Looking for information about Ar 234 pilot Hauptmann Miersch / Mierisch

[Huib Ottens]

Hi Karl,

Thanks for pointing to “Die großen Dessauer, Ju 89, Ju90, Ju290, Ju390”.
On page 196 there is some very interesting additional information regarding FaGR.5.

"On the 10th of January 1945 FaGR.5 was withdrawn from operations and earmarked for transition to the Do 335. Only the Gruppenstab FaGr.5 remained operational as an Einsatzstab with the following operational tasks appointed by the General der Aufklärungsflieger and the OKL / Chef TLR:

• Reconnaissance with Ar 234’s for the U-boat war against Northeast England;

• Preparations for the reconnaissance of the wide sea territory as far as approximately 25° West with the Ar 234, the Do 335Z (Do 665) and other types to be taken under consideration in conjunction with the Chef TLR.

At the end of January several pilots from 1./FaGR.5 were trained at Burg near Magdeburg to fly the Ar 234. They operated from 25th of February as Einsatzkommando 1./FaGR.5 and from the 1st of March as 1./FaGR.1 from Stavanger Sola with 3 Ar 234’s. Several reconnaissance flights to the east coast of England were carried out by the Ar 234’s of Lt. Hetz and Lt. Eduard Schmitt."

This sequence of events makes it plausible that Hauptmann Helmut Miersch was one of the pilots that was trained on the Ar 234 and took part in the late war operations of FaGr.5 / FaGr.1. He is therefore in my opinion at the moment the main candidate to have been the pilot who landed the Ar 234 at Eelde (Holland) on the 3rd of October 1945.

Still no (definite) proof, but the plot thickens.... and yes it is a fun thread!