Fate of Lt. Heinz Eichhoff, pilot serving with 2./JG2 in the summer of 1943?

[Theo Boiten]

Dear all,

Who can provide me with any details on the fate of Lt. Heinz Eichhoff, a pilot serving with 2./JG2 in the summer of 1943?

Cheers and thanks, Theo

[DDT]

Hi Theo,
Not pretty much. I scrolled Erik Mombeeck's book "Dans le ciel de France, histoire de la J G 2 Richthofen and he is only mentioned once in the text: in may he was one of the new pilots allocated to 2./JG 2, although the mission on the 15th of May was his second war flight.
On the other hand he can be seen on at least 5 pictures in the book.
The career summaries db lists him as wia on 7 june 1944 and appt St.Kap. 2./JG 2 on 15/02/1945.
Kind regards,

Dirk

[Frank Olynyk]

Theo,
Mathews and Foreman: Luftwaffe Aces: Biographies and Victory Claims lists a Christian Eichhoff as flying with 2./JG 2 during the second half of 1944, also Erg.JGrOst. They show 14 victories from June 6, 1944 to Oct 20 1944. And state that he became the last Kommandeur of I./JG 2 on March 26, 1945, and survived the war. They note that he may have had earlier claims.

I suspect that this is your Heinz Eichhoff.

Enjoy!

Frank.

[S Sheflin]

Hello Theo and Dirk, I need your help.

Theo, you posted your question regarding the fate of “Lt. Heinz Eichhoff” of 2./JG 2.

Years ago, I received and transcribed (with the help of several native German speakers) a copy of the Kladde kept by Einsatzhafen I Großostheim. It documented flight operations at the airfield from 17 March to 25 March 1945.

Found within it, were the flights of an Oblt. “Eickhoff” of I./JG 2. His given name did not appear in the Kladde. His surname name, including his given name, Christian, also appears in Michael Holm’s “The Luftwaffe 1935 – 45” site (http://www.ww2.dk/air/jagd/jg2.htm).

This begs several questions: Is this possibly the same person? If so, have we mistranslated his surname and/or listed an incorrect given name? If they are not the same, their being in the same Gruppe and having such similar surnames are an interesting coincidence.

I look forward to you input on these questions.

Steve Sheflin

[kaki3152]

I have that list which was in a Luftwaffe Verband (issue 38,April 2004) and you spelled the name as "Eichhoff" twice and as "Eickhoff" once.

[Theo Boiten]

Dear all,

I found the details on Heinz Eichhoff in Mombeek's book, but failed to trace anything on his further WWII career and fate, that was my reason for asking. I have no other primary sources to check his first name, perhaps Erik Mombeek can check this? I've already asked Johannes Matthews but he has no fate of a Heinz Eichhoff either.

Cheers, Theo

[Peglar]

Hello,
i have an Oblt. Christian Eickhoff, born 28.09.1915, Staffelkapitän 2./JG 26 from 13.7.41 - 16.3.42, died with JG 2 at the 26.01.1943 - see also Priller Book from 1962 Site 351 s. also JG 2 Book Nauroth Site 207, 2 Fotos with Lt Eickhoff also Kreuzer, Haberland, Edelmann, Pedretti, Grossfuss, Bigge – Uffz Pedretti died 08.11.1943 - so taken before.
Lt Christian Eickhoff, JG 2, shot down a P 47 at the 9. September 1944 near Giessen Uffz Georg Wilkens ADIK Bodenplatte Report named Lt Eichoff as Staffelkapitän 2. /JG 2.


Greetings Peglar

[Kapper]

All

Does anyone have first hand proof (copies of RLM, NVM, KTB document/files) that state that Christian Eickhoff was in JG2 after February 1943? I ask this because the Officers database has the statement “mixed with Christian Eichhof” (name spelt differently), with Christian being WIA 26.01.1943 and going on to be A/Gruppe Kammandeur of I./JG2 late in the war, yet I believe Christian Eickhoff was KIA 26.01.1943 as an Oblt and that all reference to this pilot after this date was actually for Heinz Eichhoff who was a Ltn in 1944 then became Oblt in 1945.

I believe that reference to Christian after 26.01.1943 is an error because Christian Eickhoff (DOB 28.09.1915 in China) was Staka 2./JG2 when KIA 26.01.1943 (previously JG53, 26, and JFS5) which was about the time that Heinz Eichhoff (DOB 08.09.1915 in Berlin) arrived in 2./JG2. Eickhoff/Eichhoff is not a common name that would make anyone look twice at the name, like one would with Muller or Schmidt if these names appeared in the same Staffel. I believe that early researchers simply assumed that the earlier Eickhoff was the same person as the later Eichhoff, therefore Christian must have survived on 26.01.1943 and returned to 2./JG 2 after recovering from wounds. Even in this thread there is reference to Christian Eickhoff making claims in 1944, yet the claims files only mention last names and it would be very easy to mix Eickhoff with Eichhoff. Also, the source mentioned in another earlier post stated the kladde had only last name yet it was the second hand source (Holms) that mentioned the first name Christian. I believe the 1944 claims are for Heinz Eichhoff which would have had him with at least 14 victories. The Officer Database has Heinz Eichhoff as Staka 2./JG 2 on 15.02.1945, which makes me believe that it was Heinz not Christian who was Acting Gruppenkammandeur of I./JG 2 on 26.03.1945 to EOW. It would make sense to me that a successful pilot that was still operational at that stage of the war would be made Acting Gruppenkammandeur even though he was not long a Staffelkapitan – there wasn’t many successful pilots operational at the end of the war. To me it seems an earlier error in published sources keeps repeating, due to a lack of a first name in official documents and the mixup between Eickhoff and Eichhoff.

If I am correct, Christian Eickhoff was KIA 26.01.1943 and Heinz Eichhoff ended the war as the Acting Gruppe Kammandeur of I./JG 2 thus survived.

I suppose the first thing to do to clear this up would be for someone who has a copy of the NVM loss data for Christian Eickhoff on 26.01.1943 to post the relevant page to determine if Christian was KIA or WIA and secondly if anyone can supply copies of original documentation that state that Christian (or another Christian?) was still in JG2 after 26.01.1943. I would also be interested to see the loss data for Ltn Eichhoff when WIA 07.06.1944.

Regards,

Craig…

[Peglar]

Christian Eickhoff ruht auf der Kriegsgräberstätte in Ysselsteyn.
Endgrablage: Block BQ Reihe 6 Grab 141

[Johannes]

Hi Guys

Apologies as I do believe I had Eichhoff's Christian name wrong. I checked the micro films and for each of his fourteen claims as a Leutnant there is no forename. Also on my original file I have no D.O.B, can only assume some duplication during editing. The micro films handwriting is usually bad or worst, but it does look like the surename is Eichhoff not Eickhoff. Every trick I known to find a forename comes up blank(literally some times surename, but no forename mentioned), but unless there is some 5000 to one chance it's not Christian, so could well be Heinz, but I cannot prove it. Being a Kommandeur his name should be recorded somewhere!

Another wrong entry was saying that he may have made earlier claims to those listed, this should read as per my file later claims to those listed i.e beyond the scope of the micro films......1945. Have also found no reference to any losses regarding him.

Regarding the earliest question I guess you mean the Summer of 1944 not the Summer of 1943?

Kind Regards

Johannes

P.S This guy is rather like Siegfried Lemke, sort of appeared from nowhere and very successful during the same timeframe!