LW casualties 4 July 1943

[keith A]

On this date JG2 engaged bomber formations on two sorties, I am looking for details of the first sortie (Ramrod 122).

I believe that JG2 lost a pilot killed and two injured on this sortie, but several of it's fighters were destroyed and damaged. On the later sortie they lost another pilot killed probably to Spitfires escorting Mitchells.

Lt. Rudolf Wieprecht of 10.(J)/JG 2 Fw190 A-4(142454) Blue 9, was lost in combat with a bomber "over the sea" and posted MIA but I have no time for this combat, but assume it was in the evening (Ramrod 124).

regards

Keith

[Rottler]

Hello Keith,

Lt Wieprecht belonged to the 10./JG 2, not 10.(Jabo)/JG 2. The 10.(Jabo)/JG 2 left the JG 2 on 6 April 1943 and was renamed 13./SKG 10.

Regards
Leo

[keith A]

Cheers Leo.

[Tony Kambic]

I thought that "Lt. Rudolf Wieprecht of 10.(J)/JG 2 Fw190 A-4(142454) Blue 9" is the Fw190 at the bottom of the marsh somewhere in France, yet untouched, with his remains in the aircraft.

Tony

[Rottler]

Hello Tony,

on 4 July 1943 Lt Rudolf Wieprecht of 10./JG 2 was missed over sea southwest of Belle-Île/Belle Isle after an air combat.
On 6 April the 10.(Jabo)/JG 2 had left the JG 2 and was renamed 13./SKG 10. In place of it a new Staffel was formed, the 10./JG 2. This unit was ready for action in June 1943 and officially integrated in the III./JG 2 on 1 July 1943.

Regards
Leo

[BABIN]

Hello,

I confirm what Tony Kambic told : the Fw 190 of Lt Rudolf Wieprecht is at the bottom of a lake in France, and - very probably - his body too. This lake is named "lac de Grand-Lieu", located very close to Nantes (South West).

A procedure has been in progress for years to extract the aircraft and the pilot's body, but has not yet been completed.

Pierre

[keith A]

This is unusual. I thought Wieprecht was supposed to have been shot down "over the sea" while attacking a bomber. Should it be revised to "over water"

regards

Keith

[Rottler]

Hello Tony and Pierre,

the sources of the supposed loss location “over the sea southwest of Belle-Île“ are the entries in Jagdfliegerverbände 10/IV pages 209 and 491 as well as the loss table on page 506. I have quoted this information but I cannot assess the correctness of it.

Regards
Leo

[Snautzer]

Perhaps translation error

Meer is sea

See is lake

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by keith A

This is unusual. I thought Wieprecht was supposed to have been shot down "over the sea" while attacking a bomber. Should it be revised to "over water"

regards

Keith

If the German wording was just "über See" it could mean either "over sea" or "over lake". You can only tell which was meant if there's an indication of gender: die See (feminine) = the sea, der See (masculine) = the lake.