Crashed Ju-188 details

Hello to everybody !

I'm looking for details about a crashed Ju-188 D2.
Crashed in northern Italy, on 23 december 1944.

Ju 188 D-2, 150534, F6+FP

Maybe someone has more informations than I do.

Thanks you !

[Nick Beale]

An F6+FP was lost on 5/6 November and 6.(F)/122 reported a Ju 188 D-2 (missing with four crew aboard during the night of 25/26 December).

What is your source for a loss by the Staffel on 23 December?

[edNorth]

There were at least four Ju 188´s with that code. Likely more.

150244 Ju 188 D-2 F6+FP crashed night 05.11.1944
(returning to Bergamo ?)

150533 Ju 188 D-2 F6+GP was lost night 24/25.12.1944
(I know of none the following night, Nick).

150534 Ju 188 D-2 F6+FP 6.(F)/122 (Luftwaffe)
OPS (F) struck ground (100%) at Gerosa, 20 km north-west of Bergamo, Italy 23.12.1944 [Salonen NVM]

Best regards
Ed

[Nick Beale]

150244 Ju 188 D-2 F6+FP crashed night 05.11.1944
(returning to Bergamo ?)

150533 Ju 188 D-2 F6+GP was lost night 24/25.12.1944
(I know of none the following night, Nick).

150534 Ju 188 D-2 F6+FP 6.(F)/122 (Luftwaffe)
OPS (F) struck ground (100%) at Gerosa, 20 km north-west of Bergamo, Italy 23.12.1944 [Salonen NVM]

Thanks Ed. I got the date of 25/26 December from a handwritten loss list supplied to Ferdinando D'Amico in the 1980s by (I think) Winfried Bock and this is what we used in Air War Italy 1944–45. As far as I remember it had been compiled from NVMs. I did know of an accidental loss on 23 December (mentioned in the book) but I didn't have any details, except that it was a Ju 188. I can't now remember the source of that last one.

Hi,
thank you very much for your reply.
The right one is this:
150534 Ju 188 D-2 F6+FP 6.(F)/122 (Luftwaffe)
OPS (F) struck ground (100%) at Gerosa, 20 km north-west of Bergamo, Italy 23.12.1944

Here http://www.luftwaffedata.co.uk/wiki/...._122_Dec_1944
I saw that the mission was a night recce over Corsica, and it seems that the source is "Beale et al - p137". I wanted to know more about this if possible.

There are also some wrong informations: noone of the crew survived and it says the plane was "F6+HP"...



Thanks

[Nick Beale]

On page 137 we have F6+HP, W.Nr. 150534, but looking back at Bock's original list, the code should have been F6+FP. Despite that code, he listed the aircraft under 4.(F)/122.
The crew was Fhj.Fw. Erwin, Kresin, Fw. Rudolf Rudolf Oppermann, Uffz. Max Kraler, Oblt. Heinz. Kuhrke and Uffz. Fritz Orfgen.

(The electronic text that I have of the book does not contain all the amendments we gave to the publisher in the years between first submitting the manuscript and eventual publication).

[edNorth]

"Beale et al" refers to book "Air war over Italy 1944 - 45" by (our) Nick Beale, Ferdinando D´Amico and Gabriele Valentini (Airlife Publishing Ltd. 1996, ISBN 1 85310 252 0) but I do not know if its still in print.

I have this book here in my hand. My info for the losses come also from this same sources, and Matti Salonen was gracious to supply info from his extentive NVM, plane and personell losses listing. In some cases the info conflicts but I take every oppritunity to correct errors if they are found out.

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by edNorth

"Beale et al" refers to book "Air war over Italy 1944 - 45" by (our) Nick Beale, Ferdinando D´Amico and Gabriele Valentini (Airlife Publishing Ltd. 1996, ISBN 1 85310 252 0) but I do not know if its still in print.

Airliefe, the original publisher, went broke years ago and I forget right now who they sold their catalogue to. You can pay an small fortune for it on abebooks.com. Alternatively, I might be willing to sell a spare copy for a very slightly smaller fortune.

I have some details from the WASt: they say it's F6+FP, the plane was 6.(F)/122 but the crew members were 4.(F)/122. They also say that the cause was "a too early ground contact during landing" (sorry for the translation) wich cannot be because the plane was flying in the opposite direction from the airfield in Bergamo. It crashed on a mountain, it was at about 9 pm.
I also can't understand why they were flying so low.. Was it a normal decision to make it harder to be seen by enemy fighters ??
A witness also told me that one wing/engine was burning before the impact, and some debris I found seem to confirm this (maybe because of low quality fuel).

And what about the night recce over Corsica mission? What do You think about it? Is it true(the WASt doesn't mention it)? The Ju 188 was flying North, but Corsica is SW from Bergamo. My theory is that they wanted to fly along the Alps to avoid enemies, but it's just my idea..
Unfortunately I don't own the book, I'll try to buy it!

Thank You again..

[edNorth]

Its a very good book Nick, no doupt about that. Thanks.
Airliefe ? he he :-)

I think this is Ju 188 D-2 (15)0590 CZ+BR / F6+CM you mention on P.208
Found at Bolzano, traces of "CM" can barely been seen on rear fuselage!

http://s263.photobucket.com/user/gus...88RAF.jpg.html