Hptm. Horst-Günther von Fassong, JG 51 and JG 11

[Gaston]

Hello everyone,

On July 28, 1941, Lt. Horst-Günther von Fassong, a member of 3./JG 51, crashed during an emergency landing at the Stara-Bychow base. He suffered injuries. The cause was a fire in his Bf 109 F-2, W.Nr. 9650 (50% damaged). Was this the result of engine failure, or did he suffer damage in aerial combat?

At the end of 1942, as Oblt. and a member of 3./JG 51, he suffered such severe burns in a crash during takeoff that it was assumed he would never return to action. Is the cause of the crash known? Are the exact date, location, aircraft type, and W.Nr known, please?
In a well-known profile photo of von Fassong from late 1944, when he was visiting his wife and son, his burns on his nose and right cheek are clearly visible.
After recovering, he became Stkpt. 10./JG 51 on February 12, 1943.

Von Fassong's known victories with JG 51:
1941: 2
1942: 2
1943: 47
1944: 9
A total of 60 victories with JG 51 before he was transferred to Stkpt. 7./JG 11 in May 1944.
With JG 11, he achieved his last 25 victories, 10 of which were against Western allies, including four four-engine bombers.
He achieved a total of 85 victories.
For a long time, 75-136 victories were reported, according to post-war records. I wonder how they arrived at the number 136 victories? Were unconfirmed victories included in this, i.e. a total of 51 unconfirmed victories?
When he was awarded the RK on July 27, 1944, as Kdr. III./JG 11, it is stated that he received it for 100 victories (apparently including unconfirmed victories again). Does this record for the RK award still exist somewhere? Other data mention 75 victories.

On January 1, 1945, during Operation Bodenplatte, von Fassong was flying his Fw 190 A-8 (<< Black 8 + I, W.Nr. 682792) at low altitude when he was ambushed by two P-47s from 390 FS, 366 FG. According to the recollections of pilots from 366 FG, von Fassong was shot down by 1/Lt Robert V. Brulle.

Robert V. Brulle, Belgian origin a World War II P-47 combat pilot with 70 combat mission with 366th Fighter Group in Europe, he shot down one German Fw 190 (von Fassong) and one damaged Fw 190, both achieved on January 1, 1945. And destroyed enough German military vehicles to equip a sizeable force. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in aeronautical engineering in 1948 and Master of Science degree from the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) 1952.
He served as AirForce Project Officer to get the F-84F aircraft into operational service and was an assistant professor at AFIT. He joined McDonnell Aircraft in 1957 as an aerodynamicist. His projects included the Alpha Draco missile, Mercury and Gemini manned space vehicles, and research on advanced missile and aircraft control dynamics. In addition he was an adjunct associate professor at the University of Missouri Graduate Center in St. Louis.
He invented the GIROMILL wind turbine and built a 40kW unit for Energy Research and Development Administration.
He retired from McDonnell-Douglas in 1983 and developed the AquaGiro, a unique water turbine to extract energy from a water current. He moved to Florida in 1988 and devotes his time to writing about his aviation experiences. He has published a dozen magazine articles and one book titled Angels Zero (Smithsonian Institution Press, Sept. 2000). He retired from the Air Force Reserve as a lieutenant colonel in 1968.

Von Fassong crashed in a ball of fire near Opglabbeek, in the area around Asch airport. Again, fire, bad luck...
Has no one yet searched the crash site of his Fw 190 with a metal detector?
His grave is unknown. It is possible that he is one of at least six unknown airmen buried in the war cemeteries in Lommel, Belgium, and Ysselsteyn, Netherlands, who died in the area around Asch airfield. Is there a record of the American commission at the crash site of his Fw 190 near Opglabbeek? I know that there is a commission that is still excavating the remains of pilots in order to obtain DNA and compare it with that of their family members. The fact is that his family would have to request this.

Thank you very much, have a nice day.

[Johannes]

Hi Gaston

I don't know where some of these totals were arrived at, probably non-confirmed were not included in the 136.

There was with 1./JG 51 mikrofilms that listed date and time only, just needed to fill in the names, one was for von Fassong as proven by an abschüßmeldung report of 23rd February 1942 a Mig-3 at 1450 hrs. I also have twelve for 1944 giving a total of sixty-four.

I have a document listing all JG 54's aces for 31st December 1944 listing 20+ aces totals which often(but not always) reinforces the totals I arrived at i.e often somewhat lower than quoted. Also have a paper listing all current I./JG 52 aces again for 31st December 1944 listing Woidich with eighty-one not hundred and nine. I think his hundred ten total is a Hans Ring distortion.

In the Western system sometimes points are confused with actual shoot-downs. I record von Fassong with sixty-two Russian claims and two B-17's in the West, so no confusion there. Some totals are based on traditional quotes that are incorrect, but believed correct because of the length of time involved.

Kind Regards

Johannes

[Leo Etgen]

Hi Gaston

There is no mention of any aerial combat or enemy action regarding the 28 July 1941 incident so it may well have been due to a mechanical issue. I have never seen any mention of an incident that he was involved in at the end of 1942 so I think that information might well be in error. I have never seen any mention regarding who may have been responsible for his demise nor does this information appear in the Bodenplatte book by Manrho and Putz that I am aware of so I would take the statement that he was the victim of 1/Lt Robert Brulle with some caution. Of course, some new information may very well have appeared to pinpoint who brought him down that I am not aware of. Regarding his victories, I will leave that to Johannes but I will limit myself to say that new information has come to light thanks to research by people like him that has changed what we know regarding victories totals of which of von Fassong is a good example and that he did not claim anything close to 136 victories.

Horrido!

Leo

[John Manrho]

I believe there is no proof that Robert Brulle shot down Hptm. von Fassong, of course it is still a possibility. That von Fassong was shot down by P-47's of the 366th FG is certain.

The same goes also for the crash location. As far as I know we do not know exactly where he crashed. Indeed we know the location of some 6 unknown graves at Margraten and Lommel that belong to 1.1.45 victims near Asch. In several cases we do not know from which crashsite they came. Furthermore there are from JG 11 only already 12 MIA pilots. Linking a unknown to Hptm. von Fassong is not realistic.