KG1 losses, feb 1943
 

Hello,

from the loss list of the new book KG1 Hindenburg(Gerhard Baecker) I can not verify the fate of some crews:

01.02.1943, 3./KG1, Grupp-Wenke-Ziesler-Berlin, after attack explode in the air, Timm area, 100%

05.02.1943, 2./KG1, Allenhöffer-Paach-Volkert-Bosselmann, plane explode in the air, Olhowatka, 100%

08.02.1943, 1./KG1, Mücke-Lauch-Kickermann-Tyle, Crash fire Timm area, 100%

The loss list also didn't indicate heavy losses of He 177 in june 1944, as the geschwader passed a low level attack on the advanced russian tanks.

But if I understand right, even for this work, the WASt did not open their statistic and the loss list is coming from Jim Perry.

Best regards

Re: KG1 losses, feb 1943
 

Here are the first two - is this what you are looking for?

1.2.43: 3.St. Ju 88A‑4 (V4+CL) failed to return from operations nr. Timm, 100%, 4 MIA.
5.2.43: 2.St. Ju 88A‑4 (V4+BB) exploded in the air over Olkhovatka, 100%, Oblt. Günther Allenhöfer (pilot) + 3 all MIA.

I don't have a note for the 8.2.43 loss.

June 1944 He 177 losses:
Stab/KG 1: none
I./KG 1: none in action, 4 in non-combat crashes and accidents.
II./KG 1: 5 in action, none in non-combat crashes and accidents.
III./KG 1: none in action, 2 in non-combat crashes and accidents.
IV./KG 1: none in action, 1 in non-combat crashes and accidents.

Re: KG1 losses, feb 1943
 

Thanks a lot for the response, Larry.

What the losses of He177 concerns, it's looks like a myth

Re: KG1 losses, feb 1943
 

Igor,

Some time ago I asked for KG1 He177 losses from WAST, they sent the records for 19 aircraft lost with crew causilties between 15-3-44 and 1-8-44. Of these 19 only 5 were combat losses. From the Griehl/Dressel book and the recent Smith/Creek books it would appear that in the same period KG1 had a total of around 40 He177's lost/damaged. I do not know how this figure compares with the Baeker book, but if KG1 He177's attacked tanks at low level they do not appear to have suffered heavy losses,

Regards

Brian Bines

Re: KG1 losses, feb 1943
 

Hi Brian,

the loss list didn't contain any losses of He177 from enemy action and crew losses. Only loss in action in june is Ju188 in France(u5+fh) and without enemy action one loss He177(V4+HL) on 18.07( transfer flight, crew KIC)

Is the 5 losses in combat occurs in the east?

Best regards

Re: KG1 losses, feb 1943
 

Igor,

This is what I have for Feindflug :-

1. 27-6-44 He177A-3 V4+LP 332474 near FlPL. Baranowitshe Tech. Problem 4 killed 2 inj. 5/KG1

2. 27-6-44 He177A-3 V4+EN 332366 FlPl Bobrvisk attempted emergency landing 6 missing. 5/KG1

3, 28-7-44 He177A-3 V4+CN 332351 S/W of Elesa due to enemy fighter 6 missing. 5/KG1

4. 28-7-44 He177A-5 V4+IN 372610 Flughafen Prowchren 6 killed 5/KG1

5. 28-7-44 He177A-3 V4+PT 2229 north of Schaulen by Joniskis fell to Russian Fighter crew baled out 1 missing, 1 injured .9/KG1

Unfortunately some of the information has been blanked out,

Regards

Brian Bines

Re: KG1 losses, feb 1943
 

Hi Brian,

thanks for additional info.
All planes are in the loss list, but not info about personal losses and all flights aside from V4+CN are marked as H, and not F.

Best regards

Re: KG1 losses, feb 1943
 

Here are the final entries for II./KG 1 as recorded by Hptm. Spohr in his manuscript written in fall 1944 just after KG 1 was disbanded:

II./KG 1
6/44: transferred from Burg to Prowehren in East Prussia.
26.6.44: flew first He 177 mission — a day attack with 26 planes on the railway station and yards at Kalinkovichi/110 km W of Gomel, and then a similar raid on Velikiye Luki.
7/44: flew a number of missions against Soviet tank concentrations along the front, suffering heavy losses to AA fire.
28.7.44: further operations canceled due to the critical fuel situation brought on by Allied air attacks on the Ploesti refineries in Romania and Germany‘s synthetic fuel plants, and the Gruppe ordered to Brandis where the He 177s were to be put in storage.
25.8.44: ordered disbanded at Prowehren.

Spohr, Wolfgang (Hptm.) - “Kriegschronik des Kampfgeschwader 1 ‘Hindenburg’”, a 78-page manuscript c.late 1944/early 1945. Hptm. Spohr belonged to Geschw.Stab/KG 1 and used all KTBs and Anlagen. In: BA-MA Freiburg RL 10/529; NARA WashDC T-971 roll 50/f.965-1056; AFHRA Maxwell AFB Karlsruhe Collection K113.408-3.

Spohr provided no mission or loss details in his manuscript, which is in narrative style. He was the keeper of the KTB in the Geschwaderstab and he still had the KTB and all Anlagen in his possession at the time of his writing.

Larry
deZeng, Henry L. IV and Douglas G. Stankey. Bomber Units of the Luftwaffe 1933-1945: A Reference Source. Volumes 1 (ISBN 10 1 903223 72 5) and Volume 2 (ISBN 10 1 903223 87 3). Hersham (Surrey): Ian Allan Publishing, 2007 and 2008.