[Andreas Brekken]

Hi.

The loss reason is given as 'Absturz', but they noted in this case that the pilot was unhurt.

There are several other losses for this date and unit where the pilot was listed as missing.

Without having researched this specific incidence and with limited knowledge of JG 52 history, my opinion is that the aircraft was initially listed as lost 100%, as it was probably unknown for a limited timespan what had happened.

Then they probably got a message before they sent the file that Rall was safe, but still did not have been able to locate and or recover the aircraft he flew - thus a loss record stating 100%.

All aircraft where the pilot is listed as missing would have a 100% damage percentage attached, and for units with a tidy records keeping we see that these records are very often corrected when and if the aircraft was recovered.

In this case - if the aircraft was later recovered - it is just a wartime piece of bad clerkmanship - the guy in charge of the papers did not correct the loss record when they found out that the aircraft was in a far better shape than a 100% loss would indicate.

In my database there are numerous examples of this happening, not seldom also of course due to shifts in the frontlines, enabling recovery units to get to aircraft formerly lost on enemy territory.

Regards,
Andreas B