USAAF Loss Germany 16.02.1945

[FrankieS]

Hi all !

I'm doing a research on loss of a 409th BG A-26 with a/c serial 43-22303 on 16.02.1945 near the city of Hamm. I need to know the exact crash site.

I have already the MACR 12436 documents (thanks to Footnote) including the english version of german report KU1271a.
It states that the crash site was "Stocku-Eckel near Herbern", which is probably wrong.
My guess for the first part is Stockum near Hamm, but "Eckel"?
Also Herbern exists, but is quite far from Stockum and Hamm.

Does somebody have the german version of report 1271?
It would be interesting to read this original report.

Also - maybe wrongly - the loss of 43-22303 was one time dated 21.02.1945 with corresponding document KU3747. Does someone have english/german versions of KU3747 ?

Thanks a lot for helping,
FrankieS

[Horst Weber]

Good evening Frankie !

The postwar U. S. reasearchers' handwritten note on the translated LGK sheet in MACR # 12436 "This case is all fouled up" gives a good suggestion to the situation of LGK-reports and their evaluation in Jan-Feb-Mar 1945.
No real info anymore. Only pieces of reported events were available, since the reporting lines had been more and more under pressure or were cut.

In your particular case, I would suggest, that the crash-place is close to the hamlet Eickholt or Haus Eickholt, which is located in the middle between Stockum and Herbern. This Eickholt may be belong to the local administration of Stockum, but it is well reachable from Herbern.
Between Stockum and Herbern is only a distance of 7.7 km and Hamm is just East of both locations.

Hope, this helps.

All the best !

Horst Weber

[FrankieS]

Thank You kindly Horst !

I will also contact the "Ortsheimatspfleger" of Werne-Stockum.

Do you know anybody who could provide
the german version of Karte KU1271a
and german/english version of 3747 ???
bye,
FrankieS

[Horst Weber]

Good evening FrankieS !

I know none with the exception of the National Archives.

Horst Münter of Dortmund-Wambel, Germany was a great air-war researcher of the area in question (Ruhrgebiet-Münsterland) for many years.

By my information, he has passed away some years ago, but in his heritage, you may find much more detailed information about this particular case.

All the best !

Horst Weber

[FrankieS]

Hello Horst !

Thank you kindly for that advice, i didn't know him.

But where is his "heritage" then ?

Thanks a lot, frohe Weihnachten und einen
guten Rutsch in ein glückliches 2010,
FrankieS

[Horst Weber]

Good evening FrankieS !

I have no idea, where the heritage of Horst Münter is. But maybe a forum user can give closer information.

Merry Christmas to you analso a "Guten Rutsch" into the new year. But I guess, that we don't have problems with a "Guten Rutsch" in switzerland and Germany by the current weather conditions.

All the best !

Horst Weber

[ssg keay]

Horst's collection did not go the route that was hoped for. Currently I am drawing a blanck on who got all his data, but it was not the museum he worked with on a few occasions. Danny

[FrankieS]

I wonder, whether KU-report's "Stocku,-Eckel" was misspelled for "Eika" with 'Eikawäldchen' being near the supposed crash place my father mentioned decades before: onto a "Lippe island" or the "Lippe meadows", with river Lippe wetlands being near to Eikawäldchen.


https://www.google.com/maps/@51.6693...oASAFQAw%3D%3D

[RSwank]

This is a Link to 1st Lt Ralph W Cox's (O-1318652) IDPF file. He was a soldier with the same name as S/Sgt Ralph W Cox (363069660)

https://catalog.archives.gov/search-...h%20w%20cox%22

Go to pages 13 and 14, which are IDPF pages for S/Sgt Ralph W Cox (36306966). These two pages appear to be the only 2 pages from S/Sgt Cox's IDPF file that have been misfiled in the 1st Lt. Cox file.

Note the area they are talking about,

The plane crashed in Stockum which is just north of Witten

Witten, Stockum etc. are SW of Dortmund. Stockum lies within Witten.

The flyers were first buried in the Helden Allied Cemetery in Dortmund.

[FrankieS]

Thank You dear RSwank, just read your post.


My father was at the crash site as a child.
We still have the Bank & Turn indicator.


On the mentioned pages 13 and 14 I cannot find geo references.
There are different Stockum.
The Stockum of the crash site is here:


https://www.google.com/maps/place/We...oASAFQAw%3D%3D


The crew came in from NNW towards Unna to bomb ammunition dump,

estimated crash about 5 miles north to Unna.


bye, thank You,
FrankieS