[Heiko1]

thanks .. for adding a piece that is helpful in my attempt to reconstruct as much info as possible for Oblt. Humer. This is info i recently received

Since late January 1944 the IV./JG 3 was based at Venlo airfield in the Netherlands. Take off must have been around 10.30 hrs. Some 20+ Bf 109’s took off and were led by Oblt. Kutscha, the Staffelführer of 12. Staffel. They headed north towards the Almelo-Enschede-Lingen area. (Almelo and Enschede are in the Netherlands). The following pilots are known to have flown that mission;


Lt. Dieter Zink, Stab IV./JG 3.
Oblt. Alfred Humer, 10. Staffel, Staffelführer.
Fj.Fw. Konrad Sommer, 10. Staffel.
Uffz. Alfred Brandes, 10. Staffel.
Fw. Hans Schäfer, 10. Staffel.
Lt. Hermann Schmied, 11. Staffel, Staffelführer.
Lt. Hans-Joachim Schroth, 11. Staffel.
Oblt. Herbert Kutscha, 12. Staffel, Staffelkapitän (Knights Cross).
Uffz. Ernst Posemann, 12. Staffel.
Uffz. Ottokar Bente, 12. Staffel.

Around 11.05 hrs the IV. Gruppe prepared to attack the B-17’s just north of Almelo. According to the memories of Herbert Kutscha, the Gruppe was attacked out of the sun and totally by surprise by a group of 50 Thunderbolts. In fact this was the US 359th Fighter Group. On this day the 359th FG was led by Col. Tacon, the Group Commander. At around 11.05-11.10 they bounce some 15-20 Bf 109’s as they state in their report……these are the Messerschmitt of IV./JG 3. The German pilots, as I am told, were taken by surprise, didn’t stand a chance.