Werner Mölders:25/05/40

[Chris Goss]

There are no totals in this logbook so your request cannot be met. Mölders took off from Douzy that day but whoever is filling his logbook noted that he landed at La Selve (absprunghafen), leaving La Selve the following day at 1330 hrs

[Adriano Baumgartner]

Chris,

With how many hours or Grand Total the Flugbuch starts and when (date)?

I understand, from the few copies of LW Flugbuchs I have seen, that they were obliged (even in cases of losses in combat) to open a new Flugbuch with those totals, which were signed by their Commanding Officers, or Beamters.

Nowadays too, it is standard when you do close one Logbook and open a new one, the grand totals must match and be transferred to the new one.

You do confirm so, that there is NO indication of this total hours in any of the columns or at the very beginning (even on his first line of 28 September 1939, according to the other member of this Board)?

IF so, a real pitty for us....

[Chris Goss]

Adriano:It starts 29 Aug 39 and ends 4 April 1941 by which time 306 flights had been listed. No totals, summary or signatures.
Hope that you and the family are well

[robert]

Yes I mixed up these days...

Robert

[Adriano Baumgartner]

Chris and all,

A real pitty for Historians that the Grand summary is not included...guess he had no time for that while in combat, etc...Onto the "Horrido!" mentioned book it is said that his FB is very very precise and his handwritting do reflect his personality.

Thank you so much for kind attention and detail Chris. We are not on the frontline but retreated to a second line of "defence", but sujected to the fire....though safe! Kid is already flying IL-2 (at 4) and do know by images Spits, Me 109, Fw 190 and all the rest...If his choose the Air as Profession he will be well supported I guess. It will be soon 1 year that we went to France...guess we went and did that Homage in due time....this year it would be impossible....Lost my uncle to COVID (who inspired me to write about WW2 and WW1 and Pilots), but as the French says "c'est la vie".

Maybe one day we will have in those South Lands a Policitian with only 1% of the Caliber of Winston Spencer Churchill...then things will gonna be a little better...

Regarding Mölders, I still believe that his grand total may be (at the beginning of WW2) around 1,000-2,000 flying hours...considering 2 years instructing and War in Spain.

KEEP SAFE and the marvellous work (books). Semper Fi.

Adriano

[Chris Goss]

Adriano: His FB was completed by a clerk/clerks it would appear but the only thing summarized are his victories

[Adriano Baumgartner]

Chris, just another question regarind Mölders' Flugbuch:

Is there any recorded flight of him flying a Fi 156 Storch after he became General der Jagdflieger? It seems that from September 1941, he set up a command post at Chaplinka airfield, from where he flew in his personal Fieseler Fi 156 Storch (stork) on tours of the Jagdwaffe and personally directed German fighter operations. I would like to know the identity of this "PERSONAL" Fi 156 Storch...if there is a werknummer or code registered....But it seems that the Flugbuch stopps at early April 1941....would be any record up there of Fi 156 flights?

A.

[Chris Goss]

As you say it stops 4 April 1941 but there are notes afterwards up to 20 May 41. Nothing about his time in Russia or when he was General der Jagdflieger. Only lists Bf 109 E & F & Bf 108 Wk Nr 2093 OH+AA

[Adriano Baumgartner]

Sad news Chris...

[Adriano Baumgartner]

I asked because of that photograph which I suppose was taken after he was named General der Jagdflieger, probably at Chaplinka Flugplatz. I was wondering if those Fi 156 Storch flights were ever recorded...there seems to be an Oberstleutnant flying him or with him which I can not identify.

A.