Danish Pilot Peter Horn - aircraft info wanted

[ju55dk]

Well we still need to identify Horn's victories. Only fact is that is that he got both EK 2 and 1 on the same date. Further problem is that there was at least two different Horn with JG 51.

Junker

[PMoz99]

Hello Mikkel.
The only information I have regarding Birksted's Mustang is that he flew his personal Mustang IV home after the war. (taken from Osprey's RAF Mustang and Thunderbolt Aces).
I take it from what you said he flew a Mustang III operationally? Do you have any information which corroborates Osprey's claim he had a Mustang IV?
Thanks
Peter

[knusel]

Good afternoon Peter,

that book indicates 10+1sh kills for Birksted, doesn't it ?
Does is also indicate the top RAF Mustang/Thunderbolt ace ?

Michael

[PMoz99]

Michael,

Top Mustang Aces -
MH Pinches 5+3sh RAF
BM Vassiliades 5+2sh Greek
GRAM Johnson 5+2sh RAF
E Horbaczewski 5+1sh Polish
LAP Burra-Robinson 5+1sh RAF
PJ Hearne 5 RAF
J Bargielowski 5 Polish

Top Mustang V1 Aces -
J Hartley 12 RAF
J Zalenski 9+1sh Polish
T Szymanski 8 Polish
RG Kleinmayer 7+1sh RNZAF
JA Mielnecki 6+1sh Polish
E Redhead 6+1sh RAF

Thunderbolt Aces -
BM Gladych 10 Polish
W Lanowski 4 Polish
N Cameron 1sh RAF Far East

No mention of Birksted in that book, but he had no claims in those a/c. Most of his kills were over the channel in 42/43, so I checked the Spitfire Aces of the Channel Front and they credit him with a total of 10+1sh in that book, as does Aces High.

Cheers

[knusel]

Good evening Peter,

thanks a lot for the data.

To resume the initial topic, this is what the JG51 book by Aders/Held offers about Horn (p259):

• Uffz. Horn, first name unknown - III.Gruppe - 3 kills in JG51 - 3 kills total
• Lt. Horn, first name unknown - I.Gruppe - 10 kills in JG51 - 10+ kills total

That's not much, indeed but I think the JG51 book by John Weal offers even less :-(
May it be that the activities of Peter Horn were not recorded like those of the Germans because of his problematical national background ?

Michael

[Mikkel Plannthin]

Peter,
Birksted flew in his Mustang III, when returning to Copenhagen in mid-May 1945. It was the same a/c that he had carried out 14 of his 18 operations while at Bentwaters Wing.

I do not know Osprey's source of information, but there are wrong.

Mikkel

[PMoz99]

Thanks Mikkel.
Michael, Horn is not listed in the index of Weal's book.
Peter

[Mikkel Plannthin]

See post 11-13 :-)

Mikkel

[knusel]

Hello Mr. Plannthin,

hope you're doing fine.
Can you confirm that Peter Horn most likely scored his 11 kills from January until July 1942 in I./JG51 ?

Have a good weekend,

Michael

[Mikkel Plannthin]

Michael
I do not have access to other sources than the ones already mentioned. The family despute that these sources are correct, or at least that the person mentioned in these sources is their relative. I have respected this insofar that Horn is not mentioned on my website anymore. In the original article I was meticulous in mentioning the sources of my information.

Until someone access the personnel file in Freiburg to gather more information(and I am awaiting Junker to do so), I have chosen to accept that all my sources were of a secondary nature, and therefore not of a "higher value" than information provided by relatives.

I have never had anything to do with the Wikipedia entry, even if my site is used as a source. Therefore, I have not been invovled in the revision thereof.

Mikkel