Luftwaffe Pilot beat to death March 1945

[kaki3152]

"The german Oberleutnant Stempel had to bail out of his aircraft Focke Wulff FW 190D-9. On the ground he was immediately beaten to death by outranged people who thought he was an allied pilot."

This is from a list of Allied aircrew who were killed after being captured. Any more information?

[John Manrho]

I believe this is reported concerning Ofhr. Werner Stempel of 1./JG 2, shot down on March 2nd, 1945. However, Mombeek writes in his JG 2 book that this is not confirmed.

[kaki3152]

I have that book. Guess I will have to read that chapter over. The same thing happened in Japan (go figure) so Japanese fighter pilots started wearing a Hinomaru arm band

[Brian Bines]

Both the Kracker file and Michael Balss Luft.Losses and Claims for March 1945 say he baled out in combat with US fighters but fell in the River Lahn and drowned . Stempel was born at Duisburg on 12.06.1924 and is buried at Friedhof Stockhausen 12 km west of Wetzlar . Searching online under 'Werner Stempel Luftawaffe ' should give an option to The Aircrew Remembrance Society which has entry on him including a photograph .

[Rottler]

In the loss table of the JaPo book Fw 190 D Part II is noted:
Fw 190 D WNr. 500393 2.3.45 1./JG 2 yellow 10 Obfhr Werner Stempel KIA Stockhausen/Lahn, shot down in the Mainz area by USAAF P-47s and P-51s, escorting 9 AF B-26s attacking the Wehrmacht fuel depots in Gießen: parachute malfunction; pilot fell in Lahn river and drowned; buried in the Stockhausen cemetery.