Hi Chris,
Yes, information on Hptm. Gerlach (and 9./KG 26 in general) is apparently hard to come by.
Gerlach's sparse entry in the Luftwaffe Officer Career Summaries list says that he was appointed Staka of 9./KG 26 from Feb 42 to Jul 43.
However, this seems unlikely because:
- According to Michael Holm's info on www.lw.dk: On 8 Jun 42, the existing III./KG 26 was renamed as I./KG 1, and a new incarnation of III./KG 26 was formed from Kü.Fl.Gr. 506.
- There is another entry in the LOCS list which states that Ewald-Günther Trost was appointed Staka of 9./KG 26 in the Summer of 1942. (This would be more consistent with the organizational change mentioned above.)
I checked various other sources:
- Steenbeck's "Die Spur des Löwen"
- Schmidt's "Achtung - Torpedos Los!"
- the Aero Journal special on KG 26 (Hors Serie #50)
- Thiele's "Luftwaffe Aerial Torpedo Aircraft and Operations"
but to no avail. It seems there is precious little on 9./KG 26 (or 8./KG 26, for that matter), but 7./KG 26 does feature quite prominently in Steenbeck.
Hopefully, someone will come up with additional details from primary sources.
Regards,
Leon Venter