[Adriano Baumgartner]

Jay Hammond, good morning.

I met Martin twice here in Brazil, in 1996; before he published his own memoirs both in German and in Portuguese language.

He told me that he ordered and supervised the burial of the III Gruppe NJG 1 archives and documents under a tree, close to Husum, by the end of the war, to not falling onto Allied hands by the surrender (1945).

I personally doubt if the Official Records of his Gruppe survived...but at the RLM copies of his Abschüssmeldungs may have survived.

When I visited him, he showed me the video recorded on the occasion that LW682 wreckage and remains were found and told me there was "animosity" against him this day. I understand both sides...but he was invited and came along to pay his homage, as an Aviator, to the former enemies.

I invited the family of a German Ace who shot down a Brazilian Aviator shot down as well to a Cerimony held in 2019; which of course the German Family never answered back (and then, later I found the Brazilian Family would not like this kind of encounter - luckily for me who was helping organizing/paving the way to the meeting).

Hope you will be successful (check with Dr. Theo Boithen or other Dutch Historians) in finding this document.

I remain, must humbly yours,
Adriano Silva Baumgartner, ASV 00.344