Adolf Dickfeld

[lilsis]

Hi Brian,

the only "Marquardts i know "negus" Heinz Marquardt JG 51, Fw. Friedrich Marquardt III/KG53, Josef Marquardt Uffz. 8. Stuka Geschwader 2, bout weller only i know Uffz. H. Weller - Fluglehrer

Greetz "Sis

[Ruy Horta]

Any possibility that this Test unit is actually an error in translation?

Could someone check the original german book?

Might be Ergänzungsstaffel/JG 52?

[Brian]

Thanks Sis and Ruy

Ergänzungsstaffel/JG 52 - what do we know about this unit and its operations during the Battle of Britain?

Cheers
Brian

[Brian]

OK guys, I've been doing some digging!

My conclusion so far, is that Dickfeld was with 2/JG52 during the Battle of Britain. Was this also the Ergänzungsstaffel?

The names given are obviously not correct, but I believe the following makes sense:

Fw 'Bach' (in book) and three FTR - on 26/8/40, Fw Bacher, Uffz Hartlieb, Uffz Bokel and Obgfr Malecki of 2/JG52 all FTR

Fw 'Arling' (in book) - probably Fw Urlings 1/JG52 POW

Ltn 'Weller' (in book) - probably Ltn Geller 2/JG52 lost 30/8/40

Oblt 'Steiner' (in book) - probably Oblt Ulrich Steinhilper 3/JG52 POW 27/10/40

Fw 'Marquardt' (in book) - still no idea.

What do you think? Or know?

Also, when did I/JG52 arrive in Greece for ops over Crete?

Cheers
Brian

[Ruy Horta]

Weller might be Oblt Albert Hinrich Waller, POW 6-9-1940 (that is dd-mm-yyyy). Source Barbas I./JG 52

Can't find anything on Dickfeld in either Barbas his I. and II./JG 52 histories (*), nor Prien et al in JFV 3 or 4/II covering the Westfeldzug and the Battle of Britain.

Dickfeld is bit of an enigma.

But I may be overlooking the obvious here.

(*other volumes still in the making).

[sveahk]

In the german version of Dickfeld's book he refers two times to "Erprobungsgruppe", and one time even "Erpr-Gr.". He also says he arrived after two days travelling (no date as usual) at ("in der Nähe von...") St. Omer.
In Prien 4/II the only Gruppe that fits this description would have been
3./Erprobungsgruppe 210, which obviously used St. Omer in July/August 1940.
But there the similarities end - no names mentioned by Dickfeld fit here. Prien acknowledges that the losses-list is incomplete, as is the mission-list, so...

Greetings
Hans

[Merlin]

Gentlemen,

Adolf Dickfeld set down at his writing desk in a high age without the help of his Flugbuch or other historical data for this book. He put on the paper those stories he or others had told during the last years when sitting in the club while having a beer. Except his own crash during the Tunisian campaign no one of the described accidents can become proved by official loss reports. Most of the names of other pilots or the “test unit” during the BoB are born in his fantasy.

This book is good for a lazy hour during winter times in front of the fireplace but not useable for any serious historic research.