Photo of the plate of He 111H-6 WNr 4222 (1./KG27) and location which somewhat contradicts the entry in Gen.Qu.6.Abt. loss return

[Andrey Kuznetsov]

Hello,

on 20.10.41 the loss of He 111H-6 WNr 4222 1G+CH (1./KG27) appeared in Gen.Qu.6.Abt. losses return (RL2-III/1178 Lfd.Nr.34, date of loss - 15.10.41), location unknown. According to Walter Waiss (Chronik KG27) it was south of Rostov after an attack on an armoured train.

However, the wreckage, including the plate in the picture below, was found near Gladkovskaya, ~30 km N of Novorossiysk. Indeed, it is S (rather, to the SW) Rostov, but the distance is too big - almost 300 km. In any case, we now know the exact location of the crash.



What does the NVM report say about WNr 4222?

Best regards,
Andrey

[Adriano Baumgartner]

Andrey,

Do you happen to know at which height the bombing took place? I suppose that possibly at low or medium level. I do ask that because Gilles Collaveri (a friend who is a member of this board too) is investigating a Ju 88 C that crashed some 300 km away from the place where the crew abandoned it...so the plane, possibly on the auto-pilot and trimmed, flew alone until its fuel finished and the machine crashed (or the auto-pilot was disingaged due to excess of banking or other kind of actions). So, depending of the height that the bombing you are investigating took place, a long flight on auto-pilot could not be discarded. The other possibility, as some have already found is that the Gen.Qu.6.Abt. losses messed up the werknummer (maybe a typo by some Beamter, far far away from the actual combat Front).

Humbly yours,

A.

[Andrey Kuznetsov]

Hello Adriano,

Since the task of I./KG27 on 15.10.41 was to attack railways, the probability that WNr 4222 was hit at low altitude is high. Unfortunately, I am poorly acquainted with Soviet documents relating to this time and place. An attempt to quickly find something in the documents available online on the "Pamyat Naroda" was unsuccessful. Therefore, I do not know exactly where the plane was hit and how long it flew after that.

Cheers,
Andrey

[John Manrho]

The NVM says nothing more. Reported missing south of Rostov. All 4 crewmembers reported MIA. Three of them are in DRK-Bildlisten.

[Andrey Kuznetsov]

Thank you, John!