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Originally Posted by Chris Goss
Thanks both but you can see my problem. I have seen a document which states he moved to NJG 2 in August 1941. ... It is a shame his Wehrpass didn't survive-I am working with Lent's at the moment which is very precise and useful
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Yes, it'd be great to find such conclusive evidence. In the meantime, here are 3 anecdotal indicators suggesting that he was still serving as a Kampfflieger until Nov 1941:
- (weak) The Kommodore of NJG 2, Karl Hülshoff, recalls Wittgenstein joining NJG 2 "in the winter [of 1941/42]" -- Roell, p.53.
- (medium) On 15 Oct 1941, Wittgenstein wrote a letter to his parents while on leave in Munich. He closes the letter by saying that, in a few days, he'll "have to go back again to the north-east, probably only for a short time this year." -- Knott, p.73.
- (strong) There are several dated photos from Wittgenstein's photo album depicting raids on Soviet targets from 19 Sep to 1 Nov 1941 (presumably notated by Wittgenstein himself.) -- Knott, pp.62-65.
(Interestingly, there is gap in the photograph dates from 30 Sep to 29 Oct 1941, which would seem to correspond with his leave in Munich.)
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Originally Posted by Chris Goss
It says he left KG 51 but doesn't say when (or if) he joined KG 51 so is this a typo?
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Possibly -- it seems very weird.
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Originally Posted by Chris Goss
150 missions between June and November 1941 seems incorrect as he is credited with 150 missions total on bombers and it would appear he had flown his 60th on 9 Mar 41.
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Agreed, it seems Knott doesn't account for the missions flown before Jun 1941.
FYI, here are the errors I noted in Gerhard Baeker's account in Knott:
- p.44, mid-page: He states that he was posted to Burg in "January 1941" for the formation of III./KG 1. This should obviously be "January 1940".
- p.45, 4th para: "After [Wittgenstein] was killed at the end of January 1943 ...". Knott caught this one and corrected it to "1944".
- p.45, 3rd para: He says that Wittgenstein had been posted to the Nachtjagd in "September 1941". It's understandable that he was mistaken about this date because he was hospitalized for 6 months after a belly-landing on 10 Aug 1941.
Regards,
Leon Venter