III/KG 53 loss - 16 February 1944 - NW of Uman

[Adriano Baumgartner]

Good night to all,

Am trying to find more details (werknummer and codes - A1+??) of a He 111 H shot down on the 16th February 1944.

The pilot was Fw. Alois Kasper.

I guess (but am not sure) that they had engine failure, since the machine crashed 7 km to the NW of Uman (the III Gruppe base at that time). Or they may have crashed with bad weather, whilst trying to land the machine...

Can someone confirm the werknummer, codes and cause of accident or reason for being missing in action?

A.

[Laurent Rizzotti]

The book "Kampfgeschwader 53" by Heinz Kiehl has no details on the aircraft but show 5 dead in Russia on this date for III./KG 53:
Uffz Gerhard Lübbe (air gunner)
Fw Alois Kasper (pilot)
Uffz Heinz Fischer (observer)
Fw Wilhelm Thöne (radio)
Fw Franz Steimer (air gunner)

I have no idea if all were in the same aircraft.

[Adriano Baumgartner]

Laurent,

Merci/Thanks for checking this book which I do not have.

From a loss list for KG 53 airmen, I guess they were all in the same machine, whose werknummer and codes I do not know. It is the sole loss recorded by III Gruppe (as far as I know) for that date...so probably on the same machine.

The crash ocurred at 04:48hs (I guess AM), which indicates an early morning (it would still be night I guess) sortie...so probably an engine failure after take-off, or a problem (weather? Fog?) whilst returning from a night-sortie and trying to land at base...do not know.

A.

[Matti Salonen]

Stab III/KG 53, He 111 H-16, 161720, A1+DD

Matti

[Adriano Baumgartner]

MATTI,

Again my debt and gratitude for informing the werknummer and codes of this particular machine and crew.

A.

[Adriano Baumgartner]

Any information if it was landing or taking-off or due to enemy action, the cause of loss?