Seeking Me109 Jabo crash info that happened in Italy.

[Adriano Baumgartner]

Hello Mike,
Returned to my family's house for Christmas and had a look at JG 53 History, volume 3, by Jochen Prien, as I promised you earlier.

Firstly, NICK BEALE correctly pointed out that the veteran meant CARROCETO, east of APRILIA.

We do have indeed a "probable" match for your POW pilot, however on the 19th February 1944, according to pg.811 of the magnific work of PRIEN:
"Lt. Fritz Lahmann from 8./JG 53 suffered a mid-air collision with Fw Fritz Göhmann over Aprilia on that date. They were flying respectively Bf 109 G-6 werknummer 162024 codes (black) 15+I and werk 162087 code (yellow) 12+I. Both parachuted with Lahmann was captured as a POW."

On page 772 we do have an account of that early mission...the crash occurrerd around 10:00 AM.

There was a second mission by III/JG 53 on the afternoon. They took off at 12:50hs and met Spitfires (three were shot down NW of Lake Bolsena between 01:38 and 01:48hs), however Oberleutnant Rolf Klippgen was hit and tried to belly land his machine SW of Onano, killing himself."

That's all we do have around the AREA you mentioned and earlier (DATE) mentioned as well by the veteran you contacted.

Hope this will be of help...May you and yours have a nice 2014 in health and peace.
Yours most sincerely,

Adriano Silva Baumgartner