Oberstlt Lützow’s emergency landing (Bf 109) in the Caucasus on 14.Dec.42.

[Andrey Kuznetsov]

Hello,

according to the daily report of Radf.Rgt.4 (XXXXIX.Geb.AK), he made an emergency landing in a Bf 109 near Dakhovskaya (Dachowskaja) on 14.Dec.42; the pilot was unharmed, but there was a follow-up about Bf109.
As far as I known, he was already Inspekteur der Tagjagd, and it is unclear what he was doing in the Caucasus, or which unit this Bf109 belonged to.
Is this story known? If not, I'll provide the details.

Best regards,
Andrey

[Merlin]

Andrey,

that day two Bf 109G-2 from Stab/JG 52 made a belly landing due to engine trouble near Dapokowskaja (as written in the report), no names are given.

[Andrey Kuznetsov]

Gerhard, thank you!

He landed practically on the front line, insofar as the phrase ‘front line’ can be applied to the mountains. Given that the sortie by both Bf109s was classified as non-combat, it is interesting that they doing near the front line in the mountains, where there are no airfields. Did they lose their bearings, or were they surveying the area?
And what was the Inspekteur der Tagjagddoing in such a remote corner?
This isn’t an attempt to come up with some sort of conspiracy theory; it’s pure curiosity

Tagesmeldungen:
14.12.42:
14,45 Uhr Notlandung eines deutschen Jägers Me 109, Oberstlt. Lützow, 5 km südwestl. DACHOWSKAJA. Oberstlt. Lützow unverletzt, Maschine beschädigt, wird am 15.12. geborgen.

16.12.42 (not 15.12):
Das notgelandete dt. Flugzeug wurde in das Sägewerk B263 geborgen. Waffen, Funkgerät usw. wurden abmontiert und sichergestellt.

Best regards,
Andrey

[Laurent Rizzotti]

While having comparable posts, both Werner Mölders and Adolf Galland flew combat patrols, and even shot down enemy aircraft, but these flights were unofficial and no trace was kept of them and of the victories. Had they been shot down or obliged to force-land, I guess the loss would have been recorded as a Heimat flight.

Possibly Lützow was just doing that, a patrol on the front line when he had engine trouble ?

[Andrey Kuznetsov]

Hello Laurent,

I don’t think he could have just flown in from Berlin to one of the most remote corners of the front just to go for a flight. As an inspector, he must have had some kind of mission.
The Germans had one major problem in that area at the time. A portion of the troops advancing on Tuapse found themselves trapped. They weren’t encircled in the full sense of the word, but the combination of winter conditions in the mountains, artillery strikes and night air raids on their vulnerable supply routes forced them to switch to air supplies.
The troops were suffering from exhaustion; reports even mentioned cases of death due to this cause. But it is unclear how Inspekteur der Tagjagd could have helped. The role of Soviet fighters in this blockade was minimal, since the 5th Air Army itself was in poor condition and had very few aircraft. During the day, the fighters shot down several aircraft supplying the troops (on that very day, 14.12.42, they shot down, for example, a Fi156), but overall, the problem lay not with the Soviet fighters at all.

Therefore, it is unclear why Lützow was there and what his mission was.

Best regards,
Andrey

[bakerman]

At this time, Lützow was traveling in the Caucasus region with Colonel Otto Weiss, the Inspector of the Ground-Attack units, to visit several Luftwaffe units. Such visits to the front were a regular part of their duties. On December 10, 1942, they called upon the Commander-in-Chief of Luftflotte 4, Colonel General von Richthofen, at his headquarters in Yessentuki—a location near the site where Lützow landed the Bf109 on December 14, 1942. Richthofen recorded the visit of the two men in his diary.

[Andrey Kuznetsov]

Bakerman, thank you!

So a regular visit.

Best regards,
Andrey