6 Dec 44 ground attack missions by JG 4

[DavidIsby]

I would be interested in any information about these missions, flown against US ground targets north of the Ardennes, by JG 4 on and around 6 December (including names of those German pilots and aircraft types shot down).

These missions were the subject of: JG 4's Appearance in Strength over the Western Front, 6 December, 1944, APWIU (9th AF) Report 84/1944, National Archives RG 498, entry UD 234, box 1266,

thanks,
David isby

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Will have to check my books once I am home, but here is a point of vue of a JG 4 pilot shot down on such a mission on 3 December 1944:

http://www.germandaggers.info/ernstscheufele.htm

Hauptmann Franz Wienhusen, Kdr of IV./JG 4, was also killed on 3 Dec 44, and from memory this was the date of the mission you're interested in.

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Hello,

I can confirm the mission was flown on 3 Dec 1944.

On this day, in the morning, III and IV./JG 4 took off to intercept a bomber raid but did not reach it and returned to base.

At noon all four groups of JG 4 received orders to attack Allied troops advancing in the Aachen/Duren area.

At 1300 hrs, around 30 Bf 109s of I./JG 4, 20 of IV./JG 4 and 20 of III./JG 4 took off and flew towards Aachen at low altitude.

They flew into heavy AA fire in this area.

IV./JG 4 lost four pilots killed, including its Kommandeur, and four captured, included the Stafü of 13./JG 4

I./JG 4 lost 5 killed (including the Stafü of 4./JG 4, and one killed due to bad weather), 2 captured and 3 wounded.

III./JG 4 apparently turned back before reaching the front.

Detailled losses on 3 Dec 1944 for JG 4:

Fw Rudolf Rademacher of 1./JG 4 killed in the Bf 109 G-14 WNr 460558 "white 3" (100%) in combat in Koln-Aachen area

Uffz Friedrich Schwab of 1./JG 4 wounded and belly-landed after combat his Bf 109 G WNr 490172 or 490171 at Froitzhem, 12 km SE Düren (% damage unknown)

Fhr Rudolf Beyer of 3./JG 4 captured when his BF 109 G-14 WNr 464202 "yellow 11" was shot down in combat in Eschweiler area

Ofhr Herbert Franzke of 3./JG 4 captured when he belly-landed Bf 109 G-14 WNr 460378 "green 1" (or 3?) 1 km west of Eschweiler area

Uffz Helmut Lauer of 3./JG 4 wounded in combat in Aachen area

Uffz Hugo Voss of 3./JG 4 killed when his Bf 109 G-14 WNr 464215 was shot down in combat near Kerpen, Krs Daun

Lt Roderich von Engelhardt, Staffelführer of 4./JG 4, killed when his Bf 109 G-14 WNr 406373 "blue 16" was shot down in combat at Mittelsstrimmig, 9.5 km of Zell/Mosel

Uffz Gotthard Hartung of 4./JG 4 killed when his Bf 109 G-14 WNr 464438 "blue 7" was shot down in combat south of Röttgen, 6.5 km south of Bonn

Uffz Walter Kirsch of 4./JG 4 killed when his Bf 109 G-14 WNr 464302 "blue 6" crahsed in bad weather at Kemel, 5 km NW of Bad Schwalbach (damaged % unknown)

Ofhr Siegfried Palme of 4./JG 4 wounded and belly-landed after combat his Bf 109 G-14 WNr 760737 "blue 9", probably at Darmstadt/Griesheim (% damage unknown)

Bf 109 K-4 WNr 330267 of III./JG 4 lost in combat

A Bf 109 G-10 of III./JG 4 shot down by AA fire in the Ardennes

Hptm Franz Wienhusen, Kommander of IV./JG 4, killed when his Bf 109 G-10 "white 21" WNr 130282 was shot down by AA SW of Roetgen, 10 km NW of Monschau

Lt Günther Magdanz of 13./JG 4 captured after belly-landing in Stolberg area his Bf 109 G-14/AS WNr 780351 "white 15" hit by AA fire

Uffz Johann Beck of 13./JG 4 captured after belly-landing in Roetgen area his Bf 109 G-14/AS WNr 784980 "black 1" hit by AA fire

Oblt Ernst Scheufele, Stafelführer of 14./JG 4, captured after belly-landing near Grosshau, 10 km SW of Düren, his Bf 109 G-14/AS WNr 782354 "black 2" hit by AA fire

Fw Paul Feldmann of 15./JG 4 missing after his Bf 109 G-14/AS WNr 785632 "yellow 6" was shot down by AA in Aachen area

Uffz Heinz Liebich of 15./JG 4 killed when his Bf 109 G-14/AS WNr 782381 "yellow 3" was shot down by AA east of Roetgen

Fhr Dieter Obermüller captured after his Bf 109 G-14/AS WNr 785376 "yellow 7" was shot down by AA 1 km SE of Düren

Uffz Heinz Hook of 16./JG 4 killed when his Bf 109 G-10 WNr 490373 "blue 17" was shot down by AA in Aachen area

Another Bf 109 G-14/AS of IV./JG 4 destroyed (100%) in combat in Aachen area

Source:
"Chasseurs d’assaut", by Eric Mombeek (unit story of JG 4). ISBN 2-914017-10-3

By the way, after this disaster JG 4 did not return over the front the next days. After a quiet day on the 4th, JG 4 suffered a series of accidents on the 5th and apparently did no operations on the 6th.

[Heuser]

Gentlemen,

at least Feldmann and Rademacher are still listed as missing.

I'm not 100% for shure, but it looks like Feldmann crashed in a small township SE of Coblence and is burried as "Unknown", although his name is mentioned in the local church register.

According to the Crashed Enemy Aircraft Report No.265, Franzes a/c was found NE of Rott; this source gives 460 378 as "green 1".

Best regards

Heuser

[hanshauprich]

Also lost on that day:

Ltn. Heinz Krause, 3./JG 4, hit by own AAA near Prüm/Eifel. Bailed out and need four days to return to his Staffel. On 17. Dez. 1944 shoot down again, in dogfight with P-47, bailed out, schwer verwundet. Spent rest of war at hospital.

[DavidIsby]

Many thanks. BTW, the original report I quoted includes an excerpt from a letter home that one of the PoWs had (unposted) in his pocket. He was not identified in the report and the letter was signed 'Kurt', which is not the given names of any of these pilots!

best,
david isby

[Johannes]

Hi

My friend Bernd Barbas knew Heinz-Otto Berg who flew for JG4 sometime after April 1944, who claims JG4 were flying suicide missions i.e no munitions just fly into the enemy, also(contradictory) claimed that he had schragenmusik fitted to his Me109! even more bizarre is that he attacked a US convoy by flying upsidedown to use this weapon!!! Don't know exactly when this was, I would should think end of 1944 or even more likely 1945. Bernd thought Berg was unreliable as a witness.......Berg also claimed that he shot down over forty aircraft during the war, yet I can find only eight that were confirmed.

Regards

Johannes