Luftwaffe Losses Arnhem Area 29th Sept 1944

[John Manrho]

Following the discussion on the IV./JG 54 thread there was some discussion on the following losses. In Italic my comments to these losses;

Gefr Heinz Schweickhardt 11/JG 11 Fw 190 A-8 (732 056) Arnhem
Still MIA, no clue on where he crashed

Fw. Otto Keck 9/JG 11 Fw 190 A-8 (732 067) Arnhem (KIA)
Crashed near Kellen, north of Kleve. First buried Kellen, later transferred to Kleve-Donsbrüggen Grave 778

Gefr. Kurt Paulilo 10/JG 11 Fw 190 A-8 (731 801) area of Holland (MIA)
Name is Pauli. Reported crashed near Kellen, but his remains could not be traced. He is listed at Kleve-Donsbrüggen (under the unknowns)

Uffz Josef Donner 10/JG 11 Fw 190 A-8 (175 216) Emmerich (WIA)
Indeed crash near Emmerich. No more details. He was wounded. Might be that he bellylanded a/c and that this was not an 100% loss.

Uffz Walter Schmitt 11/JG 11 Fw 190 A-8 (732 113) Arnhem (MIA)
Crashed near Haldern, northeast of Rees. His remains were buried at Remagen, Heimatüberführt.

Uffz Ludwig Rössner. 11/JG 11 Fw 190 A-8 (380 165) Arnhem (KIA)
He is still MIA. There are indications that he crashed a few miles east of Nijmegen.

Further, III./JG 11 flew from Achmer with 21 Fw 190. Take off 11.45hrs, landing 13.50 hrs. 5 Fw 190 returned early, so approx. 16 over Arnhem. Reported 5 missing and 1 wounded pilot. Material losses were 5 missing, 3 damaged. Hence my theory that Donner might have bellylanded.

[Nokose]

Thanks John, I will add more a little later. I just found information on the 5 September 1944 involving the IV/JG 54 on the Eastern Front to write up.

[Nokose]

I have Eric Mombeek’s English version of the JG 4, which has no mention of the 29 September 1944 except in the loss list.

Hptm B. Hasenberg 10/JG Bf 109 1 km SW of Doetichem Survived

Fhr D. Fricke 10/JG 54 Bf 09 G-6 (441909) Crashed near Nijmegan MIA

Uffz H. Rüther 11/JG 4 Bf 109 G-1 (461477) Arnhem

[John Manrho]

Again in Italic my comments;

Hptm B. Hasenberg 10/JG Bf 109 1 km SW of Doetichem Survived
Baled out 15 km southwest of Doetinchem (source KTB 3.JD)

Fhr D. Fricke 10/JG 4 Bf 109 G-6 (441909) Crashed near Nijmegen MIA
Still MIA, no trace found

Uffz H. Rüther 11/JG 4 Bf 109 G-14 (461477) Arnhem
Reported killed by Allied Forces, however no location mentioned and no grave known.

[Nokose]

John, do you have mission time and numbers in the mission for JG 4?

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Originally Posted by Nokose

I have Eric Mombeek’s English version of the JG 4, which has no mention of the 29 September 1944 except in the loss list.

Hptm B. Hasenberg 10/JG Bf 109 1 km SW of Doetichem Survived

Fhr D. Fricke 10/JG 54 Bf 09 G-6 (441909) Crashed near Nijmegan MIA

Uffz H. Rüther 11/JG 4 Bf 109 G-1 (461477) Arnhem

Hello I have the French version of Eric Mombeek’s JG 4 book, and 29 September 1944 is described at the end of Chapter 8 "Stab and III./JG 4 dans la bataille d'Arnhem" (Stab and III./JG 4 in the Arnhem battle). Book describes two known missions:
1) Gefechtsverband 1 (grouping III./JG 4, II./JG 27 and I./JG 76 - 63 fighters in all) took off at 10h30 to intercept Jabos in Arnhem area. Result: 16 losses (aircraft and pilots, 3 KIA/MIA for III./JG 4, 8 human losses for I./JG 76... so 5 losses for II./JG 27 but that is my deduction, the book says nothing about these) for 8 victories (5 Spitfires, 1 P-51, 1 P-47, 1 typhoon) and 2 probables (1 Spitfire)

2) Lt Hans Klaffenbach flew a ground attack mission between 15h15 and 16h30, but no other detail is known, and it may have involved only some pilots of III./JG 4.

Description of 29 Sep 1944 ends with a citation of Ofw Helmut Maul, of Stab III./JG 4, who says he flew twice that day as wingman of Kommandeur Eberle to lead III./JG 4. In one of these the formation was involved in an air battle but Eberle and Maul flying ahead of the formation only heard it on the radio and could not locate it.

Edited: the number of fighters for Gefechtsverband 1 is given as 63 but it is not clear in the text if this is the total strength of the unit or the numbers of fighters who flew this mission.

[Laurent Rizzotti]

By the way here is III./JG 4 loss list for 29 September 1944 in Mombeek's French version (different from what you wrote above):

Fhr Dieter Fricke 10./JG 4 Bf 109 G-6 (441909) Air battle in Arnhem area MIA

Gefr Lorenz Grüner 11./JG 4 Bf 109 G-14 (462686) Air battle near KleveKIA

Uffz Karl Rüther 11./JG 4 Bf 109 G-14 (461477) Air battle at Keeken/Kleve

But also two other Bf 109 G-6 listed as 100% losses due to air battles, with no pilot (so probably unhurt).

Last losses seem to contradict the text for 16 September 1944, that says that 16 aircraft and their pilots were lost.

the Luftwaffe losses summary database has for that day:
_ 5 aircraft destroyed for III./JG 4 (3 missing, 2 shot down by aircraft)
_ 3 aircraft destroyed for II./JG 27 (1 missing, 2 shot down by aircraft)
_ nothing for I./JG 76, but if we believe Mombeek it lost 8 pilots, so with the above losses we have the total of 16.

[John Manrho]

Nokose/Laurent,

I will give you the details for the III./JG 4 mission based on the available original sources (NVM, KTB 3. JD, RL2-III-852, etc.) and my research in other primary sources:

First the Abendmeldung for the 29.9.44 the 3. JD reports this for the III./JG 4:
Take Off 10.33 hrs, Landing 12.20 hrs. 19 Bf 109 participated in the mission.
Successes: 2x Spitfire, 1 Thunderbolt sicher, 1 Mustang wahrscheinlich.
Losses: 4x Bf 109 missing (Fricke/Hasenberg/Grüner/Rüther), 1x Bf 109 damaged with pilot wounded (no name known, so probably only minor injuries?)

The Nachmeldung of 30.9.44 reported that Hptm. Hasenberg bailed out and also reported 2 Spitfires sicher....

The summarischen Verlusten (RL2-III-852) reports 3x MIA and 2x Total. So the reported damaged a/c listed by 3. JD must have been non-recoverable.

I do not have any details on the 2nd mission (Lt. Klaffenbach FB). This is not reported by the Abendmeldung of 3. JD, which is strange. I have the FB somewhere, but it is stored....

I believe there is no "proof" that Uffz. Rüther crashed near Keeken.

Gefr. Lorenz Grüner indeed crashed just west of Kleve. He is buried in Donsbrüggen/Kleve Grave 823.

Cheers John