Lt. Eduard Meyer, i./Zerstörergeschwader 26 "Horst Wessel

[waterloo]

Hello, I need help regarding the aerial victories of Lieutenant Eduard Meyer of I./Zerstoerergeschwader 26 "Horst Wessel".
Is there a list of his 22 aerial victories that includes the aircraft type, date, and location?

Many thanks in advance and best regards, Thomas.

[Johannes]

Hi Thomas

Meyer's claims do not appear on the mikrofilms, so there is no proof, moreover there is no reason to think he had twenty-two, he may have received his Ritterkreuz for ground-attacks, maybe he destroyed twenty-two aircraft on the ground ?

There is the KBT papers, but as far as I know he is not mentioned in them.

I recall a JG 2 pilot(Liesendahl?) who was quoted as having fifty claims in the west, but in fact he had none at all, his Ritterkreuz was for being a highly successful Jabo pilot.

Basically only one gruppe of ZG 26's earlier typed-out mikrofilms seems to have survived(not Meyer's gruppe), usually each Geschwader would enter on the daily claims sheets after July 1942.

I don't hold many KBT papers before 1945, but anyway they are usually general and often do not mention the pilots name unless it's a high number in his claiming order.

Hopefully an earlier KBT papers holders might be able to help, but most likely not, other than that hopefully his flugbuch has survived, but again I have many of these, but not for Meyer.

Kind Regards

Johannes

[waterloo]

Hallo Johannes,
many thanks for the detailed reply. Eduard Meyer’s flight logs represent the only hope of shedding light on this matter; perhaps they have survived the passage of time somewhere.
Best regards, Thomas

[bakerman]

Hello! According a newspaper article Meyer got his Ritterkreuz because he shot down 18 aircraft and destroyed in ground attacks 48 aircraft, 12 lokomotives, 5 trains, 2 tanks and many trucks.

(neswpaper "Schwerter Zeitung 09th April 1942")
Regards, Jörg.

[waterloo]

Hello Jörg,
thanks a lot for the tip. Up until now, I was only aware of one article in the *Lippische Staatszeitung*. https://zeitpunkt.nrw/ulbms/periodical/zoom/20327791

Best Regards, Thomas

[VtwinVince]

Obermeier in Ritterkreuztraeger also records Meyer as having 'presumably' 22 victories, whatever that means.