Hptm Hans Thurner I/KG 6

[Chris Goss]

Can anyone add anything more about his demise on 11 Jun 44? His crash site is stated to have been 10 km SE of St Pierre Sur Dives which matches well with the kill by Fg Off Chuck Preece of 409 Sqn (near Falaise 0415 hrs). He is buried at la Cambe whilst two of his crew are missing (Thäter & Bosch) and Fhj Fw Kurt Henning is buried in an unknown grave at Orglandes

[John Manrho]

Chris,

Back in 2004 I did some checking on Hans Thurner for Ab Janssen (he was planning a book on KG 6). Hptm. Hans Thurner was buried in a field grave near Vaudeloges. As you stated Fj.Uffz. Thäter and Uffz. Booch are still missing. This is also the case for Fj.Fw. Henning, he being mentioned as being U.d.U. for Orglandes does not mean a thing (there is no clear rule on why the VDK uses the U.d.U. statement). Imho Henning should be listed as MIA too.

The story concerning Thurner is more complicated. In 1965 the father of Thurner sent a request for the burial location of his son to the VDK, he enclosed a map with coordinates of the crashsite. How he knew the crashsite is unknown to me but maybe he had done research himself. The VDK discovered that on 19.2.1948 an unknown was recovered by an english grave registration unit and transferred to La Cambe Block 9, Row 4, Grave 124. The coordinates of the recovery of this unknown is exactly the same as mentioned in the letter of the father of Thurner. As the unknown was an officer he was identified as Hptm. Hans Thurner in 1966.

Regards,

John

[Chris Goss]

John
Thanks-this is most helpful. I have the KG 6 Association book which Ab started but for some reason was never completed by him. This initial burial site matches with the VDK location & 409 Sqn kill. I was in touch with Thurner's daughter who never passed this information. She had become reticent following loaning the flugbuch to a German researcher who never returned it