Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrey Kuznetsov
Hello Paul,
A routine measure. And AA fire, of course, played the role.
The research in the process. I don't want to make the premature conclusions.
Regards,
Andrey
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Andrey,
Thank you for clarifying. I'll await the results of your research! In the meantime, I've copied below the chronological list of officer casualties that I extracted from 'Career Summaries', most of which should be connected to the Kuban fighting. I am sure there are a couple of superfluous names and many more absent ones, but here it is, perhaps it is of some use:
DENK, Gustav. 13.02.43 KIA – Bf 109 G-2 (Black 13 or Yellow 2) hit by Russian AA fire and blew up in the air during a low-level attack near Krasnodar in North Caucasia.
BIBRA, Ernst, Freiherr von. 15.02.43 MIA – in Ju 88 A-4 (9K+BD) that crashed vic Slavyansk in North Caucasia.
ICKENROTH, ? . c.03.43 Hptm., Staka “He 111 Staffel” KIA during Kuban bridgehead supply operations.
KRÄUSSEL, Oskar. 06.03.43 in KGr.z.b.V. 172, KIA – in Ju 52 crash in the vicinity of Varenikovskaja in the Taman Peninsula area.
SCHWEITZER, Hans. 19.03.43 - † in crash in Black Sea in Hs 126 (TL+VK))
NEMITZ, Willi (“Altvater”). 11.04.43 KIA – in Bf 109 G-6 shot down by Russian fighters near Anapa in North Caucasia.
WALZ, Albrecht. 11.04.43, KIA - Bf 109 G-4 (Black <3+-) shot down by a LaGG-3 SW of Abiskaya in Pl.Qu. 85143 in N Caucasia.
JUNGKLAUS, Siegfried. 22.04.43 MIA – in Ju 88 A-4 (5K+BD) that failed to return from an attack on the Soviet naval base at Poti on the coast of the Black Sea.
THIEL, Erich. 22.04.43 KIA – in He 111 H-16 (1G+AD) shot down in Pl.Qu. 7532 by a Russian fighter during a heavy raid on the Black Sea ports of Poti and Gelendzhik. One source claims that he died in captivity.
LUEG (LÜG), Albrecht. 28.04.43 Hptm. and Staka 7.(H)/Aufkl.Gr. 32, MIA in Fw 189 A-3 shot down by AA fire over the Taman Peninsula.
HABERDA, Helmut. 08.05.43 Lt., 5./JG 52 KIA in air combat (other sources say by AA fire over Kuban) - Bf 109 G-4 (Black 7 + -) W of Krymsk.
EHRENBERG, Ernst. 10.05.43 Hptm. in III./JG 52, KIA – Bf 109 G-4 (yellow 8) hit by AA fire over Taman; he drowned near the shore of the Black Sea apparently tangled in his parachute.
KOCH, Ernst. 13.05.43 Hptm. and Kdr. III./KG 4, KIA – in He 111 H (5J+FD) that crashed into the Black Sea soon after take-off from Saki/Crimea.
BOOS, Johann. 16.05.43 Ofw. in 9./KG 55, POW - in He 111 H-16 (G1+AY) that failed to return from a raid on the railway station in Krapotkin/N Caucasia (another account says the railway station at Armavir) - evaded capture for three days.
RITZENBERGER, Karl. 24.05.43 Oblt., 6./JG 52 lost Bf 109 G-4 (Yellow 10 + -) crashed into the sea off Noworossijsk, 40 km SE of Anapa.
MIETHIG, Rudolf. 10.06.43 KIA – Bf 109 G-2 (Yellow 1) collided with a Russian plane over the Taman Peninsula and plunged to his death.
HARTMANN, Helmut. 11.06.43 Oblt. and pilot in 2.(F)/Aufkl.Gr. 100, MIA – in Ju 88 D-1 that failed to return from a recce of the Tikhoretsk area in North Caucasia.
BRENNER, Günter. 18.06.43 Oblt. and Beobachter (observer) in Nachtaufkl.St. 4, MIA – in Do 217 K that failed to return from a recce mission over the Slavyansk – Krasnodar – Timoshevskaya area in North Caucasia.
LEITERITZ, Walter. 02.07.43 KIA – in BV 138 that failed to return from a patrol over the Black Sea.
QUAST, Werner (“Quax”). 07.08.43 POW – rammed by an Il-2 over the Black Sea coast, baled out and captured by the Russians.
HOLZMANN, Heinz. 19.08.43 Hptm. (Beobachter) and Staka 1.(H)/Aufkl.Gr. 21, MIA – in Fw 189 A-2 shot down by AA fire over the Taman Peninsula in North Caucasia.
LÜDERS, Günther. 19.08.43 in 1.(H)/Aufkl.Gr. 21 (NAGr. 9), MIA – in Fw 189 A-2 shot down by AA fire over the Taman Peninsula area.
Regards,
Paul Thompson