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Old 27th May 2019, 19:17
Carsten Petersen Carsten Petersen is offline
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Rudolf Kratz

I am seeking information about Rudolf Kratz, who in the first year of the war flew with KG 30. He was later liaison officer to the Italian air force in France before he came to the Nachtjagd. There must be a gap between is job with the Italian Airforce and his transferral to 10./NJG 3 at Aalborg. What unit was he attached to ?

(From www.ww2.dk)
KRATZ, Rudolf.
01.11.39 Oblt., trf from LKS Berlin-Gatow to Stab/KG 30.
01.02.42 promo to Hptm.
11.10.42 Hptm., appt Staka 10./NJG 3.
20.04.43 Hptm., appt Staka 7./NJG 5 (to 15.02.44).
01.04.45 promo to Maj.

What did he do after February 1944 ? Kratz was a very unpopular Staffelkapitän of 10./NJG 3.

I know that he survived the war and became a dentist.
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Old 14th June 2019, 12:48
Carsten Petersen Carsten Petersen is offline
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Re: Rudolf Kratz

Is Armand van Ishoven still alive? It looks as if he was in contact with Kratz before 1980.
He wrote a book with the title The Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain, where he quotes Kratz.
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Old 14th June 2019, 13:00
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Chris Goss Chris Goss is online now
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Re: Rudolf Kratz

Kratz wrote a very fanciful account of the attack on Driffield 15 Aug 40 which was in the 1941 Jahrbuch der Deutschen Luftwaffe which is what I believe Armand used.
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Old 14th June 2019, 20:00
Carsten Petersen Carsten Petersen is offline
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Re: Rudolf Kratz

Thanks Chriss
I was told that he shortly after the 15th of August, 1944, was taken off operational flying and served instead as liaison officer to the Italian Air Force in France.

I am really interested in what he was doing after his time as a night fighter (he never shot down an enemy plane and constantly complained about technical problems with his plane). I have been told by several night fighter crewmembers that his party book 'was in order' and that he had connections. It would be nice to hear something nice about the man ….
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Old 11th July 2019, 10:10
Phil Irwin Phil Irwin is offline
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I met Dr Kratz in the 1980s just after he retired from being a dentist. He had been a career flyer, promoted to Leutnant in 1936.

Interested to know how you came to know about him.

He also flew a search flight for Oblt Schmid when he and his crew defected with the Ju88 and landed at Dyce.

Will dig out my notes but think that after NJG 5 he was transferred to Berlin.

In 1940 he was with KG30 and attacked RAF Driffield. Chris was correct about article he wrote about the attack. He said he had been asked to write it and that it had been "padded out" to make it "acceptable" for publication!

He told me that he came off combat flying due to his health, I think it was a heart condition. He still had heart problems when I met him.

His association with the Italian Air Force was in 1941. By 1942 he was in 4/NJG 2 and either here or with NJG 3 he claimed a Wellington destroyed whilst flying an Me110.

He was one of the pilots that flew an airsea rescue flight looking for Oblt Schmid (NJG 3) who flew his Ju88 to Dyce. He described finding an empty dinghy and they assumed Schmid had perished. They later learned of his defection and one of their unit later heard their radio transmission.

Kratz told me that he ended the war in the Air Ministry in Berlin.

Later he was approached by a government department and asked if he would vouch for Schmid who was wanting to return to Germany. Kratz refused.

He passed away maybe 10 years ago now, his widow recently.
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