Ofw Hermann Förster 2./JG27

[bearoutwest]

Hello All.
I recently found mention of the following on Hakan’s Biplane website while researching RN Brewster Buffalos:

“Lt(A) Kenneth Lloyd Keith DSC, RN
In June 1941 he was still assigned to HMS Eagle and 813 Fighter Flight. However during this time he was seconded to an ad hoc RN unit comprising a mixture of Buffaloes, Fulmars, Sea Gladiators and borrowed RAF Hurricanes with pilots drawn from 803, 805 and 806 Squadrons, which was based at Dekhelia near Alexandria. The unit was tasked mainly with escorting convoys between Mersa Matruh and Tobruk. Most of the sorties were uneventful.

On 17 June 1941 he was shot down flying an 805 Squadron Brewster Buffalo (AX813) while on a fighter patrol over HM ships north-west of Sidi Barrani. Although wounded, Keith survived the crash and was rescued by a German patrol, but he subsequently died of his wounds on 26 June 1941. Most probably he was shot down by Oberfeldwebel Hermann Förster (totally 13 victories) of 2./JG 27 who claimed an enemy aircraft in the area during the day, which he identified as a 'Brewster'. “

Can anyone shed any further light on the incident or on Ofw Hermann Förster of 2/JG 27?

Regards, …geoff

[Matti Salonen]

1941-12-14, 2./JG 27, Bf 109F-4 Trop, Bomba, 15 km nordwestlich Tmimi, Jägerbeschuß. Bruch 100 %.
Flugzeugführer Ofw Förster, Hermann, +
Ofw Förster mit Fallschirm abgesprungen aber am Schirm erschoßen.

Matti

[Marcel Hogenhuis]

Hello Matti,

If I am correct, Hermann Förster was responsible for the first nightfighter victory of the III./NJG 1.

All the best, Marcel / Venlo

[GuerraCivil]

I´m interested in this pilot and would like to write a small article about him. Does anyone know basic biographical notes of him (like when he was born)? Are there any photos of him and his planes available? What I have found with Google does not give enough (so far).

[Johannes]

Hi

He was born on 30th May 1941, and trained with JFS.Werneuchen. On 14th December 1941 he was shot down by RAF Kittyhawks. He baled-out of his Bf109 near Tmimi, Libya, but his parachute failed and he fell to his death, it was his 287th sortie.

All his claims were as an oberfeldwebel, the first six with 11.(N)/JG 2, the last seven with 2./JG 27:-

23rd February 1940 Wellington 50km north of Norderney at 1025 hrs
26th April 1940 Hampden over Hornum at 0101 hrs
10th May 1940 Fokker G-1 near Rotterdam
10th May 1940 Fokker G-1 near Rotterdam
24th May 1940 Blenheim over Borkum at 0818 hrs
9th July 1940 Whitley 20km north of Heligoland at 0250 hrs
17th June 1941 Brewster at 1910 hrs
26th June 1941 Hurricane over Gambut at 1330 hrs
18th August 1941 P-40 east of Ras Asaz at 1830 hrs
21st August 1941 Hurricane east of Gambut at 1745 hrs
10th October 1941 Hurricane at 0950 hrs
10th October 1941 Hurricane at 1600 hrs
10th December 1941 Boston 15km east of El Hacheim at 1402 hrs

Kind Regards

Johannes

P.S those other than 2./JG 27 details may not be 100% accurate, or confirmed.

[John Beaman]

[quote=Johannes;208020]Hi

He was born on 30th May 1941, and trained with JFS.Werneuchen. On 14th December 1941 he was shot down by RAF Kittyhawks. He baled-out of his Bf109 near Tmimi, Libya, but his parachute failed and he fell to his death, it was his 287th sortie.
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Johannes, I'm sure you mean some other birth date than 1941 and then being shot down later that year.

[GuerraCivil]

I suppose that Hermann Förster was born on 30.5.1914 and location? Any hints of family background and enlisting to Luftwaffe´s service? About Förster´s death German sources state that he was targeted and shot by enemy P-40 when parachuting (not that his parachute just failed and death would thus have been accidental). It has been speculated that the parachuting Förster was killed by the DAF ace Clive Caldwell (living up to his nickname "Killer").

Thanks for the input. Förster´s career is interesting as he started as a nightfighter pilot (11.(N)/JG2), participated in the invasions against Norway and Netherlands and ended up in North Africa. AFAIK, the Hampden (confirmed as a loss of 49 Squadron of RAF) he shot down 26.4.1940 was the second night air victory of Luftwaffe (the very first one was a Fairey Battle shot down by Ofw. Wilhelm Schale on 21.4.1940).

About the two Fokker G-1 claimed on 10.5.1940 (in daylight) there is some controversy as Germans claimed on that day three Fokker G-1 (AFAIK) but according to Dutch sources they lost only two G-1 on that day and the other G-1 should perhaps be credited to Oblt. Richard Leppla of 3./JG 51. When it comes to the rest of Förster´s claim as a pilot of 11.(N)/JG 2 and NJG 1 they should be accurate and possible to confirm from the recorded RAF losses (as it is often with the claims of German nightfigter units). According to what I have read these claims are confirmed by enemy records:
21.2.1940 Wellington - matches with the recorded loss of 38 Squadron of Bomber Command
26.4.1940 Hampden - see the notes above (49 Squadron)
10.5.1940 at least one Fokker G 1 of two claimed seems confirmed by Dutch records (see notes above)
24.5.1940 Blenheim - matches with the recorded loss of 235 Squadron of Coastal Command
9.7.1940 Whitley - matches with the recorded loss of 10 Squadron of Bomber Command (Whitley N1496) - by the way this was the first air victory of the first German nightfighter-wing NJG 1.

I have not found any details about Förster´s wherabouts and career between July 1940 and June 1941: how and when Förster was transferred to dayfighters and JG 27? I guess it was his own request to be transferred to serve in dayfighters?

The Brewster Buffalo shot down on 17.6.1941 is first sign of him at the service of JG 27. The claim seems to be very accurate claim as stated above and to my knowledge it was the only Brewster Buffalo shot down by a Luftwaffe pilot. Förster´s air victory on 17.6.1941 is a unique detail in the history of Brewster Buffalo. Interesting little twist is that after Förster´s air victory it was just few days later (25.6.1941) when Brewster Buffalos were succesfully employed against the Allied (Soviet) by a German ally (Finns).

It seems that Förster´s claims were fairly accurate and can be confirmed by the loss records of the enemy although I do not know if all of his claims while serving JG 27 have been studied and compared with the Allied losses.

During his combat career Förster flew three different versions of Bf 109: the D(ora), E(mil) and F(riedrich). His combat career reflects well the intial succesfull development of Bf 109 from early Jumo-engined model to the F-4 which has been considered as the most competitive and best version of Bf 109 by many. There was certainly some difference between flying a D-version (as a nightfighter) from the German/Norwegian airbases during the wintertime and flying tropicalized E/F-models in desert conditions of North Africa.

I guess that I can put together something about Hermann Förster with these little notes. However it would have been interesting to know if there are any details about Förster´s family background, his entering time to Luftwaffe´s service and if anyone has wrote down any memories or anecdotes of those who knew him. And are there any photos of Hermann Förster available? Without such data he will remain rather faceless and unknown soldier like so many others who lost their life in combat during WW2.

I have found from the web one photo which reportedly shows the Bf 109 E-7/Trop flown by H. Förster in June 1941:https://www.pinterest.com/pin/291959988318554699/ and also his Bf 109 D is featured in some photos to my knowledge.

[mdejong]

I was told by the owner of the Foerster grouping that he was killed hanging in his parachute by a sniper on the ground.

[VtwinVince]

That is a very high sortie total for that period of the war.