FW190 Pilot

[Msylla]

Hey,
I will be meeting on Tuesday a WW2 pilot which flew the FW190 during the war. Its the 2nd time that I will be meeting him and he has agreed that I record everything he says -> his stories/experiences before during and after the war.

(small intro)
Hes a really nice guy and is extremely fit for his age (87). He was shot down when he was 20 by Russians( they attacked him with the sun in their backs)... He managed to bail out and that was the end of his flying Career in the war. While recuperating from the injuries a Spitfire crashed not far from his "backyard" and he helped out the American and treated him. To make it quick -> the Gestapo came to pick up the American Pilot -> later American troops/tanks came to his house searching for the pilot, he directed them to his knowledge of where the Gestapo might have brought him -> within an hour the Americans were back with their Pilot and lodged at his House and later made it the HQ for that area. Later on the Russians took over and made it their HQ.

He flew in the JG23 (eastern front) the FW190
Has no confirmed kills ( he is glad and proud about that)
Before he flew, he was a flight Engineer (he only flew in the last years of the war)

I will ask him about everything from the beginning to the end.... how he started flying, the training, how many missons he flew -> what sort of missons, what exactly happened when he was shot down, etc....

But now I want to ask you guys if you have any questions that you want answered.... questions that I shouldn't forget to ask. I don't know when or if I will have the opportunity to meet him again, so I don't want to leave anything out...

Thanks,

(if this is the wrong forum for this, I'm sorry)

[Basil]

Great to record the old boys stories. Heard a couple from Bomber Command guys last week.

It would be interesting to hear his opinion on the relative merits of the Fw 190 and the Il-2.

[NutLoose]

Post it also here too,

Historic Aviation - Key Publishing Ltd Aviation Forums (http://forum.keypublishing.com/forumdisplay.php?f=4)

Though someone may do it for you..

Edit...

Someone has, see

Questions for a FW190 pilot - Key Publishing Ltd Aviation Forums (http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?p=1906265#post1906265)

[Green Flash]

Given that he pulled an AMERICAN pilot from a crashed SPITFIRE it would be fascinating, and possibly quite easy, to find out who he was. Given that US troops were not far away would indicate a period towards the end of the war. Did the Eagle Sqn still fly with the RAF at this time or had they all transferred to the USAF? Didn't some USAF units use the Spit as a recce cab?

[Msylla]

Thanks Nutloose and Basil, i'll ask him.

Green Flash: il ask him about that. He mentioned that he stayed in good contact with the American pilot which he saved, even after the war. I'll try to get more information about him.

[Nervous SLF]

That gentlemans stories would be most welcomed in the following PPRuNe thread I can assure you.

http://www.pprune.org/military-aircrew/329990-gaining-r-f-pilots-brevet-ww11-135.html

They have been asking for German pilots stories for ages.

[GreenKnight121]

According to this site: http://spitfiresite.com/2010/04/uncle-sams-spitfires.html, the last USAAF fighter (not reece) Spitfire squadrons transitioned to P-51s in March-April 1944.

The photo Spits were still being used by the USAAF at least as late as September 1944: USAAF Spitfire MK XI Belly Landing PA 944 | Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/24554019@N06/3642319571/)

[Danny42C]

Lieber Msylla, Wilkommen !

Ja, bitte, bitte, bitte ! Auf wiederhoren !............(Yes please ! Till we hear from you again!)

Danny42C............ (normally Posts on "Gaining An R.A.F. Pilot's Brevet in WW2" [Military aircrew]) - read / translate some of that Thread to your old friend, he will enjoy it...D).

Alles vorbei..... D.

[blythsco]

The 14th Squadron of the 7th Photo Group USAF used Spit MK XIs until early April 1945. They were ordered to return their remaining Spits to the RAF within a week on March 29, 1945. As far as I know the last spitfire pilot from the 7th PRG to become a POW was the CO Robert J Dixon who was downed by flak at Merseburg on February 14, 1945. He remained a POW until the war ended and eventually became a 4 star general and head of the Tactical Air Command. I think you can pretty much exclude the 7th PRG from the downed American Spitfire pilots who were released before the war's end.

All the best

Scott Blyth

[ArthurR]

Met an old FW109 pilot in a bar (where else), no far from Schönefeld in the early 90's. Heard some great tales from him, but this one, yes flew against british and american pilots.

[TorqueOfTheDevil]

Was it definitely a Spitfire from which he helped the pilot get out? Aircraft misidentication was rife in those days, even intact aircraft never mind crashed ones! So it would be perfectly understandable if an Eastern Front man saw the remains of an inline-engined fighter and assumed it was a Spitfire.

And if it's not too late, could you check which unit he flew with? JG23 is a new one on me...

[Msylla]

I just finished talking with him for the day and will continue tomorrow.

It was a Canadian pilot, First Lieutenant around the age of 35-40. He doesn't remember his name. He was part of a group which were tasked on attacking the Görries airfield... and he was hit by AAA. From what he says/knowledge it was a Spitfire.
What do you mean exactly by Unit?
He was tasked on flying patrols.

[Danny42C]

Msylla,

"Unit", in this sense, any autonomous military formation, could be a squadron or an USAAC group.

Danny42C

[Master Mariner]

Probably 8/9 years ago I met with a very interesting, elderly German ex Fighter pilot from WW2 while walking in the Austrian Alps.

He had a small mountain hut with dynamo powered electricity (from stream nearby) and was pretty much self sufficient. He alternated his time between his hut and his wife in Muncih!

After helping him locate some pipes on the hillside, I had a a very long evening drinking schnapps in the Alps with him. As i remember it, he had stopped flying after the war and become an Engineer at the Airport in Munich.

Fascinating guy with some amazing stories......