He 177 crash in Germany on 29 April 1944

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Hello, according to the following news article:
http://www.mittelbayerische.de/index...4&pk=27632&p=1
a He 177 A-5 of 6./KG 40 crashed in a forest near Arlas/Blankenberg. I would like to have the WNr and crew names.

Thanks in advance

Laurent

[Matti Salonen]

1944-04-29, 6./KG 40, He 177A-5, Lobenstein, 22 km nordnordöstlich Passau, Absturz beim Überführungsflug. Bruch 100 %.
Flugzeugführer Olt Manner, Willi, +
Flugzeugführer Hptm Wunderlich, Horst, +
Bordfunker Ofw Schmidt, Rudolf, +
Bordmechaniker Fw Kunze, Herbert, +
Bordschütze Ofw Doss, Karl, +
Bordschütze Uffz Garbe, Walter, +
Fizg.-Mech. Ogfr Aigner, Albert, +
Motorschl. Gefr Raff, Karl, +

Matti

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Thanks Matti

[Nordpol54]

Dear Gang,

never heard about a LW-crewmember "Motorschl.". This does not mean much at least, for i have to learn a lot every single day.
So "Motorschl." for my eyes is an abbreviation for "Motorschlosser". In other words: A BM (Bordmechaniker)?

Cheers
Norbert

[Marcel Hogenhuis]

Hello Norbert,

As there is already a Bordmechaniker in this crew, we should look a bit further: Motorschlosser means a motor technician who - remember the many troubles with the paired engines - was not merely a passenger...

All the best, Marcel

[Brian Bines]

From the NVM it shows Hpt. Wunderlich as the Ff with the crew including the two mechanics all from the 6/KG40. Oblt Manner is shown at the bottom as a Ff but from 4/KG40 so I assume he was a passenger. The eight men were buried on the 7-5-1944 at Friedhof Pottiga b. Lobenstein. There was a memorial service a couple of years ago with the wife of Fw Kunze attending, the site reporting this states the right engine caught fire causing the crash.

[ssg keay]

The crew was on their way to take Heimaturlaub, leave at home and I assume the two extra crew members were actually members of the unit's ground crew and just along for the ride.

[Laurent Rizzotti]

One year later, I finally pick up with the tread and thank the final contributors.

Matti, I think you confused the crash location as Lobenstein, in Bayern, while it was near Bad Lobenstein, in Thuringen. The German newspapers reporting in 2006 the creation of a memorial cross on the crash site sets it near Arlas, SE of Bad Lobenstein. This is 2 km from Pottiga, where the crew were buried on 7 May. And it is also coherent with the reported story of the widow of Karl Doss that was not allowed to enter DDR to visit the crash site after the war.

http://www.maplandia.com/germany/thu...a-kreis/arlas/

By the way the deathplace reported for Albert Aigner on the Volksbund database is Lobenstein/Thüringen. And it seems to me that such location are extracted from NVM.

Best regards

[Matti Salonen]

Thanks for correction, Laurent. My fault. I Should have stayed in Lobenstein and not to add anything to that.

Blushing in shame,

Matti

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Matti, everybody make mistakes, except the one who do nothing.

And you have helped me so many times I am happy to be able to return one small piece of data for you.