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Re: Need info on two Luft. pilots from II./KG30 that attacked the Lancastria on 17.06.40
udf_00,
Thanx! This now gives us the names of five of the seven pilots for 5./KG30 for the 15.6.40 mission. Hptm Peters, presumably the StaKap, Fw Kühnast, Fw Lorbeer, Fw Erkens and Uffz Peter Stahl. I suspect that the other two could have been officers. Does Stahl's book provide the first names of any of these pilots and provide the names of other members of the Staffel during this period? I believe that one of them may have been Lt Willi Erkens. Is he mentioned anywhere? Lt Wolfgang Mann from 5 Staffel was badly injured when he was shot down on 16.6.40. Is his name mentioned? He couldn't have been on the Lancastria mission, but his name helps build out the Staffel pilot's roster for mid-June, 1940.
I did a quick check on Hptm Peters, a relatively common name, and I find no likely candidate for him in the Luft Officer's Career Summaries, nor did he subsequently get promoted to GrKdr of II./KG30. He also doesn't appear to have been a casualty through the end of 1940. Any further info on him, especially his first name? It appears that we can reconstruct the roster of at least eight of the pilots from 5 Staffel during this period. From that we may be able to locate Award & Decorations material on some of them which would point to participation on and/or success during the 17.6.40 Lancastria mission.
A further problem with the Lancastria mission is that there were likely other pilots/crews from Stab II./KG30, as well as from either 4. or 6. Staffel on the mission, since 14 aircraft were known to have participated.
Good progress here.
Regards,
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