Hasso Von Wedel Fate

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by Chris Goss

Oberst Bernhard Rudolf Hasso Von Wedel born 12 May 1883 was killed in Berlin-Tiergarten 1 May 45 and is buried at Berlin-Wedd.

Is that an abbreviation for the Berlin district of Wedding, do you think?

Re the questions about his unit, when I read the date and location I thought it meant he had been killed in the ground fighting, maybe with the Volkssturm.

[kaki3152]

Nick,

Beacuse of his age, I think Volksturm would be a good candidate.

[John P Cooper]

Originally Posted by kaki3152

Nick,

Beacuse of his age, I think Volksturm would be a good candidate.

In my mind he could have been attached to any of the Luft ground units unless he was not longer part of the Luftwaffe and they pressed into serive with a Volksstrum unit.

John

[Chris Goss]

Gentlemen: Surely we are trying to read too much into this. Berlin-Tiergarten was recorded as his place of death and perhaps my use of the word 'killed' might have got too many hares running. There was so much going on then, without eyewitnesses we might never find out his cause of death

[Edward L. Hsiao]

I guess we really don't know the final fate of Hasso von Wedel fate.

Edward L. Hsiao

[James A Pratt III]

reply #6 asked why did such an oldie fly combat missions? A problem with the German military in the WW II period is during the Weimar period 1919-1933 Germany was only allowed a 100,000 man army and no air force. So when Hitler came to power and started expanding the German military there was a big shortage of officers who got their commisioned during these years. So in the early WW II years you had the Germans having to put officers in command slots who served in WW I and were a little on the old side for WW II combat. Note some French Aces from WW I did fly combat in the 1940 campaign.

[Chris Goss]

According to his interrogation he was "writing the history of the German Air Force" and was allowed to fly on operations to gain experience of what it was like . Apparently he had flown 24 such flights with Stab/JG 3. Of interest in WWI he served in the 11th Dragoon Regiment then became an observer and served in several Flieger Abteilungen, gaining one victory. Then he trained as a pilot and served in Jasta 14 (flying Albatros D.V's and a Fokker Dr.I), then commanding Jasta 75 from February 1918 until he was slightly wounded on 28 Jun 18. He ended the war commanding Jasta 24 and Jagdgruppe 12, with a final score of five victories

[VtwinVince]

My uncle led 9. JG3 and later III. JG3 during the BoB at the age of 44, and with vision only in one eye. Not bad for an 'oldie'. BTW he was still on active duty in a 109 in April, 1945 at the age of 48.