The Eagles Over Europe Project

[Larry Hickey]

Hello,

I've got conflicting information on the career of Oblt Horst Freiherr von Grote for the 1939-40 period. Some reports have him as being appointed Sta Kap of 4.(S)/LG2 26.06.40. He won the RK on 21.07.40, but is not listed in the standard RK reference works. However, there is good reason to believe that he replaced Adolf Galland as Sta Kap of 4 Staffel circa 17.02.40, when Galland transferred from 4 Staffel to the Stab of JG27 and switched from the Hs123 to flying the Bf109.

Does anyone know if v. Grote's FB has survived, or if there is any other documentation of him taking over from Galland when he left that unit?

I know that all the standard reference works and even his personnel records have Galland as the Sta Kap of 5.(S)/LG2 during this period, but that info is wrong. His FB from 08.39 through 02.40 makes it certain that he was the Sta Kap of 4 Staffel, not 5 Staffel. Hptm Otto Weiss was the Sta Kap of 5 Staffel until the death of the Gr Kdr on 09.09.39, when Weiss apparently moved up to replace him. Again the standard reference works on the career of Weiss apparently have this wrong.

Can anyone clear up the date when someone took over 4 Staffel from Galland and if that was, in fact, von Grote? Can anyone confirm that Hptm Otto Weiss immediately took over the Gruppe when Maj. Spielvogel was KIA on 09 Sept 1939, although some sources have this as late as 12.39. John Weal in his history of the unit (Osprey) says Weiss took over on 10.09.39, and I think that this and our EoE research is correct.

Who can help?