Robert "Bazi"Weiss

[keith A]

I am looking for details of his aircraft. Does anyone know how many claims he made in the Bf109? I know it was the type he flew while in 10./JG54 therefore he may have made at least 29 claims with the G-6, but did he fly it at any other times?

Also I am sure his first three claims were in the FW190a-1/2 or 3 while with JG26 but did he fly the A-4 in JG54?

[Leo Etgen]

Hello Keith

I agree with you that most likely the majority of his claims recorded with the Bf 109 G-series were while he was serving with 10./JG 54. The only point of confusion is that it appears that I./JG 54 was flying both the Bf 109 G-2 and the Fw 190 A-series from November 1942 until March 1943 when finally the Bf 109 G-2 fighters were phased out and the unit converted entirely to Fw 190 A-4 and A-5 fighters. He did claim a number of victories with 1./JG 54 during this time so it may very well be that some of these were recorded while flying the Bf 109 G-2 and others with the Fw 190 A-4. I have no idea what types he was flying when he claimed specific victories nor indeed anything about aircraft that he flew during the time period in question. Hopefully someone else can add additional information.

Horrido!

Leo

[keith A]

Cheers Leo!

I wonder if, as a quite senior pilot with extensive FW190 experience he would have been allocated the Fw190 rather than the Bf109?

Do you know what his job was in the two periods he was in 1./JG54? As you know he later became staffelfuhrer of 3./JG54 and 10./JG54 but I assume he had some position like adjutant with 1 staffel in early 1943 and then again briefly in the autumn of 1943?


Keith

[Leo Etgen]

Hello Keith

It is possible that he may have been assigned the Fw 190 A-4 rather than the Bf 109 G-2 but I did notice that I./JG 54 was equipped with the Bf 109 F-4 and Bf 109 G-2 in July 1942 as well as September 1942 so he must have had some time to become accustomed to those fighters before the conversion program began in November 1942. It is noteworthy, though, that he did not claim any victories on the Eastern Front until January 1943 so possibly he was indeed more in his element at the time flying the Fw 190 A-4. Who knows and this is pure speculation but interesting nevertheless. I must admit that I wonder if Wood is correct that he served briefly with 1./JG 54 in September 1943. We know he was serving as Staffelkapitän of 3./JG 54 from July 1943 and that by October 1943 he had been transferred as Staffelkapitän to 10./JG 54. Why would he be posted to 1./JG 54 for such a brief period and in what position if he had previously served as a Staffelkapitän? I honestly wonder if this information is in error and instead of 1./JG 54 it should read 10./JG 54? I suppose we will have to wait until a future release of the Jagdfliegerverbände series but I have my suspicions about this.

Horrido!

Leo

[keith A]

Cheers Leo,

Sound reasoning, Leo. I noticed that some sources list him as staka of 11./JG54 (misprint from 10 obviously) and 6./JG54. as well!

As you say he must have gained a reasonable proficiency as a Messerschmidt pilot given his outstanding performance in 10./JG54.

Do you have any information about his training. Where and when?

Keith

[yogybär]

Bazi Weiss is an interesting person!

Originally Posted by Leo Etgen

I must admit that I wonder if Wood is correct that he served briefly with 1./JG 54 in September 1943. We know he was serving as Staffelkapitän of 3./JG 54 from July 1943 and that by October 1943 he had been transferred as Staffelkapitän to 10./JG 54. Why would he be posted to 1./JG 54 for such a brief period and in what position if he had previously served as a Staffelkapitän?

As 1. & 3. Staffel are in the same Gruppe, it sounds relatively reasonable to me that he was tranfered to 1. Staffel, maybe after the original Staffelkapitän was put out of action. Was there any such loss?

I can imagine that he also "liked" the 109, as he was pretty successfull in IV./JG54, which was exclusively equipped with 109s at that time, at least acc. to www.ww2.dk .

[Leo Etgen]

Hello guys

It is a reasonable assumption that he was indeed transferred to 1./JG 54 in September 1943 although I do know that occasionally there are mistakes in Wood's files due to the original films being very difficult to read. It is my understanding that the Staffelkapitän of 1./JG 54 at the time was Oberleutnant Kurt-Reinhard Fischer (33 victories, killed in action 8 December 1943) and as far as I can tell from the Rosipal JG 54 loss list there was no incident involving him at the time although of course that is not to say that he was temporary incapacitated by an illness or on leave. I did enter the co-ordinates of his two victories in question into the Luftwaffe Grid Map Converter and if I did this correctly both appear to have been claimed in the Kiev region which would place him with I./JG 54 rather than IV./JG 54. So very likely he was indeed with 1./JG 54 and my assumption was wrong although I would like to know the reason for his transfer. Perhaps his WASt file would clarify this and I am sure his training as well.

Horrido!

Leo

[yogybär]

The grid-info can be pretty confusing sometimes. Other claims from 1./JG54 in early October 43 are for example "SE Newel".

Concerning JG54 in the South:
Only II. Gruppe of JG54 was based in the South (Kiew etc) around 9'43-2'44, no other.
IV. Gruppe was there (Lemberg, then Romania) ca. April & May '44.

[keith A]

Hi chaps,

Leo, what's a WASt file?

As for Weiss, I assume he replaced Teumer at the head of 10./JG54?
I was looking through his career and hadn't realised he began his JG54 career serving under Nowotny in 1 staffel and alongside Teumer and Dobele. Successful company indeed!

Another little wrinkle. The colour profile of FW190 A-5 (YELLOW 8) in the Osprey book states it was his machine he flew in June 1943 with 3./JG54. However I believe he was injured in May and not flying at this time, returning in July 1943. When did JG54 equip with the A-5 model?

Keith

[Leo Etgen]

Hi guys

You can find out more about the WASt at their web site www.dd-wast.de. Basically they hold the records of the personnel that served in the Wehrmacht that became casualties. Unfortunately it has become very difficult to receive information from this institution in the past years. It appears that I./JG 54 first took the Fw 190 A-5 on strength in March 1943. Many thanks for the information that I./JG 54 was not in the south at the time. I noticed that according to www.ww2.dk/air/jagd/jg54.htm the Gruppe was based at Poltawa (which I understood was in the Ukraine) from August 1943 to October 1943 while IV./JG 54 was based at Idriza (which I understood to be near Latvia) from September 1943 to December 1943.

Horrido!

Leo