Nowotny's last easternfront victory march 44?

Dear everybody,

Last night I was reading the book “Tiger vom Wolchowstroj” in Italian “La tigre del Wolchow”and I find something very strange. The chapter is titled “In the middle of Operations”*and should beplaced in early 43 but when Nowotny start his description of the dogfight :
“We where four of us flying in the clear March morning.....” after a short introduction He present his schwarm: “Behind me Oberfeldwebel R freshly promoted Leutnant.He is 31 years old and has 70 victories. Oberfeldwebel E,also freshly promoted Leutnant was following. He is 34 years old and has 93 victories. On the back there was “Quax” 25 years old and 34 victories.”

R is Rudolf Rademacher born 19-06-1913,victory Nr. 70 on 21-03-44,
E unknown,
Quax is Karl Schnorrer born 3-03-19,victory nr.35 on 12-11-43.

So what kind of explanation for this story?

Best regards
Eugenio


*”Tiger von Wolchowstroj – Fliegerwunder aus Osterrech” Turmer-Taschenbuch page 54

ISBN 3 8061 06207

[Don Pearson]

Quite probably;

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anton_D%C3%B6bele

Rademacher was reported in various sources to have up to 140 "victories" although officially credited with under 100.

Don

[Johannes]

Hi Eugenio

E would be Anton Dölele. March 1944....possibly March 1943. The Schwarm ended in November 1943 with the death of Döbele, and very serious injuries/wounds to "Quax", Nowotny returns to Germany to take up training posts. This Schwarm is creditiedas the most successful ever, but alas Nowotny was a huge over-claimer, which deprived Günther Rall of his Brillianten award as Nowntny officially beat him to "250" by only a month, but I should think that Nowotny would always have over-claimed enough to beat Rall. Only Rademacher remained on the Eastern front to score during 1944.

Kind Regards

Johannes

Dear Don and Johannes ,
it is possible that E is a taping error and in fact “Tony” Dobele has 94 victories but, if the letter is written by Nowotny in 44, he was posthumously promoted Leutenant and awarded the Ritterkreuz on 26-03-44, after the deadly collision on 11-11-43.For me it is very hard to believe that Nowotny talk of one of his best friend as if still living. In my opinion the fight in question took place in march 44 between day 21 and the end of the month. Hauptmann Nowotny left his family on 6-01-44 returning to his Command of I JG 54 and was appointed Kommodore of JG 101 on 2-04-1944.Did he stay on the ground watching his men for three month in a terrible situation?
Best regards
Eugenio

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Originally Posted by Eugenio57

Did he stay on the ground watching his men for three month in a terrible situation?

A possible answer:
Nowotny was the first pilot in history to pass 250 victories and was now the top-scoring fighter ace of the Luftwaffe. On 19 October, he became the eighth recipient of the Brillanten. The Nazi propaganda machine turned Nowotny into a “superstar” of the Luftwaffe. He had received the highest military awards available: Ritterkreuz mit Eichenlaub, Schwertern und Brillanten and was withdrawn from combat activity by the High Command. During the following months, his main role was to perform propaganda and moral-boosting duties before, on 1 April 1944, Hauptmann Nowotny was appointed Kommodore of JG 101, an operational fighter-training unit, based at Pau in France.
http://www.luftwaffe.cz/nowotny.html

I have also read that the loss of Döbele (KIFA) and Schnörrer (WIA) in two days in November 1943 had a big impact on Nowotny morale, and maybe will to fight.

From my source, he was Kommandeur of I./JG 54 up to 4 February 1944. Whay he did between this date and 1 April 1944 were propably propaganda tours.

Regarding the number of victories listed in the book, one possible explanation was the long victory confirmation process by the Luftwaffe. Some claims were only confirmed or rejected after months, even more than a year later. So I guess that wartime sources will show the total numbers of claims made by a pilot at a given time, while the current victory list will only show confirmed victories (that is, until the system broke in 1944).

[Johannes]

Hi Guys

Seems Nowotny was Kommandeur of I./JG 54 from 8th October 1943 until 6th February 1944. Rademacher and Döbele stayed behind with 1./JG 54. Nowotny did return to combat after his Brillianten, but only claimed in November 1943, in fact All of Stab.I./JG 54's claims whilst Nowotny led were his own or Schnörrer's upto his wounds of 15th November 1943. After this date the only claimer is Günther Haller(Leutnant)who claimed his seventh kill on 4th January 1944, Horst Ademeit took over the Gruppe and claimed on 7th February 1944(his 132nd) Haller claims again on 25th February 1944.

I may be wrong but I think Schnörrer and Nowotny flew only as a Rotte with Stab.I./JG 54, where they made seven claim post Brillianten:-
5th November 1943:-
Nowotny Jak-9 at 1040 hrs (nr.251)
Nowotny Jak-9 at 1055 hrs (nr.252)
!0th November 1943:-
Nowotny Il-2 at 1410 hrs (nr.253)
Nowotny Jak-9 at 1420 hrs (nr.254)
Schnörrer Jak-9 at 1430 hrs (nr.33)
12th November 1943:-
Nowotny Jak-9 at 1005 hrs (nr.255)
Schnörrer Jak-9 at 1008 hrs (nr.34)

I think Haller was Schnörrer's replacement, he even came from 1./JG 54.

Apart from Döbele's 93rd on 11th November 1943, the only Oberfeldwebel that Nowotny could have been talking about was Fritz Tegtmeier who claimed his 93rd on 8th March 1944.........however surely had already left JG 54 by then!

Ademeit who succeeded Nowotny seems to have had the same Rottenfleiger in Haller, Ademeit is thought to have been a honest claimer, perhaps Nowotny dispite his rank couldn't trust Haller to be dis-honest, and his secret would remain so until post-war.

Anyway Döbele probably wasn't flying with Nowotny for the last two months of his life!

Kind Regards

Johannes

[Don Pearson]

A remark on the title in question;

Nowotny, Rudolf
Walter Nowotny. "Tiger from Volkhovstroy" - Flieger miracle from Austria
Reports from the life of my brother
Preface: Pierre Clostermann
Druffel Verlag, Leoni Lake Starnberg
1957 [. 1 Ed.]
1964 [2., unveränd. Ed.]
1973 [. 3 Ed.]
1974 [. 4 Ed.]

I would question whether the information should be considered "scholarly" or rather vague/disjointed/hear-say recollections along the lines of Tolliver, etc...

Don

Hi Johannes,
if Nowotny was a huge over-claimer why didn’t he call any victory against “American” Fighters(P40 or P39) between 21-3 and 31-3-43:

22-03-43 11,50 LaGG-3 1/JG 54 Oblt. StaKa 00 410 at 100 m
22-03-43 12,00 Il-2 1/JG 54 Oblt. StaKa 00 414 at 2000 m
22-03-43 12,05 Il-2 1/JG 54 Oblt. StaKa 00 412 at 300 m
22-03-43 10,25 Spitfire 1/JG 54 Oblt. StaKa 10 322 at 4500 m

Maybe Fritz Tegtmeier is the fourth pilot, has around 90 victories in march 44, he is 24 years old, awarded the Ritterkreuz on 28-03-44 and will be promoted Leutenant on 20-4-44.
Best regards
Eugenio

[Johannes]

Hi Eugenio

Sorry, but don't really understand you question as 1./JG 54 didn't claim any of those types over that period. With over-claiming it wasn't always the whole Gruppe or Staffel over-claiming. Having looked through many a flugbuch pilots flew in Schwarm, Kette or Rotte formation usually. If an over-claimer stops over-claiming for a period it's likely to be that he's flying without his usual company.

Over-claimers have a certain pattern in claiming, Tegtmeier doesn't have this pattern. Marseille does......but was honest!

Best example of an over-claimer stopping is Max Stotz, he seems honest until getting Hans Hahn as his Kommandeur, and then over-claiming until Hahn's capture,then back to being honest. Don't know if this is opportunism, or pressure from Hahn himself?

Kind Regards

Johannes

[Nick Hector]

Best example of an over-claimer stopping is Max Stotz, he seems honest until getting Hans Hahn as his Kommandeur, and then over-claiming until Hahn's capture,then back to being honest. Don't know if this is opportunism, or pressure from Hahn himself?

So why not back up what you're saying with some examples of his victims, Johannes?

(...wait a minute... can historians also overclaim? Now there's a concept....)