[Laurent Rizzotti]

On 6 January 1943, Fw Josef Wirtz of II./JG 5 died in an accident with one of the new Bf 109 G-2 of his unit. Several sources confirm this, both Internet and Girbig JG 5 book who tells Wirtz crashed due to pilot error.

But the Volksbund database shows that a Fw Josef Wirtz died this day at Krasnogwardeisk airfield, near Leningrad, then the base of I./JG 54.

Can someone confirm that both cases are one and the same ? And then explain what Wirtz was doing here, while all JG 5 was then in Norway or Northern Finland ?

Thanks in advance