Fighter pilot Reinhold Liebel?

[Dénes Bernád]

Does anyone have any details on fighter pilot Reinhold Liebel, born in 1923 in Fürth? He (also) served with Fw. Bartels. Reportedly, he scored an air victory over a "Moskito" in Montenegro on 6 June 1940.

Thanks, in advance,

[Chris Goss]

6 June 1940?

[Dénes Bernád]

That's what is written near a photo (see below)...

[Revi16]

The wreckage looks like a Bf-109 to me. With the rudder offset, the vertical stab has the characteristic angle of the Bf-109.

[Dénes Bernád]

I agree with you, I had the same feeling.

[Dénes Bernád]

I received a few more bits of information about airman Liebel.
Born on 17 April 1923 in Fürth. This means that if the caption written by him under the above photo is correct, he must have been only 17 when he scored his first kill. Is this realistic? If the date is rather 1941, then he was 18.
His commander was Hptm. Kirschner, while his comrade Fw. Bartels. Does this help in identifying his unit?
He wrote on his Bf 109 the nick-name 'Peterle', just like his cat was called back home.
That's it, for now.

[ClinA-78]

Crude guess but perhaps against a Yugoslav's Emil (during Marita?), however the wing seems rounded???

ClinA-78

[Boris Ciglic]

Hi Denes,

If he mentions Kirchner and Bartels, and Montenegro, the unit must be IV./JG 27 and time frame between October 1943 and March 1944. However, there are no listed claims of him in Prien/Stemmer/Rodeike book about III. and IV./JG 27. And the wreck definitely looks like Bf 109.

Cheers,
Boris

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by Dénes Bernád

I agree with you, I had the same feeling.

But that looks like a rounded wing tip in the foreground, which makes it an F at least, so not June 1940 and what would the Luftwaffe have been doing in Montenegro then — starting the war on Yugoslavia a year early?

[RolandF]

To shoot down a Mosquito("Moskito") in June 1940 would seem some kind of miracle to me...

Regards

RolandF