13.(slow.)/JG 52 on July 1st, 1943

[Jochen Prien]

Gentlemen,

I have here a somewhat mysterious loss concerning an accident of Bf 109 G-4, WerkNr. 19 506, of 13.(slow.)/JG 52, which crashed while landing at Anapa airfield, the damage being assessed as 40 %. According to the summary loss-returns this happened while the a/c was returning from a sortie and there is a further report which says that the pilot Uffz. Alexander Zavelberg was killed in this accident, while other loss returns make no mention of a personal loss.

All this happened while 13.(slow.)/JG 52 was in the process of exchanging its first team of pilots against the second, which is said to have arrived at Anapa only on July 2nd, 1943 and thus one day after the accident in question.

I would therefore like to know whether in fact in this accident the pilot was killed and if so whether he belonged to the first or the second set of pilots of the Slovakian Staffel.

As usual, any help will be appreciated.

Regards

Jochen Prien