"Victory Stick" of unknown Expert

[Gordon]

I am now working at our local air museum. Other than finding a live grenade a couple weeks ago, things are usually fairly quiet and I enjoy the work.

We had a stunning donation made last week - a WWII "Victory Stick", a walking stick that has a long list of inscriptions. The cane has several different aircraft types and illustrates a moderately successful career with scoring 23 victories, beginning a week into Barbarossa and ending with a pair of Mustangs on 12 March 1945. The stick has a turned knob and is capped with a 20mm cannon shell on the ground end. Each of the kills is painted on with a star, cockade, etc., the date, and aircraft type with each of the kills separated by a ring cut from a 20mm shell which may come from each particular fight.

According to the donor, he met a Dutch collaborator postwar that was eager to escape her home country to put her persecution behind her. Of her few possessions, the only thing of value was her former boyfriend's victory stick. The Luftwaffe pilot died over France in the last month of the war, but the donor had no other information about him. I believe his Abschuss claims should be enough to identify the pilot. Any help appreciated.


Here are the victories as listed on the stick:

Type Country Date
I-16 Russia 28.6.1941
SB-2 Russia 15.9.1941
PE-2 Russia 23.9.1941
?-160 Russia 4.10.1941
Beaufort UK 17.5.1942
Beaufort UK 17.5.1942
PE-2 Russia 30.3.1943
Liberator USA 18.11.1943
Airacobra Russia 27.9.1944
Boston Russia 27.9.1944
Boston Russia 9.10.1944
Boston Russia 9.10.1944
IL-2 Russia 9.10.1944
Airacobra Russia 12.10.1944
Airacobra Russia 16.10.1944
Jak-9 Russia 16.10.1944
Airacobra Russia 22.10.1944
Airacobra Russia 22.10.1944
Mosquito RAF 26.12.1944
Mosquito RAF 26.12.1944
Liberator USA 19.??.1945
Mustang USA 12.3.1945
Mustang USA 12.3.1945


If anyone has an idea how to proceed, I would very much like to
discover the identity of the German pilot who owned / earned this
"Victory Stick". From the provenance and the materials used, I
believe it is genuine. Our museum intends to place it on display
immediately.

JG 5 slaughtered a formation of Beauforts on the day mentioned - Leutnant Hans-Hermann Mueller shot down two that day. Trying to equate the rest of the list to that particular pilot has proven difficult, but the Liberator in November 1943 equates to one he destroyed while flying a dangerous daylight mission with NJG 3. No other pilot matches these two combat successes, and he remains my only candidate so far. From what I have been able to find, Mueller at times went by Hermann, other times by Hans, or Hans-Hermann.


v/r Gordon
PS, Erich, are you out there? Write me please - on a new computer and I don't have access to your email address.

[Adam]

Gordon,

You can find a lot of German claim files online at http://www.lesbutler.ip3.co.uk/tony/tonywood.htm Cross checking the dates and types might prove useful. I looked up the first four claims and found no corresponding information, but that is not to say that they never occurred.

Good luck

[Leo Etgen]

Hello Gordon

Searching through Tony Wood's victory claims I have come across an Unteroffizier Käppler who was credited with two Beauforts of 17 May 1942 while serving with 2./JG 5 and next appears as a Feldwebel credited with a Pe-2 on 30 March 1943 while serving with 11./JG 5 and then as a Leutnant with 15./JG 5 and credited with an Airacobra and a Boston III on 27 September 1944, an Airacobra on 12 October 1944, an Airacobra and Yak-9 on 16 October 1944 and two Airacobras on 22 October 1944. Unfortunately, there is no first name given but this may be your guy.

Horrido!

Leo

[kaki3152]

This is just a guess, but from the victory claims, the best candidate seems to be Uffz/Lt Heinz Käppler of I/JG-5. He had two Beaufort abschusse on May 17,1942, a Pe-3 abschusse on March 30,1943,a B-24 Abschuss on November 18,1943, an Aircobra and Boston on September 27,1944,an Aircobra on Oct 12,1944,an Aircobra and a YAK-9 on Oct 16, and two Aircobras on Oct 22,1944.

I can't comment much about the later claims but one Mosquito was shot down on December 26,1944 (235 Sq) and one P-51 Mustang was lost on March 12,1945 (19 Sq) in combat w/ JG-5. I believe Käppler died on April 5,1945 in a takeoff accident. He was the Staffel leader of 15./JG-5

[Kapper]

Hi all,

I'm new to the board, though I've been reading it for sometime. I've noted the number of authors and veterans who use this board. I thought for once I would contribute this time as I noted something with the claims on the Victory Stick.

I tend to agree with the previous post that the pilot would be Heinz Kappler (or Keppler?). In Jochen Prien Jagdverband series there are a number of claims for JGrzbV that are listing the claimant as not known. Heinz Keppler as Prein has him listed as was a member of 1./JG 77 which was a component of JGrzbV. This unit later became part of JG 5. The first 3 claims on the victory stick match the claim dates for unknown pilots in Priens book. Unfortunately I cannot see a match for the fourth claim.

The information on the Victory stick should be passed on to Jochen Prien for research and ammendment of his book.

Regards,

[cbe2009]

Hi Gordon!
Is it possible to see a picture of this stick?
Best wishes
Christian

[Gordon]

Thanks to all for your input and information. I have incorporated all of it into captioning for the stick which will go on display tomorrow at the San Diego Air & Space Museum in Balboa Park.

As for photos, I will send them to a friend to post on Alt.Binaries.Pictures.Military in a couple days.

v/r Gordon

[Leo Etgen]

Hello Gordon

I am pleased to see that it is very possible that you have been able to identify the pilot to whom the victory stick belonged. You might care to know that Leutnant Heinz Käppler, Staffelführer of 15./JG 5, was killed on 24 March 1945 when his Bf 109 G-14 (W.Nr. 781 202) overturned on take-off at Lister in Norway. You may find interesting to know as well that he was born on 30 May 1920. I hope that you find this useful. Any comments or corrections are welcome.

Horrido!

Leo

[SMF144]

How about posting a picture of the stick for all to see?

Stephen

[kaki3152]

24.03.45 12./JG 5 Bf 109G-14 464152 Lister-Overturned on take-off. 100 % Ltn. Heinz Keppler KIA

The ultimate end of our expert.