Lost JU 88 24 March 1945

[Khorat]

sounds interesting, I had a Lt. .........von....... as pilot for the 3C+AR ?

khorat

[marketc47]

Thanks for the replies.
It still seems like a puzzle to me and I need to get the info posted here in god order. Have some problems with the Ff and Bf.
Never looked into the German Luftwaffe and those terms are all new to me.

The plane crashed north of Wesel and two or three of the crew perished in the crash. Time of crash was about midnight 24/25 March.
So the Neuhauser plane seemd to be ruled out as the crew survived.
Lt. Mirrendorf/Wittendorf might be possible.
were they III/NJG 4?

Hans

[RodM]

Hi,

the data from the 'Nachtjagd War Diaries', is principally based upon two ULTRA messages - one giving a summary of the III./NJG4 sorties on the night of 24-25 March 1945 and the other giving details of the loss of 3C+AR.

From the former, one of two pilots was at the controls of 3C+AR - Lt. 'Wittendorf' or Lt. 'von Mylius' (Lt. Josef von Milius). From the latter, the details of the loss did not provide the name of the pilot.

After cross-referencing a large number of ULTRA messages, the name 'Wittendorf' only occurred once, so it has not been possible to confirm the spelling. Thanks to Matti for providing the name of Kurt Mittendorf.

As to the aircraft, ULTRA indicates that 712283 went off-strength (for repair) from III./NJG4 following damage to the hydraulics on 6 March 1945. It also appears to have been transferred from II./NJG4 to I./NJG4 on 19 March 1945.

Here is what I have databased from the original ULTRA message about the loss (from HW 5/688, R.511/C/24):

From III./NJG4 on 28/3:- Subject: Personnel and QM Return: A) 24/3/45, time unknown. B) 7. Staffel. C) Location Unknown. D) Special Operation. E) Reason Unknown. F) Ju.88 G1. G) 712283. H) 3C AR. I) 100%. J) Replacement. Yes. K) Personnel casualties: Lt. ??, Pilot; Oegfr. Werner Lefkes, ??; Uffz. Erich Stifter, BF; Gefr. Johann Blever, BM, missing. L) Unknown. (note - see HW 5/682 T.500/96: 7 Ju88 took off from Lippspringe and Paderborn, only 6 landed. Possible identity of pilot of 3C+AR is Lt. von Mylius or Lt. Wittendorf)

Cheers

Rod

PS - Fw. Bruno Neuhäuser's aircraft was 620982 (3C+CS)

[karl lusink]

Hello,
Book: "Die Luftlandung" von Johan Nitrowski seite 359:
Das nachgefecht an der Kreuzung Holzweg/Hesenweg vom 24 zum 25 März 1945. Gerard M. Devlin beschreibt einige episoden in seinem buch Silent Wings.
"Die situation and der Wegkreuzung begann allmählich zu beruhigen als um 23.55 uhr eine beschädigte deutsche Ju 88 etwas nördlich der Kreuzung auf einem feld notlandete und über den Acker gleitend zum stehen kam....."
Seite 361: "Einige der amerikanischen Soldaten gingen am Morgen noch einmal zu der Nachts ganz in ihrer Nähe gelandeten Ju 88 hinüber. Sie fanden zwei Leichen: Die eine war das aus der Machine geschleuderte Besatzungsmitglied, und der andere war der PIlot, der in seinem Wrack festgeklemmt war."
Und: "Am Morgen des 25 März 1945 liegen an der Kreuzung Hessenweg/Holzweg 13 deutsche soldaten die den nachtangriff mit dem leben bezahlten mussten. Von der Hof KLeinpass wurden die Toten vorläufig begraben."

Notlandung Ju 88 am 24-03-1945 in der nähe von Lackhausen
(Landezone S)
Die Toten wurden umgebettet ab März 1946 aber wohin? Diersfordt???


Gruss
Karl Lusink
ARGA
www.arga-nl.nl

[marketc47]

Karl,

Thanks for your reply. That is indeed the JU88 I asked information about.
Have Nitrowski's book and Devlin's book has been ordered earlier this week.

Good question about where the casualties were buried in 1946.

Hans

[Chris Going]

A very belated addition to this thread: there are three colour photographs of this event posted in the Jeff Ethell site ww2color.com. Click search, then go to images 00742; 00858, and 02379. They do indeed reveal that two of the crew perished.


Chris Going

[RodM]

Originally Posted by Matti Salonen

I have Lt Kurt Mittendorf as a pilot of 3C+AR and Ogfr Werner Lefkes dead. Could anyone confirm this?

Matti

Hi Matti,

you gave the name of the pilot as "Lt. Kurt Mittendorf". May I ask the source of this information?

As you'll know, ULTRA (HW 5/688 CX/MSS/R.511/C/24) records:

"From III/(C%NJG.4) on 28/3:- Subject: Personnel and QM. Return: A) ((Date and time)) 24/3/45, unknown. B) ((Unit)) 7 Staffel. C) ((Place)) Unknown. D) ((Nature of flight)) special operation. E) ((Reason for crash)) Unknown. F) ((A/c type)) Ju.88 G-1. G) ((Works no. 712283. H) ((Marking)) 3C AR. I) 100%. J) Replacement. Yes. K) Personnel casualties: Lt. (smudge) Pilot, Oegfr. LEFKES, WERNER (smudge), Uffz. STIFTER, ERICH, W/T Operator, Gefr. BLEVER, JOHANN, mechanic (aircrew) missing. L) Unknown".

The pilot's name was not given, but from a III./NJG4 operations report also in ULTRA (HW 5/682 T.500/96), his name was either Lt. Mittendorf or Lt. von von Mylius.

From written and photographic sources, I know the pilot died in the crash. Sometime later, the Americans cut open the cockpit and recovered his body.

Photographic evidence also shows two other crew members died in the crash or the immediate aftermath. Testimony states one or two wounded men were shot and a fourth man taken prisoner.

Oegfr. Werner Lefkes (b. Viersen 7/9/1924) is buried in in an unmarked grave somewhere within the Kriegsgräberstätte at Wesel-Diersfordt.

Uffz. Erich Stifter (b. Brunn/CSR 22/4/1922) was listed in a supplement to the DRK-Vermisstenbildliste in the 1960s.

At least three men should be buried, presumably in Wesel-Diersford, but the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge e.V. website currently only lists one. Also, we don't know the fate of Gefr. Johann Blever.

Cheers

Rod