German and US POW aviators defect/escape together?

[kaki3152]

What's most interesting is the mention of the captured P-38 Lightning that was presented to Luftkriegschule 7.

[Matti Salonen]

Ogfr Bernhard Kersting, * 2.4.1920 at Münster/Westfalen is reported as MIA in the Deutsches Rotes Kreuz Vermisstenbildliste Band LH, Page 257. Last info from him was in January 1945 and he belonged to IV/JG 53.
Maybe the Partisans didn't kept the promise to treat the POWs well.

Matti

[vathra]

Originally Posted by Matti Salonen

Ogfr Bernhard Kersting, * 2.4.1920 at Münster/Westfalen is reported as MIA in the Deutsches Rotes Kreuz Vermisstenbildliste Band LH, Page 257. Last info from him was in January 1945 and he belonged to IV/JG 53.
Maybe the Partisans didn't kept the promise to treat the POWs well.

There is info on Germans in Roland's link:

Am nächsten Tag kam er, identifizierte uns und wir wurden den Briten übergeben. Wir flogen von Zarra aus zu unserer Einheit zurück. Die vier Deutschen, denen Steves, Brown, Johnston und ich versprochen hatten, dass sie Gefangene der Amerikaner werden, kamen in ein jugoslawisches Arbeitslager. Fredl, der Pilot, kam in eine Sägemühle, im Herbst verletzte er sich beim Fällen von Bäumen und er wurde in seine, nun von den Sowjets besetzte, Heimat entlassen. Seine Nachbarn akzeptierten ihn nicht und er wurde als Verräter beschimpft. Christian und der unbekannte Deutsche wollten aus dem Arbeitslager fliehen. Sie wurden gefangen und erschossen. Bernhard Kersting arbeite fünf Jahre in dem Arbeitslager bevor er nach Hause zurückkehren konnte.

If I understood well through Google - Kersting and Friedel returned home after imprisonment, while other two were shot during attempted escape.
Considering they could be shot as spies on spot, one can say they were treated well.

[Brian Bines]

My German is not too hot but if I read the article in RolandF's post correctly it says the four Germans were sent to a Yugoslav labour camp . The 2nd pilot Christian ? and the fourth unnamed man were shot escaping from the Labour camp, Fredl the pilot was injured at the camp sent home but his neighbours ignored him as a traitor, while Bernhard Kersting ( son of a prominent industrialist) was released after 5 years at the camp.
Any confirmation/ corrections appreciated

[mars]

Originally Posted by Richard Aigner

Frka, Novak & Pogacic"La Force Aerienne Croate 1941 - 1945", p. 302:
(the original is French, the clumsy translation mine), for 3 April 1945:
"Having escaped from a German prison at Tulln, near Vienna, 4 German aviators and 4 American POW aviators reached the airfield at Langenlebarn, where they succeeded in stealing a Ju52/3m ambulance, and took off towards the south. A gasoline mishap forced them to make a crashlanding near the village of Nin, close to Zadar, where they were captured by partisans."
Does anyone on the board know more about this? What became of the 8 aviators?
TIA, Richard

The Keywords here are "April 1945" and "new Vienna", the war was near the end and the Russians were coming, it would not be a bad idea for German aviators to trying to go home and even better, brought some American POWs with them as safeguard.
Actually I knew as a fact, from end of 1944, more and more German soldiers deserted, they just wanted to wait out the war, in the lower countries some of these German deserters became armed bandits to sustain themselves, some of them even went over to the resistance