Researching Gerhard Fieseler Werke III in Kassel

[Marc-André Haldimann]

Hi Bruce,

Compliments for your very informative pages on Kassel's Fiesler Works and more generally, on your website.

Two legends might need corrections:

- on your Fiesler Werke Kassel page, the raiding B-24's are actually raiding the Ploesti oil refinery (Operation Tidal Wave, 1 August 1943)

- on the same page, I've seen the pic labelled Picture of ME109's being built in Fieseler Werke in Waldau also labelled as being prduced by Erla in Leipzig... Hopefully an other Forum member will be able to pinpoint the location of this pic.

And now for the final, you will find on this Footnote.com link a colour pic of the Henschel Altenbaum Werke in Kassel taken in May 1945 with an abandonned and partly under tarpaulins Bf 109 G-14.
http://www.footnote.com/image/161176325/
http://www.footnote.com/image/161176325/#161176347

The picture is in the public domain, thus there are no copyright issues.
Hope this helps! Keep up developping your excellent site

Sincerely
Marc

[blythsco]

Hello Bruce

I am not sure if this helps or not. Photo was taken May 9, 1944 from an altitude of approximately 30,000ft. The pilot was Lt John S Blyth of the 14th Squadron of the 7th Photo Group. Sortie 1365.

Smaller size http://www.flickr.com/photos/2455401...7609636214338/
Original size http://www.flickr.com/photos/2455401...7609636214338/

[393bird]

Thanks for the compements and tips.

I am not a Military History guy, so some of this stuff is a little hard for me to piece together. I was in the Army, and stationed at Kassel from 1963-66. My unit was at Rothwesten, and I worked at Waldau, in the old Fieseler 2 building. At the time, I only knew it was used for building WW2 air craft.

Since I am now Retired, I have researched it, and found it to be very intersting. Fieseler was a unique person, and the Storch FI 156 he designed was a remarkable airplane for the time, and even today.

[Marc-André Haldimann]

Hi there Bruce!

No problem whatosever, I really highly appreciate your website which gives such a lively idea as how Kassel's flight industry expanded under Nazism and how itr was to be an Army personnel in the sixties. My points are only aimed at improving it, not criticizing in the least your outstanding job!

Blysco, thanks for your extraordinarily sharp and high-res strike pictures, they are highly appreciated.

Sincerely
Marc

[blythsco]

Thanks for the compliment on the photo Mark. It was taken from about 30,000ft from an unarmed Spitfire MK XI of the 14th Squadron of the 7th Photo Group based at Mount Farm, Oxfordshire, UK sometime in 1944. The pilot was my father John S. Blyth and I guaranty he had no idea what was below (flak guns, numerous aircraft, etc.).

Great website Bruce and it looks as if you already have a cropped version of the linked photo on the site. Feel free to download the high res version.

All the best

Scott Blyth

[393bird]

I received this photo this morning that shows Fieseler #2. It is not near as clear as the other one that showed Fieseler#3.



Do you have a high res of that?

It is only about 1700 meters from the one on the Flickr site

[Marc-André Haldimann]

Hi Scott,

Thanks for the background of those great recce pictures you post over on Flickr. You're a lucky son to have such a great testimony of your father deeds; must have been a very lonely feeling to penetrate so deeply over Germany, relying on a sole Rolls-Royce Merlin XX to get you back to safety.

Thanks for sharing with us those gems

Cheers
Marc

[393bird]

Scott, I didn't realize that it was you that posted the pictures that your Father took. Great Pictures. I spent hours going through those. Thanks your Father for his work, and you for sharing.

This is a shot with Google Earth. Only the main building from Fieseler 3 remain. Most of #2 are still there, and in use.

[blythsco]

Hi Bruce

Unfortunately I only have the 1 photo of Kassel so I don't seem to have one of Werke II. Thanks for helping ID Werke III however. I will be looking at your site and trying to ID other elements in the photo based on your description of activity in the area during that time. The construction of V-1s there is of particular interest since my father was one of the handful of 14th Squadron pilots assigned to the heavily defended V-weapons (Noball) sites in the Pas de Calais area later in 1944.

Best Regards

Scott Blyth

[jvmasset]

Originally Posted by blythsco

Hi Bruce

Unfortunately I only have the 1 photo of Kassel so I don't seem to have one of Werke II. Thanks for helping ID Werke III however.

Scott Blyth

Hello Scott!

You do have another photo of Kassel: the Henschel plant at Altenbauna!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/2455401...7609636214338/

I remember having a very hard time identifying and then locating the place on GE, so much the environment and the place itself has changed...Only reference left: the worker's housings in Oberzwehren, which stays the same to this day...Look there: 51° 15' 48" N 09° 25' 38" E
The recce photo is oriented to the South up.

Scott I have waited a long time for new photos taken by your father to appear...and then I had to accept heart-broken you could not save more of them...

JV