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Re: The Bf 109 losses in Spanish Civil War: verified and unverified
They were losses due to other cause than enemy activity:
Bf 109 B "6-20" piloted by Fritz Awe (1.J/88) collided in air with Bf 109 B "6-21" (pilot Adolf Borchers, also 1.J/88) on 4.4.1938 over Larraja. Both planes were destroyed and Awe was killed. The propeller of Borcher´s plane sliced through the cockpit of Awe´s plane and rather macabre detail is that Awe was decapitated in the process. Borchers managed somehow to land his scrapped plane and survived from the accident.
When it comes to Wilhelm Stage (2.J/88), it seems that the name of the pilot was Wilhelm Stange and his plane was Bf 109 B "6-12" and the crash-land accident occurred near Santander - on "Santander-0" on September 1937. The plane was written off, but apparently not the pilot. During that time (Sept 1937) also another Bf 109 - "6-7" - piloted by Norbert Flegel (2.J/88) crash-landed at same place and also his plane was written off. Maybe the "Santander-0" was very rough place for landing.
Notes based on Laureau 2000: Condor - The Luftwaffe in Spain, 1936 - 1939.
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