and airfield Sola lays 10km SW of Stavanger.

Greetings from Norway
Knut