A ?? RE: Fulbert Zink

[NickM]

Guys:

I recall that Fulbert Zink was shot down & killed on March 14, 1943 while serving with I/JG26 in Russia...however reading the account in the JG26 War Diary raised a couple of silly questions: He was reported as MIA because his aircraft didn't return from a dogfight that strayed over the Russian side of the Front Line (presumably...); yet a photo from Heinrich Heuser shows the remains of Zink's FW-190. It appears intact but seems to be lying on it's back. So, was Zink killed in the crash or did he end up MIA on the Russian side of the line & just never came home again?

Thanks ahead of time.

[alessandro bray]

Good morning,

it's possible that the photo is related to the 5. March combat in which Hptm Zink's FW190 Wn 7176 suffered extensive combat damage and was written off?

Alessandro

[JohnnyB]

Hi Nick,

what I've found :

Hptm Zink, Fülbert

Staffelkapitän Unit : 2/JG-26 (3/42 repl Eickhoff)

Aircraft : Bf 109, Fw 190A-4 Werk # 7173 (force land 3/5/43), Fw 190A-4 Werk # 7176 "Black 13" (lost)

Awards : DK-G(4/28/43 Post.), EP, EK 1 & 2, Fighter Operational Clasp

Info :
KIA 14 March, 1943 in his "Black 13" during aerial combat with Soviet fighters E of Verschinkoye.
One known western victory, his 17th, a Spitfire by Watten on 27 April, 1942.
His 20th, a Spitfire 6 km northeast of Dunkirk on 1 June, 1942.
His 23rd, a Spitfire 15 km west of Authie/Mündung on 31 July, 1942.
His 25th, a P-51 15 km SW of Dieppe.
His 30th, a Spitfire at Marquise on 12 December, 1942.
His first known Soviet victory, a LaGG-3 on 27 February, 1943.
An P-39 on 28 February, 1943.
An Il-2 on 3 March, 1943. 36 victories.

Regards and Merry Christmas,

Rainer

[JohnnyB]

Very interesting,

Fülbert Zink, recorded as MIA since 01.03.1943 (at Ilmensee area) in the memorial book of the cemetery Korpowo (Oblast Nowgorod, 34 km to Demjansk)

Here the Link to the (german) page of "Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge" (German War Graves)

http://www.volksbund.de/fileadmin/pd...6b03efcad3.pdf


Cheers, Rainer

[Nokose]

Does anyone know the time of the mission on the 14 Mar 1943 that Hptm. Fülbert Zink 2./JG 26 was shot down. I found in JFV 12/III that he was shot down east of "Werschinskojetz" on the 14th but above it lists Verschinkoye (Its difficult matching German names with Russian names. Also some Russian villages listed in WW2 don't exist anymore or got a name change. There is a Soviet memoir that describes this day which indicates he might have survived and been captured. It describes the German pilot as an ace but wearing the Knights Cross with Oak Leaves which Zink never won.