Ju88 B3+EM

[HeiSchu]

Hi
from my fathers book (II/KG54):
Uffz Braun / Uffz Schultze / Ju88 / B3+EM / Feindflug / St.André / 28.01.1941 / 06:30 / - / Sheffield, Tiefflug über Kanal, 7 Jäger. Einen abgeschossen, dann lagen wir im Bach. Ein Boot von Le Havre holte uns raus
My interest:
-The names of the 2 other Crewmembers
-was it a Ju88-A1
-Is there any official source with the crash-position
-where can I find pictures of this machine

Thanks
HeiSchu

[Chris Goss]

I presume your father was Uffz Schultze and you are quoting from his Flugbuch? I am afraid I can find no mention of any RAF fighters involved with Ju 88s that day nor can I find any mention of an Ju 88s of 4/KG 54 being lost/damaged that day. Please contact me via Private Message if you wish

[Andreas Brekken]

Hi, HeiSchu

Does your father (assuming he was Heinrich Schulze (or Schultze maybe is the correct spelling?), beobachter in the crew of Uffz. Erich Braun) mention a crash after take-off from St. André on November 1st 1940?

I cannot find the incident on January 28 1941 either, but as I looked through the records there is a strange lack of records from any part of K.G.54 except the Geschw.Erg.Staff from early January until mid-March 1941 in the Genst.Gen.Qu.6.Abt loss returns.

Maybe someone with a special interest in the unit can explain this? Or is it in fact due to the unit failing to record their losses during this period?

Regads,
Andreas B

[Chris Goss]

Andreas

Looks like a possibility-II Gruppe and same names but it should have been Schultze (full crew Uffz Erich Braun, Uffz Heinrich Schultze/Schulze, Ogefr Franz Gauns, Ogefr Heinz Bernstaetter). Although the A-1, Wk Nr 5119 was 90% and they were all reported wounded, this was later amended to unwounded.

The KG 54 book accords with what you say-nothing KG 54-wise from 21 Dec 40 to 19 Mar 41 apart from IV Gruppe

[Andreas Brekken]

Hi, Chris

I do believe this is the correct crew:

http://www.ahs.no/ref_db/lw_loss_pub...?lossid=115657

The phrase 'Durch Vordruck II nicht bestätigt' does indicate that the crew were indeed unhurt, as the unit never filed a Namentliche Verlustemeldung for this incident.

Regards,
Andreas B

[HeiSchu]

Hi all,
yes, it's Heinrich Schultze
Tomorrow I give the Flugbuch-dates of the crashes.
Very exciting for me!
Thanks!

[HeiSchu]

Hi Chris, Hi Andreas,
the crash from 01.11.1940 was my fathers crash.
They had 3 crashes, I give here the complete Flugbuch-notices:

Flight177/Uffz.Braun/Uffz.Schultze/Ju88/B3+EM/Feindflug/St.André/1.11.40/23:40/-----Short after start crashed, machine 100% defekt, Crew safed. (later written from another hand: rear gunner died in hospital)

Flight188/Uffz.Braun/Uffz.Schultze/Ju88/B3+HM/Feindflug/St.André/10.12.40/22:50/St.André/10.12.40/22:55/5'/---right motor defekt/emergency-landing/machine 90% defekt.

Flight 219/ see my first question above.
May be, that the day ist not correct. the 28. is corrected, but I cannot say, wether it is the 29. or so. I think there ist a mistake in the dates, he writes:
Flight 217: 26.01.41/20:10 to 26.01.41/23:30 (London)
Flight 218: 27.01.41/20:05 to 27.01.41/02:40 (Birmingham)
Flight 219: 28.01.41/06:30 to 28.01.41/---

Regards
Heinz

[Chris Goss]

No mention of the 10 Dec 40 incident so perhaps you are right Andreas-poor returns by KG 54?

[Andreas Brekken]

Yes, I think it must be so.

Very strange indeed that this unit seems not to have reported very consistently. It might of course also be a case of returns that has been poorly dated... A loss that might be the one we are looking for with regards to December 10th was reported with loss date December 13th. It is possible (since there was a batch of 4 losses reported for KG 54 in one batch) that the dates has been erronously recorded as 13th for all of these losses, while one or more of them might have happened on another date. Loss percentage is reported as being only 30% but with a need for replacement, and the damages would maybe have been seen as heavy by the people flying the aircraft.

I think that the people interested in bomber operations and KG 54 especially should take a look at this. Since it seems the unit were at St. André for a long time any surviving records from that airfield should be checked.

Regards,
Andreas B