JG26 help needed

[waghorn41]

JG26, 8th Staffel, October 1941.
Oblt Meyer claimed a Spitfire shot down - one of my uncles was flying it!
Can anybody tell me anything about Meyer or point me in a good direction to start, I've simply no idea where to begin with Luftwaffe records etc.

Thanks
Ian

[Johannes]

Hi Ian

This would be Otto Meyer, he flew for JG26,JG2 and JG27. On 26th July 1943 he crash-landed his Bf109 at vibo Valentia, but was unharmed. He was the Staffelkapitan of 4./Jg27 from 20th July 1943 until 18th December 1943 when he became the Kommandeur of IV./Jg27, a position he held until he went missing in his Bf109 near Caen, France on 12th July 1944. He is thought to have been awarded a postumous Deutsches Kreuz in Gold in late 1944 or early 1945.

His claim are:-

3rd Sep 1940 8./Jg26 Spitfire Thames estuary 1116 hrs Nr1.
14th Jul 1941 8./Jg26 Spitfire 1020 hrs Nr2.
29th Aug 1941 8./Jg26 Spitfire 0830 hrs Nr3.
18th Sep 1941 8./Jg26 Spitfire 1605 hrs Nr4.
21st Oct 1941 8./Jg26 Spitfire 1255 hrs Nr5.
28th Oct 1941 8./Jg26 Spitfire 1330 hrs Nr6.
6th Sep 1943 4./Jg27 B-17 Dettingen 1050 hrs 7000 metres Nr7.
4th Oct 1943 4./Jg27 B-17 SE St.Dizier 1135 hrs 8000 metres A.S.M Nr8.
1st Dec 1943 4./Jg27 P-47 SW Bonn 1220 hrs u/c.
11th Dec 1943 4./Jg27 B-17 Leeuwarded/Sneek 1250 hrs u/c.
14th Jan 1944 IV./Jg27 P-38 Peljesac ? hrs u/c.
24th Jan 1944 IV./Jg27 B-24 W Skoplje 1225 hrs u/c.
2nd Apr 1944 IV./Jg27 P-38 E Klagenfurt 1040 hrs 3000 metres Nr9.
2nd Apr 1944 IV./Jg27 B-24 S Laibach 1228 hrs u/c.
24th May 1944 IV./Jg27 B-24 Zagreb area 1015 hrs 6000 metres v.n.e-a.s.m Nr10.
28th May 1944 IV./Jg27 B-17 ? hrs u/c.
29th May 1944 IV./Jg27 P-38 SW St.Polten 0950 hrs 8000 metres A.S.M Nr11.
30th May 1944 IV./Jg27 B-24 S Steinwenger 1120 hrs 3500 metres Nr12.
12th Jun 1944 IV./Jg27 P-47 ESE Conches 0605 hrs 600 metres Nr13.
12th Jun 1944 IV./Jg27 P-47 Conches 0613 hrs 1400 metres Nr14.

Sorry don't have a date of birth, but can tell you he was a Hauptmann at death

Regards

Johannes

[Rob Romero]

Ian can you post details on your uncle and his loss?

Thanks,

Rob Romero

[Leo Etgen]

Hello Ian

I was unable to find the loss entry for your uncle Sgt Bryan Waghorn of 129 Sqn, RAF in the 1941 Fighter Command claims and losses file hosted by Wood. I looked at what Caldwell in The JG 26 War Diary has written and he has this concerning the action of 27 October 1941 in which 401 Sqn, RCAF was roughed up by Stab, I. and III. Gruppe of JG 26:

"Five German claimants for the seven Spitfires are known. The 8th Staffel's Oblt. Meyer is probably a sixth; his claim is dated 28 October in the newly-recovered Bundesarchiv records, but matches the 27 October combat in its particulars. There is no other evidence that any flying took place on the 28th."

There do not appear to be any other claims by JG 2 or JG 26 for 28 October 1941. 4.(Eins)/JFS 5 could be another possibility, not to mention Flak, but I have no knowledge of this unit's activities on that date. Could have your uncle lost his life in a non-combat incident which may explain why he is not listed in the RAF file mentioned above?

Horrido!

Leo

[Col Bruggy]

28-10-1941
No.129 Sqn.
Spitfire Vb AD250

Sortie to shoot down drifting balloon. Aircraft abandoned off Littlehampton.

933395 Sgt Bryan Dickson WAGHORN RAFVR - Missing

Waghorn was initially reported as "Missing". This was later reassessed as "Previously reported missing, now presumed Killed on Active Service".

Commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.

Col.

[Chris Goss]

I can confirm that the loss report says it was an accident-engine failure in flight, cause obscure and crashed 10 miles south of Littlehampton

[waghorn41]

I wonder if the 'engine failure' was the result of a passing burst from Meyer. Bryan was only 19 and this was his first operational squadron.
Tragically his older brother Peter aged 20 was KIA over Malta, 6 months earlier, in April 1941 by Munchenberg also of JG26 on detachment to Sicily!
Munchenberg went on to command JG77 which operated Bf109 'Black 6' which I helped to restore. If only I'd known at the time!

Thanks for the details Johannes. Was the 8th Staffel still flying 109's or had they converted to the Fw190 in Oct 41?

[Chris Goss]

RAF reports state Flying Accident as cause of death not Flying Battle. Times might also give a clue-apparently he took off at 1000 hrs & Meyer's claim was 3.5 hours later

[Leo Etgen]

Hello Ian

Reading closely what Caldwell has written in the excerpt that I included in my previous post it appears there is a good possibility that the claim made by Meyer on 28 October actually occurred on 27 October and is mis-dated possibly due to a typographical error. It appears that your uncle lost his life in a accident involving engine trouble and not in aerial combat.

Horrido!

Leo

[waghorn41]

Donald's book states that the JG26 record shows 27th but the Bundsarchiv the 28th and Bryan's Spitfire was the only loss in that area recorded by Fighter Command at that time. As there is a discrepancy in the dates I have to wonder about the time stated by the Luftwaffe. Engine failure reported by Bryan but he never lived to tell and that's all the RAF had to go on. So unless I win a huge amount of money and can find the Spitfire to prove one way or the other I'm keeping both options as a possibility.
Thanks for all the help and info guys, every little helps put the jigsaw together.