Grave Search Lt. Hans Gest

[Jamaica Ginger]

I'm looking for any information on a German fighter pilot Lt. Hans Gest KIA Oct 1943 near Kiev on the Russian front. I'm doing this search for his family.
Any information on what Jagdgeschwader he belonged to and exact date of his being killed, location and or pictures of his grave would be appreciated. The family believed he was killed either on the 13th or 23rd of Oct. 1943.

Thank you.

[Leo Etgen]

Hello Ginger

The only information that I can find on this fellow is the following loss list entry in the QM 6:

5 October 1943: Leutnant Hans Gest, Staffelführer of 2./Schl.G 1, killed in Fw 190 F-3 (W.Nr. 670 396) by return fire at Pl.Qu. 0278, 100%

From this it would appear that he was actually a Schlachtflieger or ground-attack pilot not a Jagdflieger or fighter pilot. When I entered these co-ordinates into the Luftwaffe Reporting Grid tool at www.gyges.dk/LUMA.xls it resulted in the following map: http://classic.mapquest.com/maps?l=51.041668&g=30.25 which would fit the area where I./Sch.G 1 was engaged in October 1943. I hope that this helps.

Horrido!

Leo

[Michal]

http://www.volksbund.de/graebersuche...F39D174866FAAF


Nachname: Gest

Vorname: Hans

Dienstgrad: Leutnant

Geburtsdatum: 02.06.1916

Geburtsort: München

Todes-/Vermisstendatum: 05.10.1943

Todesort: 2 km südl. Gornostaipol

[Jamaica Ginger]

To Leo Etgen, and Michal.

I cannot thank you enough for the information that the both of you were able to supply me concerning Lt. Hans Gest. I am doing this search for his grand daughter who is a Lt. Colonel in the US Army stationed in Virginia, USA.

Her ultimate goal was to locate his grave site and if possible, to exhume his remains and bring them here to the US to be reinterned with his wife, who is buried in Virginia.

One last question regarding Lt. Gest. Is there an existing photograph of his grave marker? If there is, I know that the family would be very appreciative in having a copy of it.

I cannot thank both of you enough for the information that you were able to give me to forward to his family.

As to my Log on name: Jamaica Ginger. It was the name of my father's B17 he crewed on as a Ball turret gunner in 1945 based in Knettishall, England of the 388th BG. He saw VE day while in Europe. The Jamaica Ginger flew 137 missions/8th AirForce records. 139 according to my father's log book. Credited with 12 fighter kills, and 3 chowhound missions to Netherlands. Plus numerous POW missions returning Allied service men back to England.

Thank you again.

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Sadly the Volksbund database list his death, but also says that it was not possible to locate its grave, and so he is commemorated on a memorial plaque in Kiev (now Kyiv, Ukrain) war cemetery.