Ltn Käppler, JG 5

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Does anyone know the full name and fate of Ltn Käppler, who scored 7 victories in fall 1944 with 15./JG 5 over northern Finland/Norway ?

Thanks in advance

Laurent

[Brian Bines]

I beleive this would be Ltn. Heinz Keppler St. Kap. of 15/JG 5 who was killed when his aircraft overturned on take off from Lister Airfield and burst into flames on 24th. March 1945. The aircraft was a Bf 109 G-14 w.n. 464152 hope this helps, the spelling of the surname I have may not be correct,
Regards
Brian

[Laurent Rizzotti]

You're very probably right. A Lt Heinz Käppler who died on 24 March 1945 is buried in Trondheim war cemetery, that is consistent with a take-off crash at Lister.

In my own list, I had also Keppler KIFA on this date but as Staka of 12./JG 5. It is obviously wrong, as at this date there was no more 12./JG 5...

[Brian Bines]

Werner Girbig's book on JG 5 gives the date of Ltn. Keppler's death ,while he was St.Kap. of 15/JG 5, as 5-4-1945. However another source gave it as 24th. March which tied up with the war cemetry date, I assume it was the same man . The JG 5 book also shows that Keppler had been St.Kap. of 12/JG 5 at some stage. Having checked again the chart of JG 5's organisation shows that 12 Staffel did become 15 Staffel when the JG 5's Gruppes added an additional staffel.

[Andreas Brekken]

Hi, guys.

Just had to fix a couple of 'errors' here.....

Firstly - Keppler is noted as Staffelführer in his loss record, and although the distinction between a Staffelführer and Staffelkapitän seems to have been more or less ignored by authors over the years, a Staffelführer did not have the formal appointment as Staffelkapitän, and one should thus not use this title in conjunction with a Staffelführer (often it seems that this was either the title used until the formal appointment went through, at other times on can see units that had a Staffelkapitän AND a Staffelführer at the same time, one being the formal commander, the other leading the unit in combat).

Secondly - the guys flying FW 190's out of Herdla would be a bit offended if you told them their Staffel did not exist in February/March 1945....

The 12. Staffel did in fact reappear, and was used to form the new 5. Staffel as part of the new II. Gruppe very late in the war (we are still looking into this, but the order of February 28th clearly specify this reorganization, with former Stab IV./Z.G.26 forming the new Stab II./J.G.5.). In fact, the pilots we have been able to speak to did not know that their unit had been renamed, and thus thought they were the 12. Staffel until the war ended....

Also - I am not sure that you have located the correct person with regards to the mentioned gravesite (I will check in my index for the graves at Trondheim - Havstein tonight).

Lister is a very long way from Trondheim, and unless the remains have been moved I find it highly unlikely that a person killed at Lister were buried in Trondheim (Bergen and Oslo is closer, and all have their own war graves site, although german soldiers from all over Norway have been relocated to Trondheim Havstein).

Last but not least - the date of the crash and subsequent death of Lt. Keppler was 24. March 1945, and is recorded in the loss report of 29.03.1945. Please see this link:

http://www.ahs.no/ref_db/lw_loss_pub...?lossid=100161


Regards, and will post a follow-up tonight,
Andreas

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Thanks Andreas,

Well the naming of the various fighter units in Norway will fill a big book by itself. But you are the specialist. I saw on the link your provided that Keppler loss was reported by IV./JG 5. Can you tell us if he was Stafü of 12./ or 15./JG 5 at the time ?

By "normal" German organization in 1945 (if something like that existed), 12./JG 5 should depend of III./JG 5, but anything is possible so I am still confused.

As for German war cemeteries in Norway, I read somewhere that Trondheim was used as a gathering cemetery for other burial grounds, so it is possible that someone killed in Lister was reburied here. But once again, you are the specialist, so I will be very pleased to see what you will find.

Just curious, do you have listing of the men buried in Trondheim with the details of their burial/reburial (saying for example if they were first buried from other places, or if they were washed out by sea and so on) and/or unit ?

[odybvig]

Hello

Keppler was not in 12./JG 5, which was based in Bergen with Fw 190A and part of III./JG 5, this group was also called Eismeerjäger with its own groupemblem.
He was a part of 15./JG 5 at Lister? with Bf 109G which was part of IV./JG 5

Best
Olve Dybvig
www.luftwaffe.no

[odybvig]

This document may be at some help
Overview of unit changes of JG 5
(as far as I know)

http://www.luftwaffe.no/Staffelstam.pdf

Olve

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Thanks Olve... This document did help. Just a quick note: in my own sources II./JG 5 became a part of JG 4 on 16.10.44 rather than in 11.44.

At one time I had begun to do a database by giving Staffeln number (in creation order), and listing their various names:

Ex (fictionnal): staffel 36 was created on 1/1/38 as 1./JG 234, became 1./JG 1 in 1/1/39, 4./JG 77 in 10/7/40, 3./JG 5 in 2/2/42 and was disbanded in 1/3/45.

The idea being to treat each Staffel as independent units and see them like RAF squadrons changing of "Wing". This was supposed to allow me to follow pilots and not wondering why I had 3 pilots with the same name in 3 differend JG in one year, just because his staffel was just the same (but changed of designation 3 times in the same time).

I never went really far with this idea anyway.

[Quax-Fliegt]

Originally Posted by Brian Bines

I beleive this would be Ltn. Heinz Keppler St. Kap. of 15/JG 5 who was killed when his aircraft overturned on take off from Lister Airfield and burst into flames on 24th. March 1945. The aircraft was a Bf 109 G-14 w.n. 464152 hope this helps, the spelling of the surname I have may not be correct,
Regards
Brian

Hello,
yes, almost right. I think I have some additional Informations about the Accident. I know an former Pilot who saw the accident live. He told me the following:
It was a typically take-off accident of a Me109. The plane pulling to the side (I dont know if left or right) an then overturn. Ltn. Käppler firstly was completely unwoundet. But he lays upside down, so the helper can't free him quickly. And then, this was the tragedy, the cockpit was flooded from the tank with fuel. The helper needed more than two hours to get him free from the cockpit, and meanwhile he was drowned by his own fuel.
So he was not bursted by the flames.

If someone want to have more Infos about Käppler and this accident, feel free to contact me, I can establish a contact to this former Pilot, who was a "Katschmarek" of Ltn. Käppler.

Greetz
Michael