Otto Dommeratzky's death, 13 October 1944

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Still researching the losses of this month, does anyone know the name of the mechanic killed with the above ace when they were shot down by American fighters? Dommeratzky was carrying him in the fuselage during a transfer flight.

Thanks in advance.

Laurent

[Ota Jirovec]

Hello Laurent,

Not exactly an answer to your question, but please note that it is very unlikely that Otto Dommeratzky was shot down by American fighters - there are no claims of the 15th USAAF fighters near Dommeratzky´s crash site. Actually, the nearest (and only) claims by 15th USAAF fighters on this date are 2 SM.79s (!) claimed by 31st FG in Pápa area, Hungary, some 250 km away from the location where his Fw 190 crashed.

[Csaba B. Stenge]

Ota,

you must know, that not every claim remained (were recorded?) from that day by American fighters. It is known, what did they attack and claimed over Pápa, but they shot down for sure at least one another plane far from that city, a Hungarian Fw 58 near Kemenesmagasi (and no trace in the US records).

[Ota Jirovec]

Hello Csaba,

Of course, there could have been some unrecorded claims. This is why I wrote unlikely instead of utterly impossible. I believe we agree that we are much more frequently facing the opposite situation - too many claims versus a few inflicted losses.

Just curious: can you reveal the identity of aircraft attacked and claimed by those P-51 pilots over Papa? Many thanks in advance.

Ota