Uffz. Wolfganf Ortlepp--Stab/JG2--July 1943

[wcarah]

Uffz. Wolfgang Ortlepp claimed a B-17 shotdown near Poille-sur-Vegre S.E. of Laval, France on 4 Jul 1943. It is likely he was one of the JG2 pilots that shot down B-17 42-29928 of the 381st BG piloted by my father and Lt. Olof Ballinger. Can any forum member tell me more about Uffz. Ortlepp?

Thank you,

Warren Carah
Brighton, Michigan
USA

[Chris Goss]

He was flying a FW 190 A-5, Wk Nr 410200 and was wounded, force-landing at Mayenne; I can find no further record of him

[wcarah]

Thank you very much for the information Chris. Interestingly, my father stayed with a farm family in Mayenne after he bailed out. He stayed for about a month and then evaded to Switzerland on 9 August 1943. From there he finally made it back to allied control via Gibralter in late February 1944.

[Chris Goss]

Any chance you could contact me off-board as I would be interested in an account of the combat?

[Fredo Hara]

Originally Posted by Chris Goss

He was flying a FW 190 A-5, Wk Nr 410200 and was wounded, force-landing at Mayenne; I can find no further record of him

Hi Chriss!
You don't precise when Uffz Ortlepp was wounded. The 4 july?
Thanks
Fredo

[Chris Goss]

Oui-4 Juillet

[Fredo Hara]

Merci Chris,
Fredo

[aquarya]

Just realized this 381st BG bomber could not have been shot down by Ortlepp. According to Prien, Freeman, etc. the 381st bombed Le Mans and were attacked by II. Stab/JG2, 6./JG2 and 12./JG2. That means, it had to be G-P Eder, Karch, Aue, Montanus, or Zubrowski.



Geschwaderstab/JG2, including Ortlepp, attacked the bombers targeting Nantes. Only one of these went down, a B-17 from the 92nd BG.

[aquarya]

Just realized this 381st BG bomber could not have been shot down by Ortlepp. According to Prien, Freeman, etc. the 381st bombed Le Mans and were attacked by II. Stab/JG2, 6./JG2 and 12./JG2. That means, it had to be G-P Eder, Karch, Aue, Montanus, or Zubrowski.

Geschwaderstab/JG2, including Ortlepp, attacked the bombers targeting Nantes. Only one of these went down, a B-17 from the 92nd BG.

Also, he appears again in the book Bodenplatte: The Luftwaffe's Last HopeBy John Manrho, Ron Putz on page 63 in a picture with the caption: 10. and 11./JG2 pilots...Faehnrich Wolfgang Ortlepp, WIA 19.11.1944.

[aquarya]

Instead of using secondary sources, which were confusing, to say the least, and conflicting, I've now gone into all the primary sources and this is what I have, if it's any less confusing, I'm not sure:

JG2 Geschwaderstab went after the Le Mans bombers with 12. Staffel (victories north of Le Mans), and some 6. Staffel.

JGI and JGII, and partial 6. Staffel, went after the Nantes and La Pallice bombers (6. Staffel's first victories were south of Nantes).

The Le Mans bombers all describe mixed attacks from FW and ME fighters. The FW were yellow-nosed and tailed, the MEs had black or red spinners. According to Prien, this corresponds to Geschwaderstab and 12. Staffel.

Please correct me if you have primary source evidence any of this is wrong:

LE MANS BOMBERS

303BG B-17 #: 42-5792 piloted by Robert O'Connor, attacked by three FW with yellow noses, first in a 2 o'clock high attack, knocking out #1 engine, and then from the 3 and 6 simultaneously, at around 1230. This one I'm attributing to Egon Mayer at 1236 (FW, yellow noses)

381BG B-17 #42-29928, piloted by Olof Ballinger, never made it to target. First hit by flak at IP, killing ball turret gunner and knocking out #4 engine, left formation, hit by flak again, then ME109s. Several nose attacks, several heavy attacks from behind by 8-10 MEs. Tail gunner believes nose attack did them in. This would definitely be Georg-Peter Eder's victory at 1232.

384BG B-17 #42-3235, piloted by Lawrence Myer, only tail gunner survived, said FWs (yellow noses) and MEs attacked. Rest of group said both types attacked vigorously, closing to 150-200 yards. Eyewitness in another B-17 saw 235 shot down by FW190 12 o'clock high attack at 1238 (1635, p. 30). This would be Ortlepp, flying as Mayer's wingman, who was credited with a victory at 1240.

384BG B-17 #42-29960, piloted by Gordon Erickson, hit by flak after releasing bombs on target, disabling #4 engine and bomb bay doors. As fell back, hit by FW190s circling off the left side of the plane, yellow nosed. These attacks started at nose and went down left side of ship, then circled around and came in again. But also ME attacks. This could be Egon Mayer's 1258 victory.

But that would leave Behrendt (11.) HSS, Zubrowski (6.), Eder's wingman Montanus (12.) e.V. , who were all flying ME109s and who also claim B-17s around 1255-1300 in the same general place, north of Le Mans to the Channel coast without any lost B-17s to correspond to.


NANTES BOMBERS

The 92BG B-17 #42-29960, pilot Campbell, attacked by both FWs and MEs, went down just after bombing Nantes at 1249. FWs described as yellow noses, bottoms and tails. Combat started at 1245 and went all the way to the French coast going out at 1400. This group went west after bombing Nantes, and crossed the coast near Noirmoutier, south of St. Nazaire. "Attacks were so numerous and continuous it was impossible to write up separate combat forms for each attack as crews were unable to detail them separately." 92BG reports seeing one B-17 seen going down in flames and hitting water 10 miles south of Belle Isle (305BG Scott). Crews saw another B-17 in distress heading west of Nantes at 1250.

Attacks on 305BG started at 1248 and continued to 1313. Mix of ME and FW, almost 100% from rear. Then 1317 to 1441 over the Bay of Biscay back to a spot west of and parallel to Brest (865(1), p.59)

305BG B-17 #42-5053, piloted by Bill Wetzel (designation in 897, p. 16 as 92BG), was hit by FWs attacking from the rear south of Nantes. Navigator came down 2km from St. Philbert de Grand Lieu, SW of Nantes.

305BG B-17 #42-29641, pilot Scott, crashed SE Belle Isle, no survivors.

All the 1. and 2. Staffel claims from 13.11 to 13.31 were over the Bay of Biscay, so they would involve these "Nantes" bombers.


LA PALLICE BOMBERS:

100BG B-17 # 42-30051, pilot Pearson, crashed near Ile d'Oleron, south of La Pallice at 1200.

JG26 was not involved with the bombers, only the Spitfire escort.