Luftwaffe Escape and Evasion

[Franek Grabowski]

Originally Posted by Sylvester Stadler

On 26 Feb 1942 Lt. Arnold Stahlschmidt had to crash-land his Bf 109F-4/Trop in the area of Bir Hacheim near a truck column of Polish troops who took him prisoner. After severely beating him, he was interrogated and during the night he was placed behind barbed wire. He escaped when the guard fell asleep and walked back to the German lines.

A veteran who was there on the ground had his jaw wide open reading the account. No wonder, account form the other side is so different. I am wondering what was the source of Stahlschmidt account, was not it published already during the war?
Additionally, there were several evaders in Poland in 1939, and I recall a story of yet another Canada escapee, who traveled via Russia, but was not publicised because of Barbarossa.

[robert]

Franek,

look e.g. here http://ktsorens.tihlde.org/flyvrak/beisfjord.html
"Another Stuka made a forced landing at Beisfjord the same day. A5+DK of 2.StG 1 was shot down by a Hurricane of 46 Sqdn.RAF (Sgt.Taylor). The Stuka crew(Ltn.KlausKübel) was taken prisoner by Polish troops and shot dead shortly after."

I think we must admit that we were not saint. And I think your veteran could be not everywhere and see everything.

Robert

[JägerMartin]

Hans Ulrich Rudel is another pilot who successfully got back to German lines in Russia.

[John Vasco]

13th August 1942. Bf 110 F-2, LN+MR, of 13.(Z)/JG5 piloted by Lt. von rabenau was shot down over Russian lines. Bordfunker Uffz. Karl-Fritz Schröder baled out behind Russian lines and eventually returned to the German lines on 16th August 1942. Eric Mombeek's 'Eismeerjäger, Band 1' gives the full account. Not an escape, but definitely an evasion.

[Brian Bines]

KG 55 book shows crew of Fw. Justen made an emergency landing behind enemy lines on 13-5-1944. They made their way back to the German lines of 2./Jag.Regt.25 on 25th. May.

[Nokose]

JG54 had two pilots return from behind Russian lines after going down. Otto Kittel went down on 15Mar43 and was 80km behind the lines. Herbert Broennle went down in the fall of 1941 20km behind the lines near Leningrad. Both returned by traveling at night.

[Franek Grabowski]

Originally Posted by robert

Franek,

look e.g. here http://ktsorens.tihlde.org/flyvrak/beisfjord.html
"Another Stuka made a forced landing at Beisfjord the same day. A5+DK of 2.StG 1 was shot down by a Hurricane of 46 Sqdn.RAF (Sgt.Taylor). The Stuka crew(Ltn.KlausKübel) was taken prisoner by Polish troops and shot dead shortly after."

I think we must admit that we were not saint. And I think your veteran could be not everywhere and see everything.

Robert

A completely undocumented case. How it was confirmed those were Polish soldiers? I am not certain if they were in the area at the time. Also, the statement does not specify if they were executed, they could have been well shot during an escape attempt.
It is your custom to take any gossip as a true, but you cannot diminish my statement. It is very clear - Polish soldier present at the time of events provided me with an account which does not confirm any word of Stahlschmidt but a fact of his shot down. Construction of Stahlschmidt's account sound like it was directly taken from a propaganda publication.
That was exactly what I have stated and please do not try to change meaning of my words.

[Gudbrandur]

I am investigating one off the better escape and evasion story of the Luftwaffe told by the German captain himself at Uniklinik, Freiburg when a group of four managed to get out of Iceland after a He 111 was hit by AA fire over Reykjavík airport mars, 19th 1941. They where running around the south of Iceland untill out of the country by the only ship sailing to Spain that year, april the 5th to be precise. This story is unbelivable as the four of them split up two and two. The crew is belived to be from/operated for Fliegerfuhrer Atlantik as KG26. Stab. Fliegerfuhrer Nord out of Norway. Værnæs.
Gudbrandur

[Sylvester Stadler]

[quote=Franek Grabowski;59928] I am wondering what was the source of Stahlschmidt account, was not it published already during the war?

The account comes from Arnold Stahlschmidt himself and is printed in Hans Ring's and Werner Girbig's Jagdgeschwader 27. The report was written prior to his death which occured on 7 Sep 1942.

[Franek Grabowski]

[quote=Sylvester Stadler;60040]

Originally Posted by Franek Grabowski

I am wondering what was the source of Stahlschmidt account, was not it published already during the war?

The account comes from Arnold Stahlschmidt himself and is printed in Hans Ring's and Werner Girbig's Jagdgeschwader 27. The report was written prior to his death which occured on 7 Sep 1942.

But Stahlschmidt was killed before publishing the book, so he could not provide the authors with the account. I recall reading, that he cooperated with some war correspondents or journals, but cannot say if it is true.