Luftwaffe night harassment at Stalingrad?
 

I'm researching Feldwebel Werner Seidel of the Stabstaffel, Stuka Geschwader 2, who crashed on takeoff and died at 0010 hours on 17 October 1942 at Karpowka near Stalingrad. His mechanic, Fw. Rudi Bogaschewsky, was also killed. I understand they were flying a Gotha Go-145 biplane WNr. 0229. I would be most grateful if this could be confirmed from Luftwaffe loss records.

The condolence letter from the Staffel leader to Seidel's widow described his last flight as a combat mission (Feindflug). He is also listed in his Wehrpass as Gefallen. Given the circumstances, I wonder if he was flying a night harassment bombing mission against Soviet positions at Stalingrad. I would be grateful to know when, or if, the Luftwaffe executed such missions before the formation of the Stoerkampfstaffeln later that year on the Eastern Front.

Thanks for your assistance.

John

Re: Luftwaffe night harassment at Stalingrad?
 

John

No help, but if anyone answers I would be interested to know more about the odd (to me) WNr quoted.
Very little is known by me regarding the type's production, but Gotha themselves seems to have assigned WNr from 801 (V1) and up meaning either the WNr is a corruption of its true one or somebody else built the aircraft.

Cheers
Stig

Re: Luftwaffe night harassment at Stalingrad?
 

I don't know anything about Gotha 145 production either but there were lower Werk Nummern than 801. This example from the Gen.Qu. loss reports came from my research into the earlier careers of NSG 9 members:

05.11.43 2./NSG 2 F Fl.Pl. Polozk Absturz Go 145 W.Nr. 123 75%
Fw. Brinkmann, Otto F Gefr. Stein, Heinz (both injured)

Re: Luftwaffe night harassment at Stalingrad?
 

Thank's Nick

So, a WNr even lower than 0229.

Well, as I said, my knowledge about the company during the 1930s and 40s is very limited...

I wonder who built them? :confused:

Cheers
Stig

Re: Luftwaffe night harassment at Stalingrad?
 

From the NVM:
1942-10-17, Stabsst./St.G 2, Go 145 A, 229, BO+EO, Karpowka
Flugzeugführer Fw Seidel, Werner, +
Bordmechaniker Fw Bogaschewsky, Rudi, +
Absturz infolge Bedienungsfehler. Bruch 100 %. Bogaschewsky von 6./St.G 1. Heimatflug, not Feindflug. WNr. 2468 gestrichen und durch 229 ersetzt.

Matti

Re: Luftwaffe night harassment at Stalingrad?
 

Thank you very much for this information.

Matti, I assume that "Heimatflug" means a ferry flight or some such thing and not a combat mission. This is contradicted by the original documentation that I have, as noted, that refer to a Feindflug. I wonder if Seidel had died on a non-operational flight, his death would have been described as "Gestorben" instead of "Gefallen."

Again, I greatly appreciate your help.

Best wishes,
John

Re: Luftwaffe night harassment at Stalingrad?
 

There is a Do 24 website on the Net showing two WNr for each aircraft, the one used by Dornier and the one used by the Luftwaffe. They were not the same. I wonder if this is the case also for the Go 145.

Re: Luftwaffe night harassment at Stalingrad?
 

Some 100 examples of the Go 145 were build by Erla during 1936 and 1938 in the number range 2xx and 5xx.

Re: Luftwaffe night harassment at Stalingrad?
 

Aha Gerhard

Thanks for the pointer. Appreciated :)

Cheers
Stig

Re: Luftwaffe night harassment at Stalingrad?
 

Hello John,

the entry H (= Heimatflug) in the NVM corresponds with the Gen.Qu.loss return from 13 Dec 1942 item 67 and a correction from 20 Jan 1943. In the Bundesarchiv Freiburg version of the loss return the loss category 22 is handwritten supplemented. 22 = destroyed without enemy action on a non-operational flight, in German Totalverlust ohne Feindauftrag bei Ausbildungs- und sonstigem Flug.

Regards
Leo