E.Stelle loss 23.04.1940.

[srob48]

Hello,

From the "Luftwaffe Officer Career Summaries" website, I found the following entry:
WENZEL, Lothar. 23.04.40 Ing., 2./Kü.Fl.Gr. 406 KIA - He 115 A from Erprobungsstelle Travemünde. Crashed on water vic Travemünde due to excess speed on tests. [might be civilian?].
Although the website doesn't mention the other 2 crewmen, I have been able to find out they were: Dipl.-Ing. Petersen killed. Dipl.-Ing. Prohaska killed.
Can anyone provide full names of Petersen and Prohaska, as I have found no mention of them at the VDK or Ancestry.
Thank you for any help.

[Matti Salonen]

Karl Petersen and Peter Prohaska. Also Bordwart Wilhelm Baumann was killed.

Matti

[srob48]

Brilliant, thank you Matti.

[JoMe]

Hi

Fw Karl Petersen died on 17. Apr.1940 as member from 1./KüFlGr.406.
This is a differnt loss.
First name from Prochatzka (different writing) was Dietrich (look at Ancestry).

[Matti Salonen]

My crew info comes from the life insurance company documents at WASt. There is a letter which states that compensation was paid to the persons I mentioned in my answer. I believe that Dipl.Ing. Petersen is different than Fw Petersen due to the date, aircraft type, and location of the loss.

Matti

[srob48]

Hi JoMe,

Thank you for the correction in spelling. I have now found the card on Ancestry and updated my records.

Matti is correct about Fw. Karl Peterman. I have his record as:
1/Kü.Fl.Gr. 406.
Dornier Do18D (0836). Operational sortie. Shot down by 3 RAF Skua's into the North Sea east of Orkney Islands. Fw. Karl Petersen (FF) killed (Sea grave). Lt zur See Max Keil (B) killed (Sea grave). Obgefr. Werner Merg (Bf) killed (Sea grave). Uffz. Jakob Ims (Bm) killed (Sea grave). Aircraft K6+FH lost.

As the aircraft crashed in the Lübecker Bucht, Perhaps Dipl.-Ing Karl Petersen and Wilhelm Baumann are missing, which would explain why there is no record on Ancestry or the VDK?

Thanks again for your help.

[Seaplanes]

The aircraft in question was He 115C W.Nr. 2756 DC+GG of E-Stelle (See) Travemünde. According to my information one of the crewmembers was a
Flugbaumeister Hans Petersen, one of the three killed in this accident.
This is information from the new Heinkel He 115 book published by Chandos Publications Ltd. However, I would regard the info from Matti Salonen as the correct ones, as he has access to the original records unfortunately not available to the general public, as far as I know.