Bf-109 crashlanded near Cracow, 6 Aug. 1944

[barkas]

OK, the July 1944 (however, its not complete list maybe, somebody supply it!)
Bf 109G-6 163564 FÖNNEKOLD, Ltn. Otto 5./JG 52 schwarz 1 + - 44.07.09. WIA in Luftkampf with 2 Yak-9s. Rumania
Bf 109G-6 163574 HAAS, Ltn. Friedrich 5./JG 52 schwarz 8 + - 44.07.10. Inj. in Notlandung during a transfer flight. Rumania
Bf 109G-6 163631 WOLFRUM, Ltn. Walter 1./JG 52 wei§ 6 + 44.07.16. WIA in Luftkampf with P-39 Rusland Poleniczna
Bf 109G-6 16504X Meyer, Uffz. Bernhard 3./ 52 gelb 2 + 44.07.23. WIA on 23.7.44 in Luftkampf. FSA. Russland 5 km East of Chodorow 100%
Bf 109G-6 165036 Kienitz, FjUffz. Ernst 1./ 52 wei§ 8 + 44.07.26. WIA on 26.7.44, crashing on take-off. Poland Near Leisnitz/Lisiecice

Do you know Mr. Petr Sikora from Czech site of Poland border? He asked me for the same cases about one year ago!

[Andreas Brekken]

Hi, Piotr!

Just a few questions in order to be able to assist you further:

1. The entry in the diary mentioning this incident is dated August 6th? Conclusion being that the incident must have taken place before August 6th? Or?

2. You mention that the pilot was released - do you mean that he was returned to German forces? Or?

Regards,
Andreas B

[piters]

Hello!

1. According to the diary, the accident has taken place at 6 August. But there's a very small possibility it was few days before.

I think it will be better to quote the whole entry in the diary:

August 6

Today we have an alert because of possible German revenge [the day before a partisan detachment had a skirmish with German unit; two German soldiers were KIA].
At the morning we had a mass in Sarnulki hamlet, we prayed for a success of Warsaw uprising. Then CO “Kosciesza” (a pseudonym) went with his aide-de-camp “Mitmar” to discuss a cooperation with people’s units. They promised to support us with three well-armed platoons in any case.
Afternoon came breathless courier from Poznachowice village, with a report, that a German plane crashed several kilometers away. “Prad’s” had immediately alarmed his troops. Everybody run to the assembly place, gathering in the row, counting and quickly goes farther. Our chaplain runs with them, he almost can’t keep up with them! In fact, there was a plane in the field, Messerschmitt, with some guys from “Terenowka” (local self-defense troops) pottering. The pilot, a Hungarian, is lightly wounded. After a short courteous conversation in broken German, our boys delivered the Hungarian to the doctor, and then ordered a village administrator to take him to Wehrmacht in Dobczyce town. From the plane we disassembled a cannon and two machine guns. The rest of the plane was burned.

That's the whole entry.
I have another story from a man who helped to save the pilot (he doesn’t remember the exact date).

It was about 14 o’clock, when I’ve heard a noise from above. I raised my head and I’ve noticed a plane over the mountains, not very high, slightly swinging, moving from south to the north. The smoke from the engine was visible. Suddenly there was something like small explosion, the plane began to fall. It flew over a small wood close to my house and crashed in a field at the top of the hill. It was about half a kilometer from me. I run to the place where it crashed. With my neighbor we were the first men here. The plane was rather grayish than green, I can’t remember any markings. It’s tail was slightly raised, and the smoke and small fire got away from the front. The pilot tried to leave the cockpit, he helped him to get out. He had his arm and eyebrows slightly burned. More people came and they put the fire out throwing a mud and blocks of earth on it. Than the partisans arrived. They secured the area and took the pilot with a horse wagon. I don’t know if they disassembled any weapons, but surely they didn’t burn it. Then the plane was camouflaged with ground and straw, because of some German motorcycle patrols. The rest of the plane was disassembled by the peasants, they did it in the week after the accident. The fuselage was pulled out of the field with a pair of horses and used as a foundation improvement in farm building just after the war.

2. The most of sources say the pilot was released and returned to German forces, delivered with one’s horse wagon. The Home Army often disarmed and released ordinary soldiers to have a propaganda effect. Only SS-men, policemen and those, who had proven the crimes against civilians were shot.

Only one man said that the pilot prisoner was shot by the partisans close to the place where the plane was landed. He even damned, why partisans did it. He didn’t see it personally, but he “have heard”.
His version doesn’t have sense.
We have two photos of Luftwaffe Obergefreiter, said by the Home Army veterans to be the pilot from this plane. His arm is wounded and being bandaged, it agrees with described injures of a pilot from exactly this plane. The photo was taken in a partisan base (office hut), 10 kms from Raciechowice.
Could they deliver the pilot to the base to bandage him, and then take him back to the place close to his plane and shot him? There was a lot of quiet forest around the base to shot somebody. Rather he was delivered to the nearest German post in Dobczyce, as described in the diary. The man probably heard about shooting a gestapo informer (there were many of them, penetrating the vicinity where Home Army had their bases) and had mistaken both events.


Kindly regards,
Piotr