Luftwaffe POWs in Russia
 

Hello, while reading the book 'Kurskaja Bitva glazami Lubianki' I found following information on German airmen that were taken prisoner (and interrogated by Smersh officers) after being shot down in Russia during the so called battle of Kursk. Just thought you might be interested :)

6/7/1943 Ju 88D-1 W.Nr. 430684 T5+CH, 1.(F)/100
BO Lt. Paul, Joachim FF Köble, Fw. Georg
MIA with crew, cause unknown. 100% F

Interrogation of BO Fw. Joachim Paul (born 1920 in Kittlitztreben Kreis Bunzlau -- today Trzebien/Boleslawiec) on 7/7/1943.
Recon mission from Orscha (with crew FF Fw. Kelbel, BM Uffz. Herbert, BF Uffz. Schmidt) along railway Rshew-Welikije Luki.
Flying at 200-150m due to bad weather conditions, a/c was shot down by anti-aircraft fire west of Rshew and made crash landing. BF was probably killed while the rest of crew survived and was taken prisoner. During last 3-4 weeks 1./100 flew missions mostly in area Wel. Luki - Rshew - Belyj - Wielish. According to interrogation commanding officers were:
Kommandeur Aufkl.Gruppe 100 Major Utolski (Otolski ?) - acted as liason between 1./100 and Kdo. Lfl. 6 (Ritter von Greim)
Ic Aufkl.Gruppe 100 Oblt. Streicher
Staffelkapitän 1./100 Hptm. Marquardt
source: Kurskaja bitva glazami Lubianki, Moskva 2003, pp. 289-292

5/7/1943 Ju 87D-3 W.nr. 1118 J9+DH 7./St.G. 1
FF Heil, Uffz. Heinz
BF Schramm, Ogefr. Gerhard
Both MIA due to Flak. Pl.Qu. 63534 100% F

Both captured and interrogated by Soviets - obviously claimed they were from reconnaisance unit on recon sortie.
source: Kurskaja bitwa glazami Lubianki, Moskva 2003, p. 6

Another captured airmen, whose interrogations are cited in the above book, was Hptm. Helmut Putz (RK) from 4./K.G. 27 shot down in mid-June 1943.

Kind regards,
Pawel

Re: Luftwaffe POWs in Russia
 

Hi,

regarding the battle of Kursk I would recommend book of D.Chazanow "Aviacja v bitvie nad Orlovsko-Kurskoj dugoj" with many interesting photos, accounts, battles descriptions, losses etc.

Regards

Robert

Re: Luftwaffe POWs in Russia
 

If anyone is interested, I have photos of the 1/100 crew

Re: Luftwaffe POWs in Russia
 

Just a remark for Ruy...perhaps we can split this read in the original question of Pawel Burchard (see also reply of chris Goss) and the thread on Mr. Gottfried Dulias.

Re: Luftwaffe POWs in Russia
 

Hello Chris, of course I'd be interested to see the photographs and possibly, if allowed, I'd like to post them on the webpage...

Kind regards,
Pawel Burchard

Re: Luftwaffe POWs in Russia
 

Hello Pawel,

do you have access to other captured pilots in October 1943 near Vitebsk? My father OFW Werner Koerfges was captured when he flew mission wiht Otto Knittel from JG 54. He returned November 1949 and died 1994 so I cannot ask hem anymore after I got his prisoner file from Military Archive in Moskow.

Thanks in advance
Hans W. Koerfges

Re: Luftwaffe POWs in Russia
 

Hans, unfortunately I cannot be of much help. The name of the second pilot you mentioned probably should be Otto Kittel (2./JG 54). If you did not find it already, according to http://www.jg54greenhearts.com/ your father Ofw. Werner Körfges (2./JG 54) was s/d in Fw190A-4 W.Nr. 2494 sw. 8 + on 15-Oct-43.

However I must ask you a question - do you know when your father came to I./JG 54?

Kind regards,
Pawel

Re: Luftwaffe POWs in Russia
 

Pawel,

my father never was in that unit. He came straight to II/JG 54 and served there only for about 6 weeks. He was one of the older pilots acting before as instructors for basic training in Germany. Then he was forced to Russia because of lack of pilots there. As far as I researched he disappeared that day to the Russians where he got a warm welcome so far. Unfortunately he died in 1994 before I got all this informations. In all the years after he came back to Germany he told stories about things never happened that way. My first suspicions were raised when I got his POW file from Moscow.

Hans