Link to interesting LIFE photographs

[Pawel Burchard]

http://images.google.com/hosted/life...%3Den%26sa%3DG

http://images.google.com/hosted/life...9b2e293e889408

http://images.google.com/hosted/life...400fff373655ea

http://images.google.com/hosted/life...f9916450a3f717

[John Beaman]

The Ju 88 photos could be this one:Ju 88A-5 0285 Stuckmann, Ltn. Wilhelm 2.(F) 122 F6+AK 25-Jul-41 MIA with crew, cause unknown. Ostfront Gen.Qu.6.Abt. (mfm #3)-Vol.5 (Moskau-Kaluga)

[PhilippeDM]

John,

Did you notice what sems to be a victory bar on the planes rudder?

[John Beaman]

Yes, I did, Philippe. It is actually on the vertical stabilizer. At first I thought it might be a rudder repair tag, but on the shot in the forest, it looks too big for that. Maybe a gunner shot something down?

[stephen f. polyak]

http://images.google.com/hosted/life...57c14c2129185b

[stephen f. polyak]

Do the crew named in the linked picture above relate to any loss reports?

[Brian Bines]

Stephen,

Q.M's returns dated 20-9-1941 shows :- 14-9-1941 Ju88A5 5K+AB of StabI/KG3 w.n 4297 misssing from a Feindflug (Vjasna) with Ff. Uffz. Rudolf Theuser, B. Gef. Walter Rissik, Bf. Ogef. Josef Trocha, Bs Gef Gerald Illmann all missing. Wonder if they ever made it home,

Regards

Brian Bines

[stephen f. polyak]

Thank you Brian. What a stark picture! Interesting that the names were recorded; we can thank the American journalists for that. I wonder the same thing about the airmen's fate. I hope they survived, but it’s doubtful. It was only 1941, and they were obviously already in bad shape (from crash/bailout and/or mistreatment) -- the odds of getting out alive in the long run weren't good. Sad to think this may have been the last time they were "seen" outside of Russia. Perhaps, at least, the photo reached the German missing persons authorities and, in turn, the men’s families . . .

[stephen f. polyak]

Another picture of the three men . . .

http://images.google.com/hosted/life...life%26hl%3Den

[Brian Bines]

According to the Osprey publication 'Kampfflieger' Soviet figures show approx. 2.4 million German Servicemen taken prisoner with 356.000 dying in captivity. If correct many more made it home than I prevously thought, particurlarly with only 5000 of those captured at Stalingrad returning.