6./JG 3 in North Africa

[Adam]

Hi guys,

Early April 1942, 6./JG 3 deployed to North Africa. Does anyone know a) the missing first names of the two pilots below, and b) who else was in the Staffel and transferred there at this time?

Oblt. Stolte - Staffelkapitän, as I understand it.
Fw. Waibl
Uffz. Michael Beikiefer
Uffz. Franz Schwaiger
Uffz. Josef Fritz

Also, Beikiefer was lost on 20.3.42 whilst on a practice JaBo sortie over the Med. I know he was flying 109F-4 "Yellow 3 + -", but does anyone know the W.Nr of this aircraft? I don't have Prien/Stemmer's work on JG 3, but apparently on the day before Beikiefer had mistakenly attacked a Ju 88 and killed a crewman onboard. Are there any details of this and what - if any - action was to follow from this incident?

TIA

Adam

[leonventer]

Originally Posted by Adam

Early April 1942, 6./JG 3 deployed to North Africa. Does anyone know a) the missing first names of the two pilots below, and b) who else was in the Staffel and transferred there at this time?

a) Oblt. Paul Stolte - Staffelkapitän, as I understand it. [According to Prien, Lt. Hans Fuß was Staka of 6. Staffel from Jan to Sep 42.]
Fw. Waibl [Couldn't find any mention of this pilot.]
Uffz. Michael Beikiefer [Not part of the deployment because he was lost on Mar 20 42.]
Uffz. Franz Schwaiger
Uffz. Josef Fritz

b) Some other 6. Staffel pilots who were at Martuba:
Uffz. Alfred Fischer
Uffz. Waldemar Eyrich
Uffz. Wolfgang Vogel

Prien states that twelve pilots were deployed to North Africa, and that they flew just 64 sorties in total.

Also, Beikiefer was lost on 20.3.42 whilst on a practice JaBo sortie over the Med. I know he was flying 109F-4 "Yellow 3 + -", but does anyone know the W.Nr of this aircraft?

8667

I don't have Prien/Stemmer's work on JG 3, but apparently on the day before Beikiefer had mistakenly attacked a Ju 88 and killed a crewman onboard. Are there any details of this and what - if any - action was to follow from this incident?

No further details, except that it was a Kette of Ju 88, and that Beikiefer was "completely shattered", according to Franz Schwaiger.

(Source: Prien's "Jagdgeschwader 3 'Udet': II./JG 3")

Leon Venter

[rob van den nieuwendijk]

Hello all,

Stolte was not Staffelkap of 6./JG 3 at that time. It was Oblt Heinrich Sannemann who was Staffelkap of 6./JG 3 and flew over North Africa.

Fuß became Staffelkap on 1 Aug 42 - Stolte on 3 Oct 42.

Do not have a Fw Waibl - could it be Fw Wirth?

Other possible candidates are:
Lt Ludwig Häfner
Fw Karl-Heinz Steinicke
Uffz Georg Schiller
Uffz Rasso Förg
Uffz Robert Weinländer
(alas cannot confirm all of these - Weinländer was in North Africa)

The pilots mentioned in previous message were defenitily in North Africa, except of Beikiefer - as stated lost on 20 Mar 42.


@Adam: what is your interest in this unit in North Africa and can you provide more details on her activities?

Can anybody provide more details???

Best regards,
Rob

[Adam]

Many thanks to both of you.

The Fw Waibl note comes from Shores and Ring 'Fighters over the Desert'. I know it is out-dated, hence why I wanted to confirm the name. Apparently he was shot down on 13.4.42 when JaBo and escorts attacked an airfield near El Adem. I can find no claims on Tony Wood's site, although there were some losses and 6./JG 3 lost two aircraft: Fw Waibl [who returend to his unit on foot] and Uffz Josef Fritz [POW] - neither of which I have aircraft details for.


@ Rob, no particular interest - just trying to tie up some loose ends with some notes I had lying around the office. Of the names you noted, are there any aside from Weinländer you can confirm?

[rob van den nieuwendijk]

Hello Adam,

Thanks

I only have Uffz Josef Fritz as a loss on 13 Apr 42 relating to 6./JG 3 in North Africa. He flew Me 109F-4 trop, w/nr 10 019, gelbe 12. He was shot down in combat with P-40's in El Adem area, made a crash landing and was taken POW. Cannot find Fw Waibl.

Alas - I can only confirm Weinländer. But it seems that the complete 6./JG 3 was in North Africa from 7 Apr till 26 Apr 42, so the others seem likely to have been there as well.

Do you know who claimed Fritz??

Best regards
Rob

[Adam]

Thanks Rob

All I have is that four Tomahawks of 4 SAAF Sqdn were on patrol in the area and that Capt. Harrison shot a Bf 109 down. Given that Shores says Waibl was shot down, while Fritz was 'forced down', my money would be that Harrison shot Waibl down, but that this pilot managed to walk back to friendly lines.

Sorry I don't have anything else

[rob van den nieuwendijk]

Hello Adam,

Traced Waibel -

He belonged to 7./JG 27 - Fw Karl Waibel. During a Jabo-einsatz west of El-Adem - probably due to Flak. Flew Me 109F-4 trop, w/nr 8533, weisse 8. He is MIA.

This could change your opinion.

Best regards,
Rob

[Jochen Prien]

Gentlemen,

only a short remark concerning the Staffelkapitän of 6./JG 3 for the period in question: It was of course Oblt. Heinrich Sannemann throughout, who led the Staffel from November 23rd, 1940, until he was posted to Luftkriegsschule 3 at Wildpark Werder in May 1942.

I never said that Lt. Hans Fuß was Kapitän of 6. Staffel during II./JG 3's tour of opertaion in the Mediterrannean ToW ( I don't know where you got that from, dear Leon ); both in II./JG 3 and JFV 8/I Oblt. Sannemann is listed as Staffelkapitän. But although he was officially posted to LKS 3 at the end of March 1942 he stayed on with his Staffel until it moved East to Russia again in May 1942 as is witnessed by his flight log which contains a number of sorties in North Africa and sees the end of this part of Sannemann's career in II./JG 3 with a transfer flight to Pilsen on May 6th, 1942.

This means of course that the date of his departure from 6./JG 3 has to be corrected in both II./JG 3 and JFV 8/I to early May ( probably the 6th and certainlythereabout ) and that the take-over of the Staffel by Oblt. Waldhelm took place only then.

Thanks Rob for your watchful eyes.

Regards

Jochen Prien

[VtwinVince]

I have details on the victories of Hans Fuss with 4. JG 3, if anyone is interested.

[Adam]

Thank you to all who replied. The info is much appreciated.

@ Jochen, any chance you could list the dates and sorties flown by Sannemann in the desert during the April visit?

Thanks again

Adam