Strange case of Walter Dahl

[Dan O'Connell]

Any possibility for WN of the Me 262's he was flying?

[knusel]

Originally Posted by Dan O'Connell

Any possibility for WN of the Me 262's he was flying?

Good morning Mr. O'Connell,

I'm afraid no but I'll have look in my Dahl-book as soon as I'm at home.

Cheers,

Michael

Originally Posted by Jean-Yves Lorant

Hello Johannes

I looked at the new list of Dahl's claims you completed with the Leistungsbuch pages I posted some time ago on this site. Sorry, it is a precise but inaccurate work. I will allow myself two remarks that could help you to be historically credible. There was never a Leutnant Meyer in Stab./JG 300 in 1945 (he was probably in GdF Stab) and Dahl was no longer part of Stab./JG 300 since his appointment as Inspekteur der Tagjäger. The mechanic Alfred Rademacher and the two pilots of Stab./JG 300 I questioned about this were formal. If Dahl had made so many sorties with his old wingmen, it would not have gone unnoticed. As Nick Beale quite rightly said 14 aerial victories in two weeks at that stage of the war is truly prodigious. It is even more so if you are researching allied losses at the places and dates given by Walther Dahl.
It would be interesting to know if the Flugbuch in possession of Russ Fahey also covers this period of Dahl's career. By giving us the places, times of takeoffs and landings, this would bring more credibility to this amazing score.

The Flugbuch of Walther Loos is sadly not 100% reliable. For the last missions of 1945 there are surcharges with a different writing. No comments...

Regards
Jean-Yves Lorant

Good morning Mr. Lorant,

I noticed that in the Leistungsbuch there is a "100" scribbled next to the entry of Dahl's 99th claim. Does that mean that he believed an earlier kill was confirmed belatedly, which shifts the numbers of his kills one upwards ?

Cheers,

Michael

[Dan O'Connell]

Thank you Michael.

[Johannes]

Hi Jean-Yves

Many thanks for getting involved with this one. I assume the inaccurate part of on list it just the units? I thought given his actual job at the time that he would just turn-up at a unit and use their aircraft/wingmen.
I had thought about the Leistungsbuch being fake, but if so it must be an old fake. Ernst Obermeier seems to use it in his Ritterkreuz publication a few years after Dahl's death. I don't have his 1966 publication, but I hope somebody can enlighten us as to his claims totals in it.

Regarding Russel Fahey's flugbuch of Dahl, that would appear to be genuine, he purchased the book(at great expense) photocopied it then sold it on. The period covered is 23rd August 1941 until 15th October 1944, so not covering the period we would like.


I think by memory that Obermeier states that Loos is with JG301 at the end of the war, where he makes nine claims over Russian aircraft...….presumably with Dahl, same for Werner Bohnenkamp, and if Dahl was as dodgy as suggested Leutnant Meyer would have been credited with claims also. It would appear that Dahl seconded old wingmen to fly his last sorties.

There is a request for which actual Me262 he flew, are we to believe he had his own personal aircraft, and Fw190 also.


Would be very grateful if you could enlighten us as to the details of the missing claims, also would be interested in the details of his witnesses over the years.


Kind Regards

Johannes

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by Johannes

There is a request for which actual Me262 he flew, are we to believe he had his own personal aircraft?
Johannes

I very much doubt it. These are III./EJG 2's strengths for some days in April:

6 April: 25 (16) Me 262 - [inc. 7 Me 262 A-4 reconnaissance]
7 April: 27 (22) Me 262 - 3 to strength, 1 off strength
8 April: 26 (19) Me 262 - 3 to strength, 2 total losses, 2 to Gen. Qu. reserve
9 April: 23 (13) Me 262 - 4 to strength
10 April: 21 (17) Me 262 - 2 off strength

[knusel]

Originally Posted by Dan O'Connell

Any possibility for WN of the Me 262's he was flying?

Good evening Mr. O'Connell,

the Dahl volume by Ralf Schumann does only include one Me262 picture and does not even propose that this is Dahl's plane. Maybe the Me262 activities of Dahl are a hoax.

Kind regards,

Michael

[Dan O'Connell]

Hard to say Michael, I assume he just flew what ever 262 was usable when he was there.

[Broncazonk]

Willi Reschke has Walter Loos joining the Ta 152 equipped Stabsschwarm of JG 301 in early April. (Pg. 251) His photograph appears on Pg. 252 and 255.

The first Appendix lists three (3) victories for Loos while serving with Stabsschwarm/JG 301:

2 victories on 24 April 45, Jak-9's over Berlin
1 victory on 30 April 45, Jak-9 over Berlin (Very last mission for the unit.)

Reschke describes the 24 April action in detail on Pg. 257-259. On that day, Loos was in a three flight consisting of Loos, Keil and Blum, all flying a Ta 152.

Who witnessed Dahl's 24 & 30 April victories?

Bronc

[Karoband]

Originally Posted by Broncazonk

Willi Reschke has Walter Loos joining the Ta 152 equipped Stabsschwarm of JG 301 in early April. (Pg. 251) His photograph appears on Pg. 252 and 255.

The first Appendix lists three (3) victories for Loos while serving with Stabsschwarm/JG 301:

2 victories on 24 April 45, Jak-9's over Berlin
1 victory on 30 April 45, Jak-9 over Berlin (Very last mission for the unit.)

Reschke describes the 24 April action in detail on Pg. 257-259. On that day, Loos was in a three flight consisting of Loos, Keil and Blum, all flying a Ta 152.

Who witnessed Dahl's 24 & 30 April victories?

Bronc

Good afternoon,

In his first post, Johannes was very careful to state:
"... He was I understand flying the Me 262 with III./EJG 2 but I think that he just turned up at either III./EJG 2 or Stab/JG 300 depending on what type he wished to use. Now I understand that Loos at this time was flying with JG 301 …". It is logical to assume that Dahl could have shown up at Lechfeld at any time to borrow a Me 262 but Bronc's information may point to an alternative.

If I am wrong about assuming the Stabsschwarm of JG 301 was from the Stabsstaffel of JG 301, please correct me.

http://www.ww2.dk/air/jagd/jg301.htm

From the above source:
"The Stabsstaffel / JG 301 was formed 23.1.45 in Rechlin from Erprobungskommando Ta 152, but remained at Rechlin and never operated together with the rest of JG 301."

So I have to ask Bronc if Reschke mentioned if the flight of Loos, Keil and Blum on 24 April originated from Rechlin? Could Rechlin be the source of Dahl's Me 262s?

Best regards,

Jim

[Broncazonk]

Originally Posted by Karoband

Good afternoon,

So I have to ask Bronc if Reschke mentioned if the flight of Loos, Keil and Blum on 24 April originated from Rechlin? Could Rechlin be the source of Dahl's Me 262s?

Best regards,

Jim

Per Reschke, Pg. 257:

24 April 1945

"JG 301 once again succeeded in getting all of its units into the air to bomb and strafe Russian positions near Zossen southeast of Berlin. The Stabsschwarm and II./JG 301 took off from Neustadt-Glewe at 0800 hours and the I. and III. Gruppe got airborne from Hagenow at about the same time."

Bronc