Looking for information about Ar 234 pilot Hauptmann Miersch / Mierisch

[Huib Ottens]

Hi,

I have received information about Helmut Miersch from the Bundesarchiv Militär Abteilung (BaMA). Unfortunately I am not allowed to share information from his personal file, but from his Karteikarte (showing his postings) I can share the following information:

Hauptmann der Reserve Helmut Miersch was born in 1909 and after enlisting in the Luftwaffe he received extensive training and flew as a pilot and “Kommandant” on multi-engined reconnaisance aircraft. During the war he served with: 2./(F) Aufklärungsgruppe 121, 2./Aufklärungsgruppe d. Oberbefehlshaber der Luftwaffe, Versuchsstaffel für Höhenflüge, Fernaufklärungsgeschwader 101, 15.(pathfinder)/Kampfgeschwader 6 and Fernaufklärungsgruppe 5. Hauptmann Miersch was specialized in high altitude and long distance flights and acted also as a Fluglehrer, Ausbildungslehrer and Ausbildungsleiter.

As mentioned by Karl in a previous post up until now only information about one operational flight is known.

In December 1944 Miersch was posted to a staff function in the Fallschirmarmee and there is no link to FaGr.5 mentioned.
So why he was at Stavanger Sola at the end of the war (with FaGr.5?) and how he managed to convince Captain Brown that he was proficient on the Ar 234 (and later de Do 335) is a big question now.

Any clues, info or suggestions are more than welcome.

[Huib Ottens]

Hi,

With the great help of Larry deZeng (thanks Larry!) a detailed study of the Karteikarte of Hauptmann Helmut Miersch brought some new (and logical) insights.

Although the last entry on the Karteikarte mentioned that X. Fliegerkorps ordered him to report for temporary duty with the Insp.d.Fallschirmarmee, it seems that this order was cancelled and that Miersch remained with FAGr. 5 as an operational pilot during the remainder of the war.

He flew operations with 2.(F)/FAGr. 5 (one operation is documented and has been mentioned before) and he probably switched to 1.(F)/FAGr 5 when 2.(F)/FAGr 5 was disbanded in February 1945 and used to strengthen 1.(F)/FAGr 5.

1.(F)/FAGr 5 later became Einsatzkdo. 1.(F)/FAGr. 5 (and was later renamed as Einsatzkdo. 1.(F)/FAGr. 1), flying Ar 234’s on long range reconnaissance missions to the east coast of England. This most probably gave Miersch the opportunity to learn to fly the Ar 234. This experience, his longtime experience as a pilot flying multi-engined aircraft, his experience as a Fluglehrer and his knowledge of the English language made him a very good candidate to be enlisted by Captain Eric Brown when he was at Stavanger (Sola) looking for an additional pilot to help him transfer Ar 234’s from Sola (Norway) and from the central collection point at Schleswig (Germany) to Farnborough.

[Huib Ottens]

Hi,

The story of Hauptmann Helmut Miersch and his post-war Ar 234 flight, that ended in an emergency landing at Eelde in the Netherlands, has been published as a ten page article in the latest issue (2/2017) of the German magazine “Klassiker der Luftfahrt” under the title “Der letzte Blitz”.

After further research into the service records of Hauptmann Miersch it was concluded that he probably remained with 2./FAGr.5 until he was transferred (with several other FAGr.5 pilots) to the Industrie-Einsatz with Arado at Alt-Lönnewitz. There he probably had the chance to get acquainted with the Ar 234 and acted as Einflieger.

It remains a mystery how he came to Sola in Norway before the end of the war. Possibilities are that:

• he transferred an Ar 234 to Sola and remained there;

• or that he managed a transfer to 1./FAGr. 1 and acted as a maintenance and test pilot for this unit;

• or simply got a chance to move to a safer place.

I want to thank everyone that has supported me in my research and made it possible for me to write this article.


Blitz Forever and