Schlachtflieger Ofw Helmut mischke Questions and answers

[Johannes]

Hi Guys

This pilot must be the most underdecorated Luftwaffe pilot. I can now lift quite a bit of cloud over his obscureness, but also have questions:

He was born on 20th December 1914, and was formally with 2.batterie-Artillerie regiment 56 from 30th September 1936, then progressing to 6(schüler)Fl.Aus.rigt.82.

He was injured in an aircrash(?) in August 1939, his wife visiting him in Prague hospital on 22nd August 1939!

On 22nd January 1943 he transferes to 6./Sg1 where he makes his first claim on 15th April 1943.

He was awarded the EK2 on 12th May 1943
EK1 on 7th august 1943
Frontflug-Spange für Jäger in Bronze on 2nd May 1943(usually awarded for twenty-five combat missions)
Frontflug-Spange für Jäger in Silber on 1st August 1943(usally awarded for sixty combat missions)
Frontflug-Spange für Jäger in Gold on 8th April 1944(usually awarded for 110 combat missions)
Ehrenpokal on 20th March 1944.

On 31st July 1943 he was injured when he overturned his Fw190 whilst force-landing after combat with Russian fighters, the following day he was awarded the Wounded Badge in Black.

At the Kuban bridgehead he flew 102 combat missions, during which time he destroyed much enemey material on the ground including several tanks.

There is a documnet dated 30th April 1944:-
Gen,verfs.stellv.Gen.Kdo.K.A.K
I.Ausb.AEV
Ritterkreuzträger Ofw Helmut Mischke:Reserve.L.IV Hamburg.

Yet I can find no reference anywhere about him ever receiving the Ritterkreuz.

With all the documentation kept by his family, if he was ever awarded the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold I suspect they would have documentation for this, but do not, the DKiG book is also vague givin a date of around 1st January 1944.....but I fear this is not the case!

It is known that he was recommended for the Ritterkreuz in March 1945 whilst with 7./Sg1, which contradicts the dicument dated 30th April 1944!

Tragically he was killed on 3rd May 1945 when he was shot down and killed my friendly flak(who thought he was an attacking Spitfire)his aircraft crashing onto a house at Sandbeck near Kreis Flenburg at 1300 hrs.

I have his first twenty air victories from the micro films, and official Luftwaffe documents, then suspect he got seven more between 9th April 1944 and 29th May 1944 when the micro films for 6./Sg2 do not seem to have survived(i.e they are not on the daily micro film sheets.....for whatever reason) Then there are his February to March claims that total thirty-five, most areobscure mentions, but some are found on the KBT documents, giving him a total of sixty-two claims to that point in time, and i suspect he got more in the last weeks of the war!

Without the DKiG or Ritterkreuz surely that is some kind of record. Hermann Buchner states that August Lambert had an adjutant who disliked him, and supressed his ability to continue combat, could Mischke have been similarly afflicted?

Also can anybody tell me what he was doing from April/May 1944 until February 1945, I suspect he was an instructor with Sg152 like Buchner.

Also Buchner mentions many people in his book, but strangely not Mischke.......it's strange to understand why not!

His claims:-

15th April 1943 Jak-7 at 1730 hrs Nr.1(6./SG1)
26th May 1943 Il-2 at 1535 hrs Nr.2
27th May 1943 La-5 at 1805 hrs Nr.3
5th July 1943 La-5 at 0908 hrs Nr.4
18th July 1943 Il-5 at 0545 hrs Nr.5
31st July 1943 2 X La-5 at 1645 & 1648 hrs Nr.6-7.
27th September 1943 LaGG-7 at 1300 hrs Nr.8
29th November 1943 LaGG-3 at 1201 hrs Nr.9(6./SG 2)
30th November 1943 LaGG-3 at 1410 hrs Nr.10
15th December 1943 P-39 at 1130 hrs Nr.11
17th December 1943 P-39 at 1405 hrs Nr.12
11th March 1944 LaGG-3 at 1113 hrs Nr.13
11th March 1944 Jak-9 at 1133 hrs Nr.14
21st March 1944 Jak-9 at 0640 hrs Nr.15
25th March 1944 Jak- at 0955 hrs Nr.16
27th March 1944 2 X LaGG-3 at 1205 & 1206 hrs Nr.17-18.
8th April 1944 2 X Jak-9 at 1625 & 1630 hrs Nr-19-20.
20th February 1945 8 X unknown type Nr.28-35.(7./Sg1)
27th February 1945 3 X La-5 Nr.36-38.
28th February 1945 Jak-9 Nr.39.
3rd March 1945 3 X Jak-9 at 1535, 1537 & 1542 hrs Nr.40-42.
8th March 1945 Jak-9 at 1250 hrs Nr.43
8th March 1945 Jak-3 at 1251 hrs Nr.44
9th March 1945 2X Jak-3 at 1315 & 1316 hrs Nr.45-46.
9th March 1945 2 X P-39 at 1338 & 1345 hrs Nr.47-48.
11th March 1945 9 X unknown type Nr.49-57.
18th March 1945 5 X unknown type Nr.58-62.

Would be very gratefull if anybody can give any other information about this obscure pilot, no matter how small.

Kind Regards

Johannes

P.S his wife fearing what the Russian's would do if they found her with his decorations buried them in her garden!

[Russell]

Johannes,

Very good information. An earlier series of messages on this forum on MIschke, gave the following locations for claims 36-44. Any locations for the claims 1 3&4 and 8?.

Regards Russell.

65 654: S Pollnow
65 654: S Pollnow
65 654: S Pollnow
64 219
54 537 at 15.35
54 529 at 15.37
54 526 at 15.42
44 625: Ratibor 12.5
44 625: Ratibor 12.51

[ju55dk]

He did get the DKiG, but there is a typo in the Scherzer book. He is mentioned in LW-Verordnungsblatt, the date beeing either 01.10.44 or 01.01.45.
Attached Sondermeldung about him, from BAMA.

Junker

[Johannes]

Hi Guys

Thanks for getting back to me.

Regarding the DKiG dates of 1st October 1944 and 1st January 1945 are just guesses, so are never correct. Hermann Graf is missing from the book, but certainly was awarded this decoration. Book is very vague about Mischke, which also makes me think he didn't receive it.......guess photographic evidence is needed to prove me wrong, and I hope i am wrong.

I have the crash sites of the first twelve claims as:-

Nr.1 Krymsk area
Nr.2 4km NE Krymsk
Nr.3 Krymsk
Nr.4 Belgorod area
Nr.5 10km NW Stepanowka
Nr.6 dito
Nr.7 11km NE Stepanowka
Nr.8 Ukoninowo
Nr.9 1km N Golokowka
Nr.10 4km NE Dubijewka
Nr.11 4km E Nowgorodka
Nr.12 10km SE Nowgorodka

Many, many thanks for the document.

Regards

Johannes

[ju55dk]

Thr proof lies in getting a copy of LW-Verordnungsblatt from the mentioned dates, as his Personel files seems to be lost.
All those listed with* are from the Verordnungsblätter. And they do not mention specific units for obvius reasons. I'm convinced that he did get it untill proven wrong.

Junker

[Keizer Cali]

Ofw. Helmut Mischke was shot down in a Fw 190D-9 (one of two known III./SG 1 D-9’s) by the Flensburg A/F FLAK, allegedly while attempting to escape to Sweden. He had transferred from Wismar A/F to Flensburg A/F on 02 May 45. Ofw. Mischke is probably buried in the Kappeln City Cemetery.
The other known III./SG 1 D-9 (W.Nr. 211xxx) was destroyed on 02 May in a crash-landing 3 km south of Remels (south-southwest of Wilhelmshaven) during the transfer flight from Wismar to Flensburg – the pilot, Obgefr. Gerhard Wolff, was wounded and later made POW by British troops. Interestingly, this D-9 had a white spiral on both the spinner and propeller blades, suggesting that it may have been a former I./JG 1 aircraft.

Both cases were published in “Luftwaffe im Focus” (I would need to check the number of the edition), with photos of the wreckage of Obgefr. Wolff’s D-9.

I hope this is of help.

Marc

[Andrey Kuznetsov]

Hello Johannes,

What is the source of the first 3 claims?

Originally Posted by Johannes

15th April 1943 Jak-7 at 1730 hrs Nr.1(6./SG1)
26th May 1943 Il-2 at 1535 hrs Nr.2
27th May 1943 La-5 at 1805 hrs Nr.3

Best regards,
Andrey

[Johannes]

Hi Guys

Source is a document in Mischke's family pocession listing his first twelve claims with everything mentioned except the altitude. It is dated 12th December 1943, it accompanies a paper mentioning his efforts at ground attack destroying tanks LKW e.tc. It seems to be a prelude to his Ehrenpokal of March 1944.

With regards to the Swedish attempt, sounds very strange, especially as he had family(just thinking what the SS would do), but you never know.

Regards

Johannes

[Andrey Kuznetsov]

Thank you, Johannes!

According to the German Army reports, 15.Apr.43 during the 2nd half of the day FW190 shot down 1 Il-2.

I thought before, it is error about FW190. But it seems it maybe Mischke's "Yak-7" or the success of the other SchG1 pilot.
It maybe Airacobra or Kittyhawk from 45.IAP, but some discrepancy between time of the claim and time of the 45.IAP patrol.

What about other FW190-pilots claims on 15.Apr.43?


Best regards,
Andrey

[Johannes]

Sorry Andrey

But SG 1 daily micro films entries do not start until a little later, and the typed out staffel micro films seem not to have survived the war, so I can only count on the daily sub list for this period and surviving logbooks!/documents.

Kind Regards

Johannes