Information concerning Erich Helmut Sabatzus

[Pascal Abbet]

Dear fellows,

To inform a very good friend, I am looking for information on the journey of a Luftwaffe pilot.
He is her father-in-law, named Erich Helmut Sabatzus, born on July 26th, 1921, probably in East Prussia and died in the early 90s. He would have been a gliding instructor in Prussia and Poland, then maybe a front (fighter) pilot ? He was active on the eastern front, then escaped in early 1945 with his plane to join the Allied lines in the West.

I would be very grateful if any of you could give me more information and details on his career and his assignments during this period.

Thank you in advance and good to you !

Pascal

[ghostwriter]

hello pascal,

you should make a request to the "Deutsche Dienststelle (WASt)":

https://www.dd-wast.de/de/startseite.html

but an answer can take up to a year!?


regards
ghostwriter

[Edward L. Hsiao]

I too like to know who Erich Helmut Sabatzus was myself. I wonder if he was a Luftwaffe fighter ace that fought mostly on the Eastern Front and scored air to air victories over the Soviet Air Force.

Sincerely,

Edward L. Hsiao

[Chris Goss]

If he was an ace, Johannes or others would have identified him by now

[Pascal Abbet]

Thank you all for your answers and your advice!
I will continue my research via the "Deutsche Dienstelle (WASt)".
I'm not even sure he was in a combat unit, but I'm pretty sure he wasn't an LW fighter ace ...

Regards
Pascal

[Franek Grabowski]

When he had to be an instructor in Poland?

[Pascal Abbet]

Here is some additional information!
Helmut Sabatzus was born in Kukoreiten in the Land of Heidekrug (East Prussia) today Kukorai (Lithuania), but that he quickly left for Insterburg after the annexation of the Land by Lithuania in 1924.
He grew up and lived in Insterburg where he married on July 28, 1944 (one day after the great bombing raid that destroyed the city ...).
After that, he moved with his pregnant wife to Neustettin (today Szczecinesk in Poland) where his first son was born at the end of September 44. He must have been an instructor in the region of Insterburg until August 44 and in the area of Neustettin from September 44 until the arrival of the Red Army or maybe in a combat unit? That's the question ...

Regards
Pascal

[ghostwriter]

hello pascal,

is it possible for you to read a text in german?

https://files.bildarchiv-ostpreussen...051121_IMG.pdf

"5. Gleitfl.Lehr. Helmut Sabatzus"
page 1 down... is this the right one?


best regards
marc

[Pascal Abbet]

Thank you Marc for this link!

It is very interesting and very consistent with the first information available to me.

It is most certainly the Helmut Sabatzus that I am looking for. The proximity of the Segelfluglager Drachenberge to the city of Insterburg is evidence which can confirm the identity match.

Perhaps I will continue with a search with the Gemeinschaft der Flieger Deutscher Streitkräfte e.V. (FliegerBlatt) ...

Thanks again, best regards
Pascal