Peter Spoden

[Leo Etgen]

Hi guys

Would anyone here have additional information for the following incidents that involved this night fighter ace:

6 March 1944: belly-landing at Parchim following aerial combat with USAAF four-engined bombers while serving with 5./NJG 5
26/27 March 1944: wounded during an emergency landing at Kornwestheim near Stuttgart following aerial combat in the Stettin area while serving with 5./NJG 5
26/27 December 1944: injured during belly-landing near Stradtkyll after being shot down by German Flak while serving as Staffelkapitän of 6./NJG 6
7 March 1945: shot down by return fire and bailed out near Crailsheim while serving as Staffelkapitän of 6./NJG 6

I realize that it is quite possible that no details of these incidents will be included in the surviving records of NJG 5 and NJG 6 but any information concerning the aircraft he was flying at the time of these incidents will be greatly appreciated.

Horrido!

Leo

[RodM]

Hi Leo,

with regard to the 7-8 March 1945 incident, the KTB Stab NJG6 has this to say about the loss (taken from Kock's, "Das Kriegstagebuch des Nachtjagdgeschwaders 6",Wittmund 1996):

"Verluste:
1 Ju 88 G6 2Z+DP Nr. 621497 der II./NJG 6 zerstört. Fallschirmabsprung der Besatzung. Motorenausfall nach Beschuß durch eine Lancaster. FF OLt Peter Spoden BF Uffz Bernhard Iwert und BS Uffz Friedrich Pelzer unverletzt, Uffz Wilhelm Koy verletzt."

In addition, ULTRA material in HW 5 at The National Archives, Kew, has the folliowing, which is an extract from an intercept of a 7 JD operations report:

" Successes: Two aircraft shot down for certain by Oblt. Spoden, NABEF (II./NJG) 6. Losses: One Ju88, owing engine failure 50 km. S. Schwaebisch-Hall, crew, with exception of Wireless Op. (Broken arm), uninjured."

Cheers

Rod

[Khorat]

Hi Leo,
I don´t find something for the 6th of march.
26./27.3.44 6./NJG 5 Burgholzhof (4 km north Stuttgart, emergency landing 1.15am enemy fire and low on gas, Bf 110 G-4 720075 C9+DN damaged, Lt. Spoden, WOp Fw. Schmiedler, Kurt, Gnr. Uffz. Kunert, Rudolf - all WIA- (war diary NJG6, Kock);

26./27.12.44 Stab II./NJG 6, "Im Lampertstal" west of Stadtkyll/Eifel, downed by own Nightfighter, Ju 88 G-6 621371 2Z+FP, Lt. Spoden, Eng. Uffz. Koy, Wilhelm, RadarOp. Uffz. Iwert, Bernhard, Gnr. Uffz. Pelzer, Friedrich all unhurt (war diary NJG 6, Kock and GQM (50/45, 3.1.45,91)

7./8.3.45 6./NJG 6, Bachhagel (5 km east of Giengen a.d. Brenz), engine failure after battle with Lancaster, Ju 88 G-6 621497 2Z+DP, Oblt. Spoden, RadOp. Uffz. Iwert, Bernhard, Eng. Uffz. Koy, Wilhelm, and gnr. Uffz.. Pelzer, Friedrich - all bailed out, Uffz. Koy wia. (war diary NJG 6, Kock)

regards
khorat

[Leo Etgen]

Hello RodM and Khorat

Many thanks for the loss list information concerning the aircraft he was flying when he suffered the aforementioned incidents. This was very welcome to have as I was expecting that perhaps the details of one of these were known and now I know the relevant information for basically all of them. I greatly appreciated you guys taking the time to write the information and share it with me.

Horrido!

Leo