Maj Dietrich Puttfarken, KG51, Lost 23.04.44.

[Mike H]

Hi Joe,
the details of Major Puttfarkens Knight cross award (in german)can be seen on the link below. I am researching Lt Wolfgang Wenning of II./KG51 who was killed 27/04/44. I cannot find any more details about him other than from Intruders over Britain. I believe the Me410 would have been dark grey with black undersurfaces.

regards,
Mike


http://www.das-ritterkreuz.de/index_...ord=puttfarken

[Maximowitz]

Originally Posted by Mike H

Hi Joe,
the details of Major Puttfarkens Knight cross award (in german)can be seen on the link below. I am researching Lt Wolfgang Wenning of II./KG51 who was killed 27/04/44. I cannot find any more details about him other than from Intruders over Britain. I believe the Me410 would have been dark grey with black undersurfaces.

regards,
Mike


http://www.das-ritterkreuz.de/index_...ord=puttfarken

Mike, we seem to have a parallel interest in II/KG51 as I'm researching Maj Puttfarken. Perhaps we should get together on this.

[leonventer]

Originally Posted by Doug Stankey

...at least is in English, as is "Nachtjager" by David Williams (2 volumes). The later I haven't seen but I expect its good.

I suspect that Doug is referring to Williams' 2-volume work, "Hunters of the Reich."
One volume ("Day Fighters") is devoted to the Tagjagd, while the other ("Night Fighters") covers the Nachtjagd. The night fighter volume is a collection of five biographies: Wolfgang Falck, Georg Hermann Greiner, Werner Hoffmann, Peter Spoden, and Paul Zorner. The appendices include victory lists, promotion dates and award dates for each pilot. The book also includes a list of the top 25 Nachtjäger, an airfield map, a Nachtjagd navigation map, and a glossary and bibliography.

What would probably have more content on the subject of Fernnachtjagd would likely be (in German):
Chronik der I. Gruppe des Nachtjagdgeschwaders 2 by Heinz-Rökker; VDM Heinz Nickel Verlag.

Yes, an excellent book. Note that there are a couple more unit histories of I./NJG 2, namely:

• "Ferne Nachtjagd: Aufzeichnungen aus den Jahren 1940-1945" by Möhlenbeck and Leise, published by Motorbuch Verlag in 1976. It has 224 pages and is written in a diary format, describing daily events from mid 1940 to mid 1943. (1944 and 1945 are summarised in just a couple of pages.) The appendices contain victory and loss lists for the period from June 1940 to the end of April 1943.

• "I./NJG 2" by Murawski, published by Kagero in 2002. This is a smallish card cover of 80 pages, with text in both Polish and English. It's primarily focused on operations in 1940 and 1941, but also contains 10 pages on Operation Gisela, launched in March 1945.

Hope that helps,
Leon Venter

[Brian Bines]

The Red Kite Book 'Luftwafe N/F combat Claims 1939 - 1945' has details of Puttfarkens and Wennings claims over the UK, including those credited to Wennings Bf with the barbette guns. The crash report for Wenning shows markings 9K+Z? ( 'Z' in black outlined in yellow ) and Camouflage as Blue-grey on top surfaces, spray-painted black on the under-surfaces. Flypast of March 1983 in an article on Church Lawford Airfield has mention of the collision between Wennings 410 and the Oxford he was attacking. The loss lists in Ulf Balkes KG2 history shows that Delp baled out injured of a Do217 of 5/KG2 following a raid on Southampton on 21/22-6-42 also noting he held the DKiG.

[Mike H]

Thanks for the above information. I was sent this interesting article from the Rugby library archives regarding the collision between the Me410 & Oxford. This was dated May 2 1944.

German Plane Down.
Was posisibly Rammed by Canadian

Gun shot marks on the British trainer plane which with a German machine crashed just behind village church in the Midlands in the early hours of Thursday morning last week killing all three occupants has led RAF officials to surmise that the Canadian pilot who was flying solo deliberately collided with the enemy. The theory is that having been shot up 20 years old Pilot Officer G S Moore with utter disregard for the possible chance of escaping himself immediately decided to ram the enemy. Eye witnesses said the planes raced to earth in flames and they crashed with such a force as to be smashed beyond recognition.

I believe the Me410 crashed at Manor Farm near Frankton.

Anymore infomation regarding Maj Puttfarken, Lt Wenning or Fw Delp would be appreciated.


Mike.

[Brian Bines]

The German report on 22/23-4 indiactes that 14 Me410's operated in a disruptive attack over Southern England claiming 9 Halifaxs (B24's evening of the 22nd.) It then says in the early hours of the 23rd 8 410's set off on the same mission, The NVM for Puttfarken is dated 23rd as opposed to the loss of Kruger dated 22nd. both shown as 'Fernnachtjagd. in Raum Cambridge''. I assume from this that Puttfarken faied to return from the second mission, also in the early hours of the 23rd an RAF Albemarle was shot down and this has been linked to a ''Friendly Fire'' accident. Has the Albermarle loss been definitely been comfirmed as being shot down by an RAF N/F or is there a possible link to Puttfarken. The ORB gives that the Albermarle was shot down by an enemy fighter, but then later notes a Court of Enquiry over the incident.

[Mike H]

Looks like the loss of the Albermarle could be linked either way. There does not appear to be any claim made in Tony Woods data base 22/23 April 44.


Mike.

[Maximowitz]

Thanks to Mike H, here's a profile of Major Puttfarken's ME 410. How accurate a depiction from the point of camouflage would you think it is? I assume Leutnant Wenning's machine would have been similar?

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by Maximowitz

Thanks to Mike H, here's a profile of Major Puttfarken's ME 410. How accurate a depiction from the point of camouflage would you think it is? I assume Leutnant Wenning's machine would have been similar?

I wouldn't rely on that profile. I think you will find that in II./KG 51 only the individual aircraft letter was full size. There's a photo of 9K+CP in Classic Colours' Kampfflieger Vol.4 showing that form of marking (later adopted on KG 51's Me 262s).

National Archives AIR40/207 contains a report on an Me 410 crashed at Manor Farm, Frankton near Rugby after collision with an Airspeed Oxford: 9K+Z? — Z in black with yellow outline. 42 on base of fin in black; below this on fuselage 750 in black on white ground.

Camouflage: blue-grey on upper surfaces and light grey undersides (spray painted). Carried two external 300 litre tanks. Armament: 4 x MG 151 cannon (two of which in the bomb bay); 2 x MG 17; 2 x MG 131.

[This was Wenning and Delp's machine].

[Maximowitz]

Originally Posted by Nick Beale

I wouldn't rely on that profile. I think you will find that in II./KG 51 only the individual aircraft letter was full size. There's a photo of 9K+CP in Classic Colours' Kampfflieger Vol.4 showing that form of marking (later adopted on KG 51's Me 262s).

Thanks Nick. I have also discovered that for 5 staffel machines the individual letter should be red, not green, which was used by Gruppe stab machines.