Oberfeldwebel Hans Dammers - 23 July 1943

[ouidjat]

Thanks Leo for the precision. Bright clear now.

[knusel]

Originally Posted by ouidjat

...Lt. Hans Dammers, 9./JG 52, Bf 109G-6 Wk# 20162 "Yellow 9" (lost 3/13/44), His last victory (113), a LaGG on 13 March, 1944. ...
Regards, Franck.

Good morning Franck,

can you tell me the dates of Hans Dammers' kills #101-113 or tell me if they were scored in JG52 or Erg.Gr.Ost ?

Michael

[Johannes]

Hi Michael

Number 101 was scored seven minutes after his 100th on 5th May 1943 at 1108 hrs 2400 metres a LaGG- East of Mertschanskaja 7./JG 52. Number 102 was on 12th March 1944 at 1640 hrs 800 metres altitude again a LaGG-. the 103rd and last the following day, a La-5 Balakeya area at 0850 hrs 2500 metres, the last two were with 9./JG 52. His rudder has 99 bars, then just 100 written followed by 5.5.43.

Kind Regards

Johannes

[PMoz99]

Thank you for the information, Johannes.
Leo, the short biography you posted in 2014 is no longer available. Can you tell me when Dammers went to JGr Ost as an instructor, and when he returned to combat?
Thanks
Peter

[knusel]

Good afternoon Mr Etgen,

I cannot download your Dammers biography either.
Could you make it available again ?
(Meanwhile, I have bought your Bühligen biography, I'm looking forward to working it though.)

Have a nice week,

Michael

[knusel]

There are 4 possible explanations for the 103/113 discrepancy of the total score of Hans Dammers.
1. Someone added 10 kills postwar as a fake or as a typo.
2. 10 of his at least 23 unconfirmed kills received confirmation belatedly.
3. His claim of 28Apr43 (1736) is not valid, therefore his confirmed total is 102 and his 100th was his second claim on 5May. That would explain while no 101st kill was painted on the famous rudder. 102 confirmed kills + 11 kills on the ground = 113.
4. He might have scored 10 kills between May43 and Mar44.

Which do you prefer of do you have any other ideas ?

Cheers,

Michael

[Johannes]

Hi Guys

Yes Dammers was transferred to JGR.Ost after exactly "101" confirmed claims. My friend Bernd Barbas knows more about JG52 than anybody. Sent me photos of his rudder at the Speyer museum, this states Ritterkreuz 31st August 1941, then after victory bars "100" 5th May 1943, this would be the left(mount) side of a Bf109, the right side gives the total of his unconfirmed, plus details of ground materials destroyed.
I have him injured overturning his Bf109 on 23rd July 1943, then returning to combat with 9./Jg52, where he claims two(102-103) more "kills" until he was rammed by a La-5 on 13th March 1944, he baled-out of his Bf109, but was shot in his parachute, and died in hospital. His last claim was a Lagg- on this date, don't know if it's a claim earlier in the day, or the ramming which somebody else did the paperwork for. JG52 alone would often list LaGG-3's and La-5's as LaGG.

He was regarded as the physically strongest pilot of JG52.

Kind Regards

Johannes

P.S don't know where the total of "113" comes from. Up until his 100th every thing matches exactly what was previously stated for him. I can only conclude it's a misprint, or includes some of the many unconfirmed claims he made. His history is a bit like that of Friedrich Wachowiak we were told eight-six in Russia, then later returnes, total 120-140....according to his Mother, yet he gets only another three to make eighty-nine !

[knusel]

Good morning Johannes,

I fail to spot the 101. victory bar on the well-known photo of his left rudder side.
Is this due to my reduced eyesight ?

Cheers,

Michael

[Johannes]

Hi Michael

Yes, sorry "100" on rudder, I suspect it was kept for the publicity, thus the "!00" written on. I would assume there was an actual stencil used by the Staffel/Gruppe "artist", and that his konrads had quite similar rudder set-ups?

Kind Regards

johannes

[knusel]

Good evening Johannes,

I wonder if the 101st kill bar is missing because his claim of 28Apr43 (1736) might not valid (not listed by Prien, Stemmer, Rodeike, and Bock) and instead part of his 23 unconfirmed claims. Therefore his confirmed total might be 102 with his 100th being his second claim on 5May.
102 confirmed kills + 11 kills on the ground = 113.

Cheers,

Michael