Willi Strübing - NSFK Ace?

[Tom Semenza]

I just finished reading Don Caldwell's excellent new book "The Luftwaffe Over Germany." I was intrigued by a passage regarding the downing of a 408 RCAF Squadron Halifax flown by F/O K. Blyth during a daylight mission on 31 March 1945 as follows:

A document was produced crediting the victory to Sturmführer Willi Strübing, an instructor in the NSFK. The 53-year-old Strübing had been too old to join the Luftwaffe, but his Nazi supervisors allowed him to fly independent missions from his Buchen base in his Me 262. Blyth's Halifax was his 23rd claim. (my emphasis) Strübing's commander nominated him for a Knight's Cross, but the application went nowhere. . .

Can anyone shed more light on the this unusual career. Perhaps Don Caldwell has more information on this pilot.

Tom

[Ruy Horta]

Subject interests me as well, so here's a bump.

[Hans Mcilveen]

Very interesting. Also, I remember reading something about a Volksturmnachtschlachtstaffel formed by Gauleiter Koch in the east in 1945. Equipped with Heinkel biplanes. Does anybody know more about this?

Hans

[Primoz]

Well, a similar question about Strübing was published in Jet & Prop a while ago but I don't know if they got any answers. If I remember correctly, he scored two victories with the 262.

[Don Caldwell]

My sources for Struebing are Ken Blyth's two books, as referenced in my book, and some follow-up correspondence with Ken. I used essentially all of my info on Struebing in the book. I consider it reliable because of its source and how Blyth uncovered it in S.'s nephew's files. Blyth's second book includes an NSFK shootdown report and victory confirmation, the first such document I've ever seen.

Horrido!

Don