Fw Stedem 1./ZG1 Stalingrad Flight Log

[Roger Gaemperle]

Hello,

I have the original logbook of a Fw Stedem (later Ofw) who flew about 80 combat missions with 1./ZG1 in 1942 before he went back to Germany to become a pilot teacher.

Most missions he flew in +JH. 2nd crew member was a man called Mutke.

Does anybody have more information about this pilot?

Is there a book or other source that tells the story of ZG1 in 1942?

Regards
Roger

[Michael Young]

Hi Roger,
I know that Leutnant Werner Stedem flew with SKG210 until that unit was renamed ZG1 on 4 January 1942.

Regards, Mike

[Peter Kassak]

There is very nice and detailed book by John Vasco:
The Sting of the Luftwaffe: Schnellkampfgeschwader 210 and Zerst¿rergeschwader 1 "Wespengeschwader" in World War II

[Roger Gaemperle]

Hi Mike,

Interesting! I have his logbook but it only starts at the beginning of 1942 (when he already had more than 4000 flights). So, I didn't know what he did before that. Do you know anything about his missions with SKG210? I checked again and there are a few flights with Me 210 at the beginning of the logbook.

Hi Peter,

Thanks for the reference. Do you know if Werner Stedem is mentioned in that book?

Thanks!
Roger

[Peter Kassak]

Sorry, do not have this book in my hands as it is in archive of my friend.
But John Vasco is active in here at the Forum Maybe he will be interested to change info.

[Roger Gaemperle]

Hello Peter,

I'll ask him :-) I hope to fiind out as much as possible about the career of Fw Stedem.

Thanks,
Roger

[John Vasco]

Werner Stedem. Corresponded with him briefly during my research period, but got nothing of any value out of him. Unfortunately his replies were rather rambling and not specific about his war service at all. I had to respect the fact that he did not wish to/was not able to provide information. I was advised by other members of the 'Wespengeschwader' at their reunions in the mid-1980s that he was not in the best of health. What was particularly frustrating for me was that I believe he flew with Erprobungsgruppe 210 during the Battle of Britain, but was unable to ever confirm this.

[Roger Gaemperle]

Hello John,

Interesting, thanks! I have his original logbook from January 1942 until the end of the war. Is this log already known to you? Unfortunately, I don't have anything else from him. It is marked as "Nr.4" so I guess there were 3 other logbooks covering the time before 1942.

But the 80+ missions in Bf 110 with ZG1 are interesting. He documented every single mission with typically two lines of text at the right side of the log. I'd like to find out more about these missions. Do you know if there's a book that covers ZG1's 1942 history?

Regards,
Roger

[John Vasco]

Roger,

As it's marked as 'Nr. 4', I think there is a good chance he flew in the Battle of Britain.

There isn't a book that covers ZG 1's 1942 history - my work was a photo history, and there was no opportunity to go deeper at the time because Russia still had the Communist regime in place, so getting info out of there at the time was almost impossible. Perhaps now, particularly when our forum member Evgeny re-appears from army service, there is a better chance of eventually seeing a ZG 1 history, with coverage of events from both sides...

[Nikita Egorov]

Roger,

Could you please advise if Stedem had any victories on Stalingrad or Caucasus sectors in 1942 or was he shot down by Russian fighters on the same period, as per info from his logbook?

TIA

Originally Posted by Roger Gaemperle

Hello John,

But the 80+ missions in Bf 110 with ZG1 are interesting. He documented every single mission with typically two lines of text at the right side of the log. I'd like to find out more about these missions. Do you know if there's a book that covers ZG1's 1942 history?

Regards,
Roger