Seeking full names and career info on three 4./JG51 pilots circa 04.40

[Larry Hickey]

Hello,

As an aside to this query, the Böhm diary entry on the planes and pilots of 4./JG51, probably during early 1940, leads us to a good understanding of the tremendous losses many Luftwaffe units experienced during the Battle of Britain and related ops against Britain. Of the 11 pilots listed, none were lost in operations during the Western Campaign of May-June, 1940, but seven, including Bubenhofer with 3./JG51, were either dead, missing or POW by the end of November, 1940. The losses of trained and experienced personnel during those five months must have been devastating, but it does indicate the resiliency of the Luftwaffe training system, to have been able to rebuild the unit in time for the attack on the Soviet Union six months later.

Regards,

[Matti Salonen]

Unfortunately according to my info Kurt Bubenhofer has never got EKM with MOB-Nummer B65176 (on 29 Oct 1940 he had an old EKM, maybe from the training unit). Therefore cannot confirm his case. However, besides him, I have only one Bubenhofer (first name Götz) in my database and he was killed 24 Jun 1941 in 1.(H)/31 bei Mine-explosion. I strongly believe, that Kurt Bubenhofer is your man.

Matti

[Larry Hickey]

Matti,

Thanks. I agree that Uffz. Kurt Bubenhofer is probably the right man.

On another issue, normally during 1940 a front line fighter Staffel had four officers: two Oblt. and 2 Lt., although this varied all over the place depending on losses and transfers. This diary roster lists only two planes assigned to officers in 4 Staffel circa April or early May, 1940: Oblt. Josef Fözö, the StaKap, and Lt. Johann Böhm, the diary source. It is evident that Lt. Erich Hohagen was temporarily not present in the unit when this roster was drawn up, but was a third officer normally with the Staffel. So at the beginning of the WC, this gives us Fözö, Böhm and Hohagen. Do you or anyone else know who the 4th officer assigned to 4./JG51 would have been during the spring and into the summer of 1940, and continuing through the Battle of Britain? Almost certainly there would have been another one. Also, when Böhm was shot down and made a POW in England on 08.07.40, someone had to have replaced him. Who would that have been? Fw Heinrich Tornow apparently got promoted to Lt. sometime after mid-August and before mid-October, before his death on 29.10.40 (he is on the roster as a Fw), but this seems too late to be the 4th officer in the unit during the WC and early BoB, or be the replacement for Böhm, although the latter is certainly possible. No officer other than those mentioned above either scored victories or was lost from May through the end of 1940, so the mystery remains.

Who can help?

Regards,