Death of Hptm. Joachim Kirschner IV./JG 27

[Csaba B. Stenge]

Gentlemen,

anyone knows the exact circumstances of Jochen Kirschner's death? He was shot down by a Spitifre and baled out over Yugoslavia on 17 December, 1943 but was captured by a partisan group, who tortured and killed him.

It is known, where he baled out exactly? What kind of partisan group killed him (there were some different resistance groups)?

TIA,

[Ota Jirovec]

Hello Csaba,

Couple of years ago Boris Ciglic posted a detailed description on the "old" board according to which Kirschner was in fact shot down in combat with Thunderbolts of 57th Fighter Group USAAF and his aircraft (Bf 109G-6 WNr. 20618) crashed into a Crnoglav hill while Kirschner himself landed on his parachute between villages Bjelojevici and Donje Hrasno. He was killed by a firing squad from 29. Hrcegovacka Udarna Divizjia.

Hope this helps a little,

Ota

[Csaba B. Stenge]

Thanks, Ota,

well, I did not remember that message (however I was sure, that Boris knows the answer, but I did not want to ask him in private, because it is interesting to the others as well).

Was it in Bosnia and was he tortured before killed, or not? Was it a kind of red parisan unit (Tito's army)?

Thanks,

[Ota Jirovec]

Hello Csaba,

Yes, if I understand correctly the unit was part of Tito´s forces.
Metkovic is roughly SSW of Mostar.

By the way, the USAAF claims in question are as follows (according to Frank Olynyk´s excellent MTO list):
1400-1600 1/Lt Warren L. Shaw 66 FS 1 Me-109 V-9488, Metkovic area
1400-1600 1/Lt Edward A. Liebing 64 FS 1 Me-109 V-8080, Metkovic area
1400-1600 ?/Lt Charles C. Leaf 66 FS 0.5 Me-109 V-8585, Metkovic area
?/Lt Hugh G. Barlow 66 FS 0.5 Me-109 V-8585, Metkovic area

I do not know if there were any RAF claims in this area. The two nearest that I am aware of are two Bf 109s claimed destroyed by New Zealander Warren Schraeder of 1435 Sqn. He was flying Spitfire IX on this occasion. The given location “Albanian coast” seems to be too far away, however.

Cheers,

Ota

[Csaba B. Stenge]

Thanks again, Ota.

[Boris Ciglic]

Hello Csaba,

strange, I just returned from Hercegovina and found your question. Luckily I was able to trace my original message left at old TOCH few years ago. It was a reply to statement of Mr. Spoden who claimed Kirchenr was tortured and his body mutilated by the partisans. Here is the original text minus some unimoprtant questions and remarks:

"Regarding the matter of Luftwaffe airmen captured by the Yugoslav partisans I must say that their treatment differed very much from time to time and in different areas. First I would like to say few words about circumstances of death of Hptm. Kirchner. He was shot down in combat with Thunderbolts of 57th FG and bailed out from Bf 109G-6 W.Nr.20618. His plane fell on Crnoglav hill whilst he landed between Bjelojevici and Donje Hrasno villages, close to Mostar – Dubrovnik railroad, in eastern Herzegovina. He was captured by 30-men battalion “Marko Mihic”, which was a part of 29. Hercegovacka Udarna Divizija (roughly translated Herzegovinian Striking Division), and shortly thereafter sentenced to death, executed by shooting squad and buried. Searching party, which was coming from Mostar and counted approximately 80 men in one car and four trucks was then ambushed by same battalion between villages Burmazi and Udore and suffered grievous losses. On 29 June 1944, at “peak 286” near Stoc, first POW-exchange negotiations in this area were held between representatives of 29.HUD and German 369. Division. German delegation was lead by certain Hptm Kurz (or Kurtz) who offered some concessions for excavation and return of Hptm Kirchner’s body, for which he said he knew was buried near Donje Hrasno. His offer was not accepted. Area of Donje Hrasno was never overtaken by German or Croat troops by the wars end and Hptm Kirchner probably still lies in unmarked grave. Only conclusion I can draw from this is that no German or Croat soldier were ever in situation to see his throat or mutilated eyes. Still, cut throat or shooting squad doesn’t change much in Hptm Kirchner’s cruel destiny. And he was not the only one. On 6 May 1944 an Feldwebel, whose name still remains unknown to me, force landed his Bf 109G-6 near Stoc (I have poor photo of his plane) after running out of fuel during ferry flight from Wien to Mostar. He was captured by men of 29.HUD and executed also. Area in which both he and Kirchner fell was almost completely burned and most of Serb civilian population (Serbs made a backbone of 29.HUD) executed already in1941 by Croat Ustasha forces in worst possible and unimaginable manners. After such atrocities there was no mercy for anyone, on any side. However, in some other areas Luftwaffe flyers had very good chances for exchange. Official partisan HQ policy was indeed exchange whenever possible (depending on situation on the field), with exception of Stuka-crews who were “to be considered war criminals and not treated as prisoners of war”. You know what it meant. There were numerous documented cases of exchanges, sometimes after few days only and sometimes after months of extremely hard imprisonment conditions."



I can also add after this time is that exact losses of the German column ambushed between Burmazi and Udore (according to German documents) were 2 officers and 4 soldiers killed and 22 soldiers and single officer captured (I dont know what happened to them). I can also add a detail on my remark about the atrocities done to the Serbs in Hercegovina in 1941. On friday I wisited a memorial plate and small church built next to a Koricanska jama (natural cavity near the Korita village near Bileca) positioned just beside the main road between Gacko and Dubrovnik in eastern Hercegovina. On 4 and 5 June 1941, 145 villagers from Korita were taken next to the cavity, their heads smashed with the mallets and bodies thrown into the hole. Miraculously eight men survived to tell the tale. Similar atrocities were repeated all across Hercegovina, and it was in Hercegovina that first clashes between Serb uprisers and Ustasa forces have erupted at this time exactly. As you can imagine, by the end of 1943 the hatriot only grew (unfortunately same feelings prevailed in the nineties).

[Pilot]

Joachim Kirchner was born at 7.06.1920 in Radebeul. In the moment of it's downing he was commander of the IV/JG27 and with it's 188 victory top German ace downed over Yugoslavia. This day in the area of Ston was six P-40 and seven new P-47 engaged in the ship recce task. They spoted five Bf109 and Thunderbolt attacked. To some info for the Kirschenr who was downed in this battle Luftwaffe sent two Storch for rescue as well SS unit. As well Kirchner was killed but during the negotiation with NOVJ, Germans sighted position of the radio station of the HQ in Drvar and that was initial for the preparation of the Drvar operation. German officials in Berlin released procalim of the death of Kirchner and Krammer [leader of SS unit who try to rescue in rank of leutenant] at 18.03.1944.

[marsyao]

Hptm Kirchner was indeed extremly unlucky, although the war between Yugoslav partisans and German army was extremely brutal, usually quarter was neither ask nor grant, but case of execution of a Luftwaffe airman was rare, the reason was that Yugoslav partisans usually used captured German airmen to exchange their comraders fall into German's hand, Germans usually would not agree to exchange captured partisans for German infantrymen captured by partisans, but Luftwaffe airmen were different story, they were valued much higher then common German "grunt".
So that only rather low percentage of captured Luftwaffe airmen were executed by partisans, because either they were captured by those partisan bands who exetremly hated Germans or those partisans recently had some scores to settle.

[Csaba B. Stenge]

Thanks, Boris, this is exactly, what I wanted to know.

Regarding his torture: yes, I guess, the German or Croat soldiers did not see his body, but probably they heard about it from somebody in that area. And you have right, that war was extremely cruel in Yugoslavia (I have many first hand accounts about the pogroms and gruesome tortures as well). So I am sure, that if they executed Kirschner, they tortured him before as well.

Joachim Kirschner was an excellent pilot and a very nice man, his death was a really serious blow to his comrades (Jochen was very popular among the Hungarian fighter pilots as well).
It would be nice to find his body to re-bury him with full military honour (but sadly it sounds close to impossible, because of the circumstances...)

Interesting to mention, that a Hungarian Messer pilot baled out over Bosnia-Hercegovina as well in 1944 (lost the orientation). He was grabbed by a partisan group and they just started to hanging him, when a German searching group saved him (the Germans tought, that the Messer's pilot must be German).

[Boris Ciglic]

In an article published in the seventies, Partisan involved in the capture and execution stated that when captured Kirschner acted very bravely and calm, he saluted his captors in military manner and handed over his pistol. He claimed that as an act of respect for his behaving and rank, he was executed by a firing squad - which was considered a sort of honour! At the time they didnt know who he was nor how much could they gain for his exchange.