Crash of Ju 52 off Norway on April 16-17, 1940

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Hello,

Various internet sources say that the captain of the German cruiser Blücher, Kapitan zur See Heinrich Woldag, survived the sinking of his ship on 9 April 1940 in Oslo Fjord but was then lost in an air crash some days later.

Sources then differ, saying the crash was on 16 or 17 April and Woldag was on his way to Germany or back to Norway for the burial of his crew.

The most detailled source I find is in Norwegian: http://dt.no/nyheter/flymysterium-ut...ofte-1.3331503. A Google translation says the aircraft was a Ju 52 that crashed on 16 April in Oslo Fjord, killing 3, Woldag, the pilot, Walter Poplow, and a third unknow.

I have three Ju 52 losses in Norway for 16 April, one of Stab KG 26 wrecked on Sola airfield when a landing Ju 88 collided with it and the Ju52 WNr 6306 of 14./KGr zbV 1 that crashed in a cliff due to bad weather east of Egersund. The crew of the second is known and there is no Poplow or Woldag aboard. That leaves the third loss: a Ju 52 of KG zbV 1 lost south of Stavanger (so at sea) with 4 dead. No further details are known. Location is wrong for Woldag case, but number of crew could be OK (while the Norwegian article may be wrong: 2 crew and 1 passenger is a little too few for a Luftwaffe Ju 52).

I have also three Ju 52 losses for 17 April: a Ju 52 of Stab KG 30 destroyed on the ground at Sola airfield by the RAF, one of III./KGzbV 1 destroyed in a takeoff accident at Aalborg, Norway, and the Ju 52 WNr.2810 of III./KGr zbV1 that crashed on Langevannet Lake, SE of Kristiansand, Norway, killing 17 crew and passengers.

So either it was not a Ju 52, or it is one not in my list, or it is the Ju 52 of KG zbV 1 lost south of Stavanger on 16 April.

Has anyone a crew/passenger list for this Ju 52. Or the name of Poplow or Woldag aboard another aircraft lost in the area these days ?

Thanks in advance

Laurent

[Matti Salonen]

I have the following, which might fit:
1940-04-16, 2./KGr.z.b.V. 105, Ju 52/3m, (Skagerrak), Unbekannt. Bruch 100 %.
Besatzung:
Ofw Kohle, Pius
Fw Maisch, Ernst
Fw Poplow, Walter
Alle von FFS C 4 und vermißt.

Because normally loss of passengers was not reported by the "owner" of the aircraft, Woldag could well have been in this plane. Unfortunately neither KGr.z.b.V. 105 nor FFS C 4 NVM contains details of the aircraft.

Matti

[Seaplanes]

Hi Matti and Laurent,

Matti, you have found the correct loss. It was Ju 52 (W.Nr. not known, possibly 6736) with St.kz. BA+KK lost on 16.4.40 en-route for Oslo Fornebu with Kpt.z.See Woldag on board. This according to the K.T.B. of K.Gr.z.b.V. 105. This unit was formed with aircraft and crews drawn from
Fl.Führ.Schule (C) 7 Finsterwalde, Fl.Führ.Schule (C) 4 Sprottau, Fl.Führ.Schule (C) 12 Prag-Rusin and Fl.Führ.Schule (C) 1 Sorau.

[RT]

Hello ,

Is the Wn drawn from the STKZ ?? oder..

Rémi

[Seaplanes]

The Stammkennzeichen is from the KTB of K.Gr.z.b.V. 105. The Werk-nummer is from the LEMB Stammkennzeichen database where it is given with a questionmark, indicating that this is not confirmed in any way.

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Thanks to all,

Seaplanes, does the KTB of K.Gr.z.b.V. 105 confirm that Woldag was the only passenger ?

Also as I said above, I have a Ju 52 of KG zbV 1 lost south of Stavanger on 16 April 1940 with 4 dead/missing. Has anyone the details of this loss ?

Thanks in advance

[Peter Cornwell]

14./KGzbV 1 Junkers Ju52/3m (6306). Met bad weather and flew into coastal cliffs at Rekeviga, south-west of Hauge, during fuel supply mission from Aalborg to Stavanger-Sola. FF Fw Bernhard Kalthöfer, BF Uffz Karl Opitz, BM Gefr Ludwig Landstorfer, and BS Uffz Peter Richter all killed. Aircraft 1Z+IY 100% write-off.

[Seaplanes]

The KTB of K.Gr.z.b.V. 105 does mention a number of passenger officers including Woldag. As the unit sent off a large number of aircraft this day, I can not say if all of them flew in this particular aircraft. Woldag is mentioned together with the crew of the aircraft in the loss list enclosed with the records of Transportchef Land, the staff that controlled all the land based transport units K.Gr.z.b.V. 101 to 107 + elements of K.G.z.b.V.1 and K.Gr.z.b.V. 9. The K.Gr.z.b.V. 108 was made up of seaplanes and controlled by the stab of Transportchef See.

[Matti Salonen]

The following passengers were killed in this loss of 14./KG.z.b.V. 1 Ju 52/3m:
Albrecht, Kurt
Aschauer, Johann
Barthel, Gerhard
Berger, Martin
Fischer, Arno
Goedicke, Walter
Hebestreit, Kurt
Hesse, Rudolf
Hessenmüller, Heinrich
Höfer, Gerhard
Jäckel, Rolf
Wickenhöfer, Karl
Würtenbächer, Horst

Matti

[RT]

Sure Laurent wouldn't expect so much, BA+KI is 6731 or 6739 , BA+KY an Ju87 BA+KZ an Do17

so...

Rémi