1./Kü.Fl.Gr. 406

[Raponda]

My dad was a Merchant Marine midshipman on SS Cornelius Harnett in Convoy JW 52 in January 1943. As they rounded North Cape on the way to Murmansk, they were jumped by Lufttorpedostaffel 406 out of Kirkenes, Norway on 24 January. Thae Harnett's Armed Guard, commanded by Lieut. Richard Stone, shot down one of the 1/406's Heinkel 115 b/c's while a sister ship in the convoy badly damaged another. Both air crews perished the icy waters of the Barents Sea. On board 1864 K6+EH, were Oberfeldwebel Kurt Riedel (F), with Leutnant Hans-Georg Schmidt (B) and Unteroffizier Hans-Joachim Gottlieb (Bf); on the other plane (2733 K6+MH) were three squadron mates of Küstenfliegergruppe 406, Oberfeldwebel Hans Broy (F), Leutnant Arno Kratz (B) and Unteroffizier Kurt Kleismann (Bf). Can anyone help me to find more about the origins of these six German airman? Dad is writing his memoirs about these incidents. To watch an interview with him, go to Youtube.com and enter Herman Melton in the search box. On the return, his Convoy RA 63 was attacked by U-Boot 255 commander Reinhart Reche. In Dec. '44 Dad's Liberty Ship Antoine Saugraine was torpedoed in Surigao Strait near Leyte Gulf during MacArthur's return to the Philippines.