Who shot down Hptm. Pingel, Kommandeur of I/JG 26.

[Mirek Wawrzynski]

Hi
I wonder, who exactly did shot down Hptm. Rolf Pingel Kommandeur of I/JG 26 over the Island (in 1941). It was a Spitfire, but I wonder from the which unit (maybe pilot/s name/s - ?) ?.

He was first hits by Striling tail's gunner and soon later was second time hit by Spitfire (?).

Regards,
MirekW

[Chris Goss]

It is generally thought that Sgt Jan Smiegielski of 306 Sqn got him at 1040 hrs 10 Jul 41

[Mirek Wawrzynski]

Thanks for the infor

Regards
Mirek W

[Nefiakoff]

Hello,

His name was Jan Śmigielski.
His last rank was F/Lt, probably survived the war with total account 2-0-2 victories.

The problem is that I couldn’t find a victory listed for him on 10 July 1941 !
I also couldn’t find any victories of 306 Squadron on 10 July, the only successes of this unit in this month were on 6th or 7th and then on 23rd and (probably) 24th.

Victories of Jan Śmigielski found by me:

30.12.1941 Sgt Śmigielski – 1-0-0 Bf 109 14.15 S Brest
31.12.1942 W/O Śmigielski – 0-0-1 Fw 190 14.40 SE Berck
15.02.1943 W/O Śmigielski – 1-0-0 Fw 190 14.22 N Calais
25.09.1944 F/O Śmigielski – 0-0-1 Fw 190

Could it be, that info about Śmigielski is incorrect?

Regards

Nef

[RossGmann]

The following website www.luftwaffe.cz/pingel.html states in part the following

The British Circus No. 42 targeted Chocques on 10 July 1941. Three RAF Stirling four-engine bombers, accompanied by their fighter escort, were intercepted by Pingel’s I./JG 26. Pingel followed a damaged Stirling bomber back to England, further damaging its tail section. However, the gunners’ return fire hit his Bf 109 F-2 (W.Nr. 12 764) “<< +” in the engine. He descended to low altitude but was intercepted by Spitfires. He force-landed his aircraft in a grain field near Dover and was taken into captivity. He was promoted to the rank of Major during his imprisonment.
Rolf Pingel was credited with 28 victories in 550 combat missions, including 200 flown during the Spanish Civil War. Included in his total are six victories gained during the Spanish Civil War. All his World War 2 victories were recorded over the Western front.

For full details go to the website mentioned above.

Kind regards

Ross