Obstlt. Friedrich Beckh, JG 51 and JG 52

[Gaston]

Hello everyone,
On September 16, 1941, Maj. Friedrich Beckh, commodore of JG 51, was hit by flak during a fighter sweep and made an emergency landing 30 km east of Konotop with his Bf 109 F-2, W.Nr. 8988. At first, he insisted on commanding the Geschwader from the ground. However, the injury caused by an incendiary bullet that pierced his left leg turned into gangrene. When Mölders visited him on October 4, 1941, he immediately had him transferred to the Luftwaffe hospital in Münich-Oberföhring. I assume that from this date, more precisely from October 5, 1941, until December 21, 1941, JG 51 was temporarily commanded by Günther Lützow, who also commanded JG 3. It is generally stated that Lützow commanded JG 51 from September to November 1941. Maj. Beckh returned to JG 51 on December 21, 1941. Because he had not yet fully recovered from his injuries, Beckh was unable to fly in combat operations. In January 1942, Beckh was tasked with forming Gefechtsverband Beckh (Beck Detachment), a temporary unit composed of Geschwaderstab and IV. Gruppe JG 51 and II. Gruppe StG 1. Gefechtsverband Beckh supported German ground forces fighting in the Yukhnov and Medyn areas.
I assume that from December 22, 1941, until March 1942 (is the specific date known, please?), JG 51 was led operationally by Karl-Gottfried Nordmann? In March 1942, Beckh fully recovered from his injuries and flew in combat operations again.

So this is how it should be, right?
July 19, 1941 - October 5, 1941 Maj. Friedrich Beckh
October 6, 1941 - December 21, 1941 Maj. Günther Lützow
December 22, 1941 - March ?, 1942 Maj. Karl-Gottfried Nordmann
March ?, 1942 - April 10, 1942 Maj. Friedrich Beckh

On 11 April 1942, Beckh was transferred to the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM—Ministry of Aviation). Oberst Adolf Galland, Mölders' successor as Inspekteur der Jagdflieger, was responsible for Beckh's transfer to the RLM. Galland was mindful of Beckh's organizational and managerial talents. Galland quickly realized that the changing air-war necessitated changes in his staff and thus replaced Johannes Janke with Beckh. Command of JG 51 was then passed to then Major Nordmann who had previously led IV. Gruppe of JG 51.
Beckh did not stay at the RLM for long, as he became commodore of JG 52 on June 3, 1942. On June 21, 1942, Beckh took off in his Bf 109 F-4 "White 4" (W.Nr. 13362) with his wingman on a low-altitude flight in the Izium-Kupiansk-Valuyki area, east of Kharkov. Who was his wingman, please?
East of Valuyki, the pair spotted a Soviet air base with fighter planes on the ground. Beckh dove into a nosedive and shot down two fighters, but his wingman watched as Beckh's F-4 was hit by several anti-aircraft missiles before he also dove toward the ground and appeared to crash. The Bf 109 landed in a swamp near Valuyki.
Beckh must have been seriously injured to have managed to make an emergency landing in the swamp. In 2004, during road construction, his nearly complete Bf 109 F-4 aircraft was found, still containing his remains. Was his body transferred to a grave in his hometown or to a German war cemetery? Which one? Are there any photos from the site of the discovery and excavation in 2004, please? Or a link?

Thank you very much,
have a nice day.

[Leo Etgen]

Hi Gaston

Major Friedrich Beckh served as Geschaderkommodore of JG 51 until he was wounded on 16 September 1941. Major Günther Lützow of JG 3 took command of JG 51 that same day and served in this position until 8 November 1941. The position was not filled for a time until Beckh returned at some point in 1941 and remained in this position until Major Karl-Gottfried Nordmann took command on 11 April 1942. This information is sourced from Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945 by Prien and I hope that it helps.

Horrido!

Leo