Werner and Victor Molders
 

Hi guys

I need help!

I have a note that Victor was erroneously attacked by two Bf109s in his Bf110 of 1/ZG1 and crash-landed at Norrent-Fontes on 6 June 1940 with his gunner slightly wounded. I can't find this in Peter's The Battle Of France - so is this incorrect?

Ruy now advises that in the new book by Kurt Braatz, the author suggests that Werner in his Bf109 of Stab II/JG53 was possibly shot down by two Bf109s (and not by Sous-Lt Layrargues of GCII/7) in error on 5 June 1940!

Over to the Luftwaffe specialists.

Cheers
Brian

Re: Werner and Victor Molders
 

According to John Vasco & Peter, yes to the former (Fw Helmut Krappatsch slightly wounded but no mention of damage to the aircraft apart from flat tyres) and look at Werner Moelders' account in Battle of France Then & Now and make your own deductions.

Re: Werner and Victor Molders
 

1. Battle of France then and now is not word for word what is quoted in Braatz, including an ugly episode after he landed which is shortened extensively.

2. Further material presented in Braatz:

a. Werner never saw his assailant
b. other observers had only seen 109s in his neighborhood
c. there were strong suspicions back in 1940 (!) that it was friendly fire
d. Werner didn't care who shot him down

Either way, the material presented by Kurt Braatz makes it an interesting subject for further study for the Friendly Fire collection.

Re: Werner and Victor Molders
 

Brian,

it's a fact that Victor Moelders had been sneaked upon by 2 Bf 109s. Fritz von Scheve, the then Major beim Stabe of Wolfgang Falck, CO of I./ZG 1, reports it in detail in his 'Kriegsgeschichte der I./ZG 1', a handcrafted War Diary he presented to Falck when the latter left the group to become the first Kommodore of NJG 1 in Summer 1940. Victor himself confirmed the incident to me last year when I interviewed him for my biography of his brother. He also confirmed he and his brother took for granted that Werner had been downed by friendly fire over France.

Cheers,
Kurt

Re: Werner and Victor Molders
 

Hi Kurt

Many thanks for your comment, much appreciated. Is there any chance of seeing the extract from Kriegsgeschichte der I./ZG 1 regarding Victor's shoot-down? Do we know which unit the Bf109s were from?

Send me a PM if preferable

Best wishes
Brian