12.06.1940, Stab KG54

[srob48]

Sorry if this has already been asked. (I did do a quick search but didn't find an answer).

My question is:
0n 12th June 1940, Stab KG 54 suffered the loss of 3 Heinkels:

Heinkel He111. Shot down by RAF fighters over Le Havre. Oblt. Kurt Erdmann, Oblt. Georg Meyer and 2 crew members captured. Aircraft a write-off.

Heinkel He111. Shot down by RAF fighters and crashed near Le Havre. Oblt. Max Winkler, Oblt. Schletz and 2 crew members captured. Aircraft a write-off.

Heinkel He111. Damaged by RAF fighters and force-landed near Le Havre. Crew captured. Aircraft a write-off.

Does anyone know the names and crew positions to complete these 3 crews? I have checked 'The Battle of France then and now' but this excellent book does not list all the names.

[Peter Cornwell]

Crews not fully documented as uninjured. Latest information is as follows:

Stab KG54 Heinkel He111P-2. Shot down by Hurricanes of Nos. 17 and 242 Squadrons over Le Havre 12.30 p.m. Possibly that claimed by F/O Czernin. BO Oberlt Kurt Erdmann, BS Oberlt Georg Meyer, and two crewmen captured unhurt – all later released. Aircraft 100% write-off.
Possibly that reported crashed at Anglesqueville-l’Esneval, five miles south of Étretat, whose crew were first transported to Le Havre then Cherbourg where they were overtaken by the German advance.

Stab KG54 Heinkel He111P-2. Shot down by Hurricanes of Nos. 17 and 242 Squadrons near Le Havre 12.30 p.m. Possibly that claimed by P/O Leary. BO Oberlt Max Winkler, FF Oberlt [ ] Schletz, and two crewmen all believed unhurt. Aircraft 100% write-off.
Possibly that which belly-landed behind Ferme Fiquet off the road between Les Loges and Bordeaux-St-Clair, west of Étretat, where it was set alight by its crew before they were delivered to advancing German troops near Fécamp.

Stabsstaffel KG54 Heinkel He111P-2. Forced-landed damaged by Hurricanes of Nos. 17 and 242 Squadrons near Le Havre 12.30 p.m. FF Fw Wilhelm Müller and rest of crew captured unhurt – all later released. Aircraft 100% write-off.
Possibly that reported crash-landed at Bréauté-Manneville.

[srob48]

Thank you Peter. I have noticed that crew members that were uninjured were not always mentioned in the Luftwaffe Loss Records 1940/41. But I would have thought that there would have been a record kept of the names of Luftwaffe airmen who were captured, even if only at a unit level. I have unit histories for KG4, KG51, KG53, KG55, JG2, JG5, JG7, JG26, JG27 and JG51 series of books by Motor buch Verlag. But there appears to be no published source for the history of KG54.

[Peter Cornwell]

Most unit histories have to rely on whatever surviving documentation survives in official archives. During the early stages of the war Lw losses routinely reported through the General Quartermaster (Abt.6) Returns did not name NCO casualties whether they be killed, wounded, or captured. This remained the situation until late August 1940. Some unit diaries (KTBs) record full crew names as do Allied reports dealing with captured personnel etc.

[RudiS]

Originally Posted by srob48

But there appears to be no published source for the history of KG54.

Siegfried Radtke, a former member of KG 54, published the unit history back in 1990. (ISBN 3-88014-098-7 - Schild verlag GmbH, Munich).

Regards,
Rudi.

[rickback4444]

Hi,

PLease can someone provide me with further details over the loss of Oberleutnant Kurt Erdmann who was captured and then returned to his unit and then shot down and killed on the 25th August 1940 with KG54?

Thank you as always

Rick

[srob48]

According to Luftwaffe Officer Career Summaries:
ERDMANN, Kurt. 01.04.37 Ofhr., III./KG 254, promo to Lt.(RDA 01.04.36). 01.09.39 Lt., promo to
Oblt.(Tr.O.), in KG 54. 12.06.40 Oblt. in Stab/KG 54, POW – in He 111 shot down by 17 and 242
Sqdns. over Le Havre. 13.08.40 Oblt. in Stab/KG 54, KIA by Hurricane fighters in the vicinity of
Farnborough - Ju 88 A-1.

Buried at St. Andre, France.

[Chris Goss]

Crashed at Treyford 13 Aug 40 not 25 Aug 40 body never found

[srob48]

Chris, that is incorrect.
13th August 1940.
Stab I/KG54.
Junkers Ju88A. Sortie to Farnborough a/f. Shot down by RAF fighters and crashed in the Channel. Oblt. Kurt Erdmann (FF) killed (Washed ashore on 25.8.40 at Creil Plage, buried at St. Andre, France). Uffz. Hans Haferkamp (B) missing. Oblt. Georg Meyer (Bf) missing. Uffz. Gustav Bortz (Bs) missing. Aircraft lost.

He is buried at St. Andre under the date he was found.
See: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...8/kurt-erdmann

[Chris Goss]

Should have checked and not replied on memory-I am wrong!