Emil Oechsler,Ground Attack Pilot,DKiG

[Edward L. Hsiao]

Gentlemen,

Do you know anymore information about Oberfeldwebel Emil Oechsler other than that he was awarded the German Cross in Gold in the middle of 1944 while serving in SG-2 "Immermann"? How many combat missions in total that Oechsler flew during WWII? I heard that he passed away this year.

Sincerely,

Edward L. Hsiao

[leonventer]

Hi Edward,

Oechsler (together with Gerhard Steenberger) self-published his autobiography in two books in 2012:

1) "Überlebt: Als Stukaflieger im Einsatz – 513 Feindflüge an der Ostfront", published by Mönch, 208 pages, ISBN 9783941149281

2) "Flugbuch: Stukaflieger – 513 Feindflüge an der Ostfront", published by Mönch, 429 pages, ISBN 9783941149304

The first book contains the narrative part, together with copies of his Wehrpass and award documents, plus some color maps and several photos.

The second contains color copies of his Flugbuch pages, his Feindflüge, lists of the airfields from which he operated and the aircraft he flew, plus many more color maps.

He flew 513 Feindflüge (some as Rudel's Kaczmarek in 1944), and was awarded the Ehrenpokal on Oct 17 1943 and the DKiG on Jun 13 1944.

The books were readily available on eBay.de last year -- it's likely they'll still show up there occasionally.

Hope that helps,
Leon Venter

[Edward L. Hsiao]

Dear Sir,

Thank you for your answer. 513 combat sorties over the Eastern Front are a lot.
I think possibly Oechsler was recommended for the Knight's Cross near the end of the WWII for that many impressive sorties but officially never was awarded to him. Someday I hope his books would be published in the English language.

Sincerely,

Edward L. Hsiao

[Andrew Arthy]

Hi Edward,

Sadly, Emil passed away in late-August 2014. My research partner Morten visited him on several occasions, and he was always a friendly man, very happy to share his stories and memories.

Cheers,
Andrew A.
Air War Publications - www.airwarpublications.com/earticles