Duplicated claims

[Laurent Rizzotti]

The Foreman's book on Nachtjagd claims had two identical claims on 1st January 1944 and 1945:

31/12/43-01/01/44
9./NJG 3 Fw Heigl Stirling 02.02 1 W

31/12/44-01/01/45
3./NJG 3 Fw Heigl Stirling 02.02 1 W

Tony Wood files have the first one with a coded location
01.01.44 Fw. Heigl 9./NJG 3 Stirling £ 9957/05 Ost: no height 02.02 Film C. 2025/II Anerk: Nr.16

The above location is off Southern Norway:
http://classic.mapquest.com/?q=58.291668,9.083333

I have found no Stirling loss for the first night, but for the second the Stirling IV LJ914 of 620 Sqn RAF was shot down off Southern Norway. Two other British crew saw it and thought a Flak ship was responsible, while according to the book "Stirlings in Action With the Airborne Forces" the Nachtjagerstaffel Norwegen claimed a Stirling that night.

I have found no claim by NJS Norwegen that night, only the one of Fw Heigl.

According to http://www.flensted.eu.com/g194506.shtml, a pilot of 2./NJG 3, Fw Heliodor Heigl, was killed in a landing accident at Grove, Denmark on 6 January 1945. It was probably the man who claimed a Stirling some days before.

Here are my questions:
1) can someone confirm that the victory of Fw Heigl was on 1st January 1945, and not in 1944 ?
2) can someone tell me if a victory of NJS Norwegen for this date is known ?
3) can someone confirm the Staffel of the Fw Heliodor Heigl who died on 6 January 1945, and if he is the same man who claimed a Stirling some days before ?

[Laurent Rizzotti]

I just noticed that there is a very similar claim on 1st January 1943 in my sources.

In Tony Wood's file:
01.01.43 Fw. Noack 9./NJG 3 Wellington £ 9957/ 05 Ost 02.02 Film C. 2031/II Anerk: Nr.-
(same hour, same location, same staffel but different name and type)

And in Foreman's book:
3./NJG 3 Fw Nagel Wellington 02.02 2 W

Good news: there is no such claim in 1941 or 1942

[Chris Goss]

Lots of confusion here.

Theo has Fw Erich Herb of 9./NJG 3 getting a Stirling at 0202 on 1 Jan 44 and Kurt Keilig of NJ St Norwegen getting a Lancaster 25 km N Hansted at 0207 hrs 1 Jan 45. There is nothing for Nagel or Noack on 31 Dec 42-1 Jan 43. Suggest you contact Theo for any updates

[Theo Boiten]

Hello Laurent,

Here's the answer:

31 December 1944-1 January 1945
Ofw. Kurt Keilig: 1 NJ St. Norwegen Lancaster - 01.47 83 Sqn Lancaster PB134

Cheers, Theo

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Thanks a lot to both of you,

Theo, I missed your books when they were first released, only reacting when they were out of stock, and I am now waiting for the new releases. I hope we will see them this year.

As for the 1st January 1944 claim, do you have an idea of a possible victim ?

[Johannes]

Hi Guys

My third of the book mentioned was the actual claims, which were taken largely from the surviving micro films, but fluguchen also, some earlier one also from "claims boards" of units.

There were plenty duplications on the micro films exactly a year apart. These were very difficult to spot unless your looking through an individuals abschüße list. By memory though there were duplications from 1942 to 1943, but 1942 were the correct dates, and for some reason they were duplicated in 1943 with exact matches in all detail except the years. There is only one 1945 claim preserved on the micro films, by memory it was 1st January 1945, but I can't remember the pilot, only that it was a night "kill".

Kind Regards

Johannes

P.S John provided the literature, and Simon Parry the photos, and was the producer.

[Chris Goss]

1 Jan 44 claim is unidentified

[Theo Boiten]

1.1.44 Heigl claim can't be found in the OKL/RLM Abschuss microfilms.

Re. the release of the 2nd edition of the NJWD; my publisher for the series Wing Leader Publishing in the UK are still working on a format of the new series, I hope we'll start producing vol 1 very shortly!

Cheers, Theo

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Thanks again