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Re: Josef Groten of Sturmstaffel 1
Johannes,
As a long-time researcher of Sturmstaffel 1, I can verify that Gefreiter Josef "Jupp" Groten, who shot down a Polish PZL-24 on 3 September 1939, was the same pilot who was reported as missing on 3 March 1945 when he was serving with the I./J.G. 3 and held the rank of Feldwebel. Groten was either shot down and bailed out, made a belly landing, or his aircraft had a mechanical issue that forced him to bail out or make a belly landing. If I had to guess, I think his Me 109 was struck by machine gun fire from a Russian fighter, forcing him to bail out near Freienwalde/Stargard. Groten fled westward on foot and was eventually taken into American captivity. I was in contact with Groten's wife, who gave me details about her husband's military service; she also gave me his Soldbuch, which is one of my most treasured Soldbücher in my collection.
Barry
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