355 FG engagements w/experten

[drgondog]

I think I have narrowed down most of the units that enagaged w/355th but wish to solicit expert opinions from this Board on some more question marks?

I have dates and units (probably correct) of different pilots that went down on dates but the Unit raises questions - what I would very much like is info re: where and what type fighter were these pilots KIA/WIA? Thanks to all of you in advance -

1943
10/4 Hptm Rudolph Sigmund NJG3
12/1 Hptm Helmut Hoppe Jg26
12/1 Fw Alfred Miksch JG1
12/1 Oblt Herbert Schramm JG27

1944
1/29 Oblt Willi Kientsch JG27
1/29 Ltn Gunther Haase JG54 (III/JG54?)

2/11 Maj Franz Beyer JG3

2/20 Hptm Helmut Mertens JG3
2/20 Uffr Gerhard Raimann JG54 (III/JG54?)

3/6 Oblt Gerhard Loos JG54 (III/JG54?)

3/8 Ltn Hans Frese JG3
3/8 Ofw Rudolph Ehrenberger JG27
3/8 Hptm Hermann Segatz JG1

3/18 Ltn Rudolph Graph JG54 (III/JG54?)
3/18 Fw Karl-Otto Harloff JG3

3/29 Hptm Detlef Rohwer JG1

4/08 Ltn Josef Zwiernemann JG11
4/08 FhjOfw Emil Babenz

4/11 Fw Waldemar Eyrich JG3

4/19 Oblt Otto Webling JG3

4/24 Ltn Franz Schwaiger JG3
4/24 Hptm Emil Omert JG77
4/24 Fw Georg Schanz JG27 (Me109, Munich area?)

4/29 Ofw Rolf Stienke JG3

7/28 Gefr Walter Weinzierl JG302
7/28 Kurt Roisch JG3 (WIA where?)
7/28 Oblt Ernst-Erich Hirschfeld JG300 (Fw 190? sw Merseburg?)

8/03 uffr karl Heinz Schmidt JG3

8/06 Fw Herbert Dehrmann JG3

8/16 Oblt Ekkehard Tichy JG3
8/16 Ltn Hubert Buschman JG3 (Me109, Hildescheim area?)

1945
1/14 Ltn Carl Resch JG54 (Fw190? Damme?)
1/14 Fw Otto Ehrhardt JG3
1/14 Ltn Josef Kunz JG4
1/14 Oblt Johann Aisleitner JG26

Thanks everyone for any insight

Regards,

Bill Marshall

[Leo Etgen]

Hello Bill

Here is a list of several RK winners that you mentioned in your list. The basis for this information is Obermaier's Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe 1939-1945. I hope that you find it useful and any comments or corrections will be greatly appreciated.

Schramm: 1 December 1943 in Bf 109 G-6 (W.Nr. 410 291) over Stembert in Belgium.
Aisleitner: 14 January 1944 in Fw 190 A-6 "White 9" (W.Nr. 530 734) near Montdidier-Ercheu by P-47 fighters of the 4th Fighter Group, USAAF.
Kientsch: 29 January 1944 in Bf 109 G-6 "Yellow 3" (W.Nr. 440 073) near Würen in Belgium.
Beyer: 11 February 1944 in Bf 109 G-6 (W.Nr. 411 036) by Spitfire fighters over Erezee in The Netherlands.
Loos: 6 March 1944 in Bf 109 G-6 (W.Nr. 411 922) near Rheinsehlen by 1st Lieutenant John Carder of the 357th Fighter Group, USAAF.
Rohwer: 29 March 1944 in Bf 109 G-6 "Black <<" (W.Nr. 440 295) near Mettingen.
Zwernemann: 8 April 1944 in Fw 190 A-7 "White 11" (W.Nr. 431 164) by USAAF P-51 fighters.
Babenz: 8 April 1944 in Fw 190 A-6 "Black 1" (W.Nr. 470 046) near Bentheim by P-47 fighters of the 361st Fighter Group, USAAF.
Wessling: 19 April 1944 in Bf 109 G-6 (W.Nr. 412 052) near Eschwege.
Schwaiger: 24 April 1944 in Bf 109 G-5 "White 5" (W.Nr. 110 186) near Rain am Lech by P-51 fighters.
Omert: 24 April 1944 in Bf 109 G-6 "Yellow 1" (W.Nr. 160 826) over Finta Mare in Romania.
Tichy: 16 August 1944 in Fw 190 A-8/R8 "White 1" (W.Nr. 732 029) due to collision with a B-17 four-engined bomber of the 91st Bombardment Group, USAAF.

Horrido!

Leo

[drgondog]

Leo - many, many thanks. It has been hard to find location and time data for many experten encounters and your information is very useful.

I need to do some research on exact location for Wuren, Rain am Lech and Metttingen

If Rain am Lech is close to Munich Swaiger almost certainly went down in big 355/B-17/JG3 battle between 1330 and 1410. The 355th engaged with both JG3 (for sure) and probably JG27

Wessling on the 19th matches up with a victim of Capt Robert Woody, who would later score 4.5-2-1 on the 24th. Woody's 109 score on 19 April was west of Mulhausen, ssw of Nordhausen which would put the fight just ENE of Eshwege ~1015. The 355th lost a pilot (MacConkey) to Fw Florian of JG3 just south of Gottingen in same general fight. Two other claims were SW of Brunswick, one an Fw 190 and the other a 109.

Thank you again Leo.

Regards,

Bill

[Leo Etgen]

Hello Bill

Many thanks for your kind reply. I am glad to have been able to help a little. Here are some alternative locations that perhaps can help you narrow your search.

Schwaiger: Rain am Lech/Donau-Ries/Bayern
Kientsch: Würrich/Hunsrück/Rheinland
Wessling: Eschwege/Hessen
Schramm: Eupen in Belgium

I will next try to find the III./JG 54 pilots mentioned.

Horrido!

Leo

[Richard Goyat]

About 28 July 1944 :

a) Gfr. Walter Weinzierl, I./JG 302: killed in aerial combat against escort fighters near Neustadt an der Donau. This loss thus can't be linked with the 355th FG. (Source: Jagdgeschwader 301/302, by Willi Reschke, Motorbuch Verlag, p. 115)

b) Lt. Kurt Roisch, Stab I./JG 3: wounded in aerial combat near Lexmond but died of his wounds on 30 July... 1943 (not 1944!). (Source: Messerschmitt 109 im Einsatz bei Stab und I./JG 3, by Jochen Prien and Gerhard Stemmer, p. 296 and 528 )

c) Oblt. Ernst-Erich Hirschfeld, II./JG 300: parachute jump from Fw 190 A-8 “Yellow 1” following air combat; killed when parachute failed to open, Geheren/Erfurt. (Source: Jagdgeschwader 300 Wilde Sau, by Jean-Yves Lorant and Richard Goyat, p. 260 and 358 )

Regards
Richard

[Leo Etgen]

Hello Bill

Here is what I found based on Rosipal's JG 54 loss list. I must admit that I was unable to find anything on a Lt. Carl Resch but on 14 January 1945 there was an aircraft lost with 12./JG 54. Might that be his? Any comments or corrections are welcomed.

Raimann: on 20 February 1944 in Bf 109 G-6 "White 3" (W.Nr. 411 426) at Duingen southwest of Hannover by P-47 fighters
Grath: on 18 March 1944 in Bf 109 G-6 (W.Nr. 411 753) south of Ssypkino (Russia)
Haase: on 29 January 1944 with I./JG 54 in Russia (no other information)
Resch: on 14 January 1945 in Fw 190 D-9 "Yellow 8" (W.Nr. 600 348 )?

Horrido!

Leo

[Erich]

Leo :

For Carl Resch of 15./JG 54 a D-9 ? or an A-8. seems the IV./JG 54 were mixing it up with the US 356th fg near Osnabrück, area around Dummer Lake according to 5-6 356th fg mission reports. Think IV/JG 54 lost some 10 Fw 190A's but maybe one of our IV./JG 54 experts can add to this ?

E ~

[Leo Etgen]

Hello Erich

Many thanks for your post! Thanks to you I was able to rapidly find Resch. Knowing where to look makes all the difference. He indeed was with 15./JG 54, in fact Staffelkapitän of 15./JG 54. The information would be as follows:

Resch: on 14 January 1945 in Fw 190 A-9 "Yellow 1" (W.Nr. 205 118 ) near Broxten in Westfalen (Siedlung Vennemoor).

Many thanks Erich!

Horrido!

Leo

[Erich]

sure Leo, also another Staffelkapitän, Helmut Radke was also killed near Hesepe of 14./JG 54, do you have the a/c numeral and type of his ? Hesepe was later attacked on the ground level by 2 P-51's of the 356th fg one of them being hit by Flak, the pilot bailing out: Lt. Freeman Hooker

I think Bill is looking for the flight/unit of "long noses" encountered by the 355th just to the west of Dummer later in the day on 14 January 45. May just be the JG 26 contingent that also engaged Spitfires.

Bill ?

Erich

[Leo Etgen]

Hello Erich

Radke: on 14 January 1945 in Fw 190 A-8 "Black 4" (W.Nr. 739 178 ) at Hesepe in Oldenburg.

The only III./JG 54 machine that I find listed on 14 January 1945 is the Fw 190 D-9 "Yellow 8" (W.Nr. 600 348 ) of 12./JG 54 listed as Bodenzerstörung (destroyed on the ground) doubtless during the attack of the two P-51 fighters of the 356th Fighter Group, USAAF mentioned by Erich. Thanks for clearing this up Erich!

Horrido!

Leo