Max Stotz

[Monaco]

Hello gents,
has anyone the victory claims No.10-16 for the less well-known high-scoring Luftwaffe ace Max Stotz during the Battle of Britain and Yugoslavia campaigns as I have not the JFVdL from Prien for this areas.

Thanks in advance

[Laurent Rizzotti]

According to Prien, Ofw Maximilian Stotz of 4./JG 54 calimed a Blenheim south of Rotterdam at 1410 hrs on 8 July 1940 as his 9th victory.

His next victory (10th) was a SB-2 claimed at 2015 hrs on 26 June 1941 on the Eastern Front: he scored no victory in BoB or Balkans according to Prien.

Victories 10-16 were all scored on the Eastern front between 26 June and 15 August 1941. Details are available if you are interested.

[Monaco]

Hello Laurent,
thank you for clearing up things. I trusted the kracker list saying, that Stotz had claimed 16 victories in the West and he gained his first on 02.08.42 - that´s definetivly wrong as I looked up in Prien (anyway I appreciate Kracker sharing this huge ammount of datas).

However there are some questions arising:
1. What about the claims of 07.04.41
07.04.41 Obfw. Max Stotz: 16 4./JG 54 Me.109  - Indjija, 10 m. from Krusedol Reference: Shores, Cull, Malizia

In all 9 Me.109Es of 32 Grupa attacked the Ju.87 formation and claimed 3 shot down when bounced by 4./JG.54 – Oblt. Philipp claimed 2 Me.109, Stotz and an unkkown pilot 1 Me.109 s/d. In fact 32 Grupa lost 8 Me.109 shot down or severely damaged and 5 pilots: Capt. Miha Klavova (104 Esk.), Sgt. Milivoje Boskovic (104 Esk.), 2/Lt. Jovan Kapesic (103 Esk.), Sgt. Vladimir Gorup (103 Esk.) and Wt.Off. Branislav Todorovic (103 Esk.) all KIA. Sgt. Stojanovic WIA, Sgt. Stelcer bailed out unhurt, 2/Lt Miodrag Aleksic (142 Esk.) shot-up by two Bf.109Es force-landed. Sgt. Gorup and 2/Lt Aleksic each were credited with the destruction of a Bf.109E.
Are there other claimants known?

2. I listed up all victories for Stotz now, but came up with a number of 182 with the last on 15.08.43 (I can send you the list). That leaves 7 unknown to me. Maybe these 7 were in fact No.10-16 claimed in the West, because after being WIA on 09.07.40 by bomb splinters Stotz could have recovered quickly and may have participated in the BoB, but like you I have no claims in the time between July 1940 and June 1941. Maybe someone can shed a light into this.

[Laurent Rizzotti]

According to Prien Bock, II./JG 54 claimed seven victories in the late afternoon of 7 April 1941, all south of Neusatz:
_ Uffz Walter Pircharn of 6./JG 54 a Bf 109 E at 1745 hrs (1st victory)
_ Lt Hans Beisswenger of 6./JG 54 a Hurricane at 1750 hrs (1st victory)
_ Uffz Josef Amberger of 6./JG 54 a Bf 109 E at 1750 hrs (1st victory)
_ Oblt Hans Philipp of 4./JG 54 two Bf 109E at 1755 and 1803 hrs (24th and 25th victories)
_ Lt Horst Wolter of 4./JG 54 a Bf 109 E at 1755 hrs (1st victory)
_ Oblt Carl Sattig of 4./JG 54 a Fi 156 at 1800 hrs (1st victory)

Shores and co book was released before the Luftwaffe claim lists later used by Tony Wood, and then Prien, were available. My guess is that the claim that was identified in this book as one by Stoltz is the one made by Lt Wolter.

Prien's study is for me the most up to date available.

[Monaco]

About Prien I agree with you (though I´ve no room/ money to buy all volumes).
Referring to 07.04.41 this would be a rare case of underestimating as 6 claims (if we include the Hurricane) stand against 8 Bf.109s lost, but it could be explained, that some were only severely damaged.

However I came about another claim, that puzzles me:
Blenheim R3738 of 110 Sq. RAF s/d NW Walcheren on 20.07.40 normally attributed to Uffz. Oswald Frauendorf of 6./JG.54, but in a Manuscript of Heinrich Weiß Lt. Rolf von Aspern and Fw. Max Stotz of 4./JG.54 were named as the "victors".