Death of the Kommodore - Obstlt. Volprecht Riedesel Freiherr zu Eisenbach, new KG 54 history!

 

'Review' by Simon ('Siko54') 

" Have just received my copy and wow! This is a mighty and very weighty publication indeed - nearly 400 pages, hundreds of photos, Flugbuch/wehrpass scans and various annexes. I can’t really do it justice here but this is an absolutely incredible unit history and without a doubt the final word on KG 54. It’s a shame it’s in French but google translate works well and very grateful that Mr Taghon and Lela Presse have published it in any language! Congrats!...."

from Volume II of Peter Taghon's history of KG 54

 On the morning of 9 February 1945, the Kommodore of KG 54 ordered some 18 of his I./ KG (J) 54 Me 262s up from Giebelstadt to counter a huge 8th AF raid. Kommodore Volprecht Riedesel led this meagre force into the overcast skies at the controls of his Me 262 'B3+AA'. An eyewitness on the ground, Adolf Keller, mayor of Würges at the time, recalled;

‘On 9 February 1945, around midday, I witnessed an air battle near Würges. Several aircraft were in the air. A German machine appeared to collide with an American, both bursting into flames and crashing in Würges. A company of Russian Hiwis (Hilfswillige - volunteers) was stationed there. These men went to the site of the double crash and began a recovery operation. That afternoon Fw. Herrmann, who was on the Stab, gave me a ring found by a Russian. It was gold with a black stone. I asked for everything that had been collected to be brought to me and the next day Herrmann brought me the identity plate of a Cpt. James E. Browning, a photograph with his name written on the back, a small empty bag and a few dollars. In the evening, I visited the site to look at the remains of the two aircraft. Both had been burnt to a crisp. The body of the German pilot, Obstlt. Freiherr von Riedesel, had already been taken over by the Luftwaffe. I searched for the remains of the American but found only a few pieces of flesh and bone’.

The Kommodore had collided with a P-51 D (s/n 44-15630, ‘Junior Miss’) flown by Capt. James Browning of the 357th FG. Both Me 262 and P-51 came down at Würges, three kilometres east of Camberg (in a field north of the present-day Idstein Golfparks). From Keller's account, it would seem that the Kommodore deliberately hit the Mustang. This would support the rumour within KG 54 that von Riedesel gave his life voluntarily. According to Oblt. Eberhard von Brunn;

‘There is a version of the Kommodore's death that circulated within the unit. I can partly confirm it. Von Riedesel took off on 9 February probably with the intention of sacrificing himself in the face of a formation of American bombers. This would have been in response to Reichsmarschall Göring's remarks at the presentation of the Oak Leaves. In January, von Riedesel and others had been called to Karinhall for a decoration ceremony. The ceremony was due to take place at 11.00 am, but Göring kept the Kommodore waiting for a long time before arriving in his pompous clothes and without inviting the recipients to share his meal. He told the officers present that he was very surprised by the poor performance of the Luftwaffe, especially the flying personnel of the fighter and bomber units. He gave them their decorations but made it clear that they were not worthy of them. This deeply hurt von Riedesel, who left Karinhall very disappointed. He reportedly described this episode to his Adjutant, Hptm. Karl-Friedrich von Oppel, adding that he could not ignore such an affront. Shortly afterwards, he called the Kommandeure and their adjutants (for II./KG 54, Major Stamm and myself) to Giebelstadt to share an evening meal of venison, and we could see a change of mood in our Kommodore. His death on 9 February came as little surprise. As I knew him personally (having served for a time with the Stab), I was asked to prepare his funeral at Altenburg Castle near Alsfeld (Hesse). I remember talking about this Karinhall episode at the Alsfeld station hotel in front of, among others, General Harlinghausen, Major Zauner and Hptm. Petzold.."

Zauner confirmed: ‘At the burial ceremony for Obstlt. Freiherr von Riedesel, which I was able to attend shortly before my transfer as Kommandeur of III./KG 76 (Ar 234), some officers from KG 54 - whose names I have forgotten - told me about Hermann Göring's disgraceful and wretched attitude during a presentation of decorations. Freiherr von Riedesel had put his heart and soul into the conversion of KG 54 to the Me 262. This was an unacceptable and grotesque performance by the Luftwaffe's senior commander! Freiherr von Riedesel's mother and wife also told me about it. This unjustified criticism had seriously affected the Kommodore and would have been the reason for his last flight. He wanted to set an example and prove that he had always done his duty’.

It fell to Hptm. Petzold and Oblt. von Brunn to take on the delicate task of notifying the family of the deceased. Oblt. von Brunn was to write to his mother;

‘I am at the moment in Alsfeld where, with my Kommandeur Petzold, I had to inform his mother of the death in action of our Kommodore. The news was received with calm and dignity. A noble attitude that is rarely seen these days. I was impressed by her understanding and respect for her son's airmanship and build. I am looking for a billet for the honour guard and have ordered the wreaths. I shall be returning to Altenburg Castle shortly to discuss the other arrangements.."

Available direct from the publisher here

8th AF raid on Avord airfield, 5 February 1944, Fw 200 C-4 of 8./KG 40

 

The airfield at Avord, ten miles east of Bourges in the Cher departement (Loire valley region), was one of the biggest military airfields in France even prior to the German invasion. From July 1940 it was continuously occupied by Gruppen of Luftwaffe bombers but escaped attack until February 5, 1944 when it was hit by the 8th AF flying mission no.210. A US reconnaissance mission carried out one month prior to the raid took photographs showing an Fw 200 on the northern ‘dispersal’, and a further five Fw 200s facing the hangars along the Avord-Farges road and a He 177 taking off. In front of the southern hangars, there was one Fw 200, two He 177s, two He 111s and a single Caudron C 445. Finally, three Fw 200s were stationed in the western part of the airfield. According to US intelligence, through 1943 the prinicpal activity was crew training. The attack on Avord on February 5, 1944, targeted along with Châteauroux and Tours, was flown by 8th AF B-17s and B-24s escorted by 20th and 55th FG P-38's (two kills) and several P-47 FGs (4 kills). By the time the American bombers reached Avord, the alerted Germans were apparently attempting to 'scramble' the aircraft occupying the taxi-ways. At 11.09 am, the first bombs fell on the base. A tail gunner recounted: ‘I saw a German bomber taking off, but four P-38 fighters swooped down on it and knocked it out’. Several hangars received direct hits and were seriously damaged. The surrounding area was not spared: 16 houses in the hamlet of ‘Les Vignes’ were hit by bombs and partially destroyed. Fw 200 C-4 of 8./KG 40 (W.Nr. 0170) was one of two machines to get airborne as the raid started but was caught and shot down along the Crosses-Saint-Just road, Annoix, some 10 km south of Bourges-Avord as seen here in the P-47 gun-camera stills. KG 40 pilot Hptm Anton Leder along with four other members of the crew was KIA. The Fw 200 came down in the marshes between Fenestrelay and Bourges. There were three survivors. Research by 'archaeologist'.

Volume 5 of the Stipdonk/Meyer Zerstörer and Nachtjagdverbaende series forthcoming from JAPO

 

Nearly 15 years after volume 4 (but only three years after the successful "German fighters in the West), Volume 5 of the six-part series on the Luftwaffe  Zerstörer and night fighter units 1935-45 – and the first to be published by JAPO - has been announced on the JAPO website. Caption writing and text editing is completed and the publisher is hard at work designing and preparing the lay-out...

Volume 4 concluded with coverage of 8./ZG 26 and this 5th volume takes up the story with extensive photo coverage of, among others, 9./ZG 26, the Ju 88-equipped V./KG 40 and ZG 76 and its Me 410s in the defence of the Reich.   English-language text features brief career details for all Verbandsführer.

More from JAPO here

Appraisal of Parts 1 - 4 of this series on this blog here

Please note too parts 1 - 4 of this series are still available direct from the authors, details at the previous link..

new-tool Fw 190 in 1:72 from KP - first (..and second build) from Michel Wilhelme

 

"...Hi Neil, here is the latest new-tool Fw 190 kit from Kovozavody KP - this is from the A-3 "Aces" box finished in the markings of Oskar 'Ossi' Romm of JG 51 in Eastern front greens. This is one of the markings options on the kit decal sheet. Unfortunately this new-tool KP Fw 190 is not a particularly straight forward build. It requires a fair bit of filler and sanding of various parts. Even so I think I got a nice model out of it. The pictures give you an idea of the other options in the A-2 and A-4 boxes..."  Michel Wilhelme

 

" Hi Neil, here is the second Fw 190 from KP that I just finished. This is Detlev ROHWER's A-3 in 1942 in France. Nothing special on this assembly I begin to know what it is necessary to make to obtain a good result.."

Kampfgeschwader 54 Volume II by Peter Taghon (Lela Presse 28/02/25)

Another imminent publishing event for Luftwaffe enthusiasts - volume II of Peter Taghon's huge history of KG 54 is due at the end of next week. From the publisher's blurb; (adapted and translated by this blogger) 

 " ..With its skull and crossbones emblem Kampfgeschwader 54, the Totenkopfgeschwader, was one of the few Luftwaffe bomber/combat units to fly from the first to the final days of WWII, and has long warranted a detailed history. With its origins in KG 254, KG 54 made a modest entry into the war, with just a single Gruppe engaged in September 1939 in Poland. In April 1940, its second Gruppe, formed during the Phoney War, took part in the fighting in Scandinavia. Then, the following month, the Geschwader was increased to three Gruppen and launched in the Westfeldzug: the campaign in the West. With its third Gruppe disbanded after suffering heavy losses throughout the May/June engagements, KG 54 fought in the Battle of Britain, continuing its missions over England during the Night Blitz. In June 1941, the two Gruppen were deployed in the USSR during ‘Barbarossa’, completing large numbers of missions but suffering such heavy losses that they were recalled to the Reich at the end of the year. However, the military situation had become such that the Totenkopf was forced to disperse its forces, with I./KG 54 moving to the Mediterranean and II./KG 54 returning to the USSR (with a brief period in France). During the aerial assault against Malta, I./KG 54 operated in concert with K.Gr. 806, subsequently renamed III./KG 54. These two Gruppen supported Rommel's Afrika Korps before being joined in 1943 in Sicily by II./KG 54, the Gruppe taking part in the final battles over Africa (Tunisia) which is where this new Volume II picks up the story..

Now at full strength, KG 54 fought the Allied landings in Sicily before being withdrawn to mainland Italy. The Totenkopf left the Mediterranean for good at the end of 1943, returning to the West. It was then deployed again over England as part of the bloody and futile operation ‘Steinbock’. Casualties were so high that II./KG 54 was disbanded in April 1944. Two months later, the Geschwader - once again reduced to two Gruppen - faced the Allied landings in Normandy on missions that were just as costly in terms of men and equipment. Fighting tooth and nail, KG 54 returned to the Reich where, in September 1944, it became a fighter unit equipped with the famous Me 262 jet. However, the aircraft still suffered from serious ‘teething problems’, and KG (J) 54 - despite having been reinforced by a second Gruppe - was hardly able to stand out against the vastly superior Allied air forces, and was decimated. On 8 May 1945, the surviving personnel of the skull and crossbones Geschwader surrendered, their numbers then being mainly dispersed in Austria and Czechoslovakia. 

Volume II contains 392 pages, over 650 photos, 17 colour profiles and period documents. Volume I has been available since October 2024..."

Below; from volume II, a 6./KG 54 Ju 88 in Bergamo, Italy

Hello Peter, many of us are no doubt eagerly awaiting Vol II of your KG 54 book. Can I please ask you a couple of questions for my blog report?

How long did you spend researching KG 54 and how much time did you spend writing these two huge volumes?

Hello Neil,

It’s not easy to say exactly how much time I’ve spent researching KG 54. It all started for me in the mid-1980s with my research on Luftwaffe operations during the Westfeldzug. Through this, I made a lot of contacts with pilots and crew members of the Lehrgeschwader. Some of them had extensive documentation and had also been active in Belgium in 1944. It didn’t take much encouragement from them for me to start writing the history of their Geschwader. That KG 6 would follow was only natural.

Once I had finished working on KG 6, I looked for a new subject. During my research on the Westfeldzug, I had already made quite a few contacts with crew members and pilots of KG 54. I also had extensive communication with Sigmund Radtke from the Traditionsverband KG 54. However, most of my contacts had only been active during the western campaign or had been shot down over England as early as 1940-41. A few went on to have rather impressive careers. So, I already had a decent amount of documentation on KG 54.

By coincidence, the archive of Sigmund Radtke, the author of the book on KG 54, had been passed on to my good friend Ulf Balke. Part of it had already been given to Morten Jessen, but both Ulf and Morten were willing to make the archive available to me. That’s when I discovered that Radtke had far more information than he had used in his book. In addition, I found a lot of supplementary material in the Bundesarchiv.

I got even luckier—through my contacts at the AMC, I was able to access their archive as well. They turned out to have a large collection of photographs, some interesting logbooks, and, most importantly, the diary of Hauptmann von Brunn. He had been very active in the final years of the war, and his notes proved to be of great value for that period.

How long I spent researching/writing is hard to say. A large part of it was done in the 1980-90s (mainly focusing on 1940-41), and after that, I worked on it in small steps until I finally decided to tackle the chronicle in earnest, which led me to resume intensive research. That was during the peak of the COVID period. Writing itself took about 3 to 4 years, partly alongside the research. I did this partly in my free time while I was still working, and then for about a year and a half as a retiree—spending a considerable number of days working on it full-time.

Peter, there were plenty of great images in volume I and I've already been fortunate enough to have seen some of the highlights from volume II. Do you have any particular favourites?

Which photos interest or appeal to me the most? Most readers will undoubtedly be very interested in the photos of the Me 262. There are so many photos that I find fascinating, but the ones I have the strongest emotional connection with are the photos that started it all. For example, during my research on the Westfeldzug, I came across a couple of photos in an infantryman’s album showing the crashed Heinkel 111 of Hauptmann Willers in Scheldewindeke. Through Sigmund Radtke, I got in touch with Willers himself. He was very eager to visit his crash site again. That was a truly special experience, and his information proved very valuable for the chronicle.

Even more significant was a photo of a He 111 that had crashed in Oudekapelle—also a KG 54 aircraft. I had no idea who the crew could be, but one of the infantrymen had taken a clear photo of the pilot. I sent the photo to Sigmund Radtke, and he immediately recognized him as the future Ritterkreuzträger Ernst Petzold. I was able to get in touch with him, sent him the photos, and he turned out to be very interested. He immediately invited me over, and through him, I gained an incredibly interesting insight into his long career within the Geschwader. So, if you ask me which photos appeal to me the most, then yes—it would have to be the photos of Willers and Petzold.

Peter, thank you for helping to put together a nice presentation for the Luftwaffe blog and thank you for allowing me to to translate some extracts of your KG 54 history into English (coming soon)

No problem! Many thanks for the publicity! I know Lela Presse appreciate it. Can I conclude by saying that I’m very lucky that Michel at LeLa Presse took the risk of publishing two such voluminous books. Cheers!

Below; ground crew pose for a souvenir snapshot in front of "B3+AP" flown by Staffelführer of 6./KG 54 Oblt. Karl-Egon Hellwig. Hellwig and his crew were shot down over Kent on the evening of 21 January 1944, crashing at Sellindge (between Ashford and Folkestone). Hellwig was killed.

 

Oblt. Eberhard von Brunn, attached to the Stab./KG 54 noted in his diary; 

 "..In the late evening of 21 January, the crews received their instructions on the the airfield where I. Gruppe was also located. We learnt that the attack we had been planning would be aimed against London, which few had anticipated. We had assumed that this operation ('Steinbock') would concentrate on ports, airfields, certain industrial installations or even Allied troop concentrations and supply depots in order to disrupt the invasion preparations. None of us were happy about the situation... We were loaded with  high explosive 'Sprengbomben' (1000 kg container) and a 500-kg  incendiary 'Brandbombenbehalter' container and took off from Marx at 6.33pm in the dark. Given the weight of the ordnance, I could only with difficulty maintain 330 km/h and the climb performance of the Ju 88 was just as abysmal. Of the fast bomber designed as such in 1940, there was nothing left. We flew alone over Deventer and Ijmuiden (on the coast of the Netherlands) to within twenty-five kilometres of central London. We then turned towards the city and dropped our cargo. In the sky, but also on the ground, the target was well marked by light ('Leuchtbomben') or incendiary bombs. We attacked horizontally. The defences were terrible. Over London, we were greeted by searchlights and flak. But the enemy appeared to have been caught by surprise because no night fighters intervened. During subsequent operations, the defences strengthened. One weapon surprised us. We called it 'Fliegerschreck' - airman's terror. It consisted of rockets fired in salvoes. We could see fifty rockets going off below us (later there would be more) and a few seconds later, the same number of explosions in the sky at around five thousand metres. After three seconds, a large cloud of dark smoke rose from some two hundred points. We assumed that the rockets were dispersing highly explosive projectiles. Hence this cloud of smoke. We also thought that some of the shells were coming down by parachute. During our four subsequent missions over London, no one could tell us anything about this weapon..." 

These 'anti-aircraft rockets' were undoubtedly the so-called 'Z' rocket batteries. The first were equipped with a single launcher, the Projector, 3-inch Mark 1. As this equipment did not give complete satisfaction, it was improved, with rockets subsequently being launched in large numbers in powerful salvos. The Projector, 3-inch, No 2, Mk 1 was a double launcher, while the N°4 Mk 1 and Mk 2 could fire thirty-six rockets simultaneously. On this first ‘Steinbock’ mission, London's defences were limited. Despite this, one of the KG 54 Ju 88s 'B3+AP' flown by the crew of Oblt. Karl-Egon Hellwig (the Stafü of 6./KG 54, below) was shot down by F/Lt John Hall and F/O ‘Jock’ Cairns flying a 488 Sqd Mosquito for their first victory..

 

(blogger note;  the  grave of the 30-year old Karl-Egon Hellwig who was from Hamburg can be visited in Hawkinge cemetery. His crew Uffz. Johann Jehle, Uffz. Walter Flossmann and Fw. Roland Kühnert bailed out successfully and were taken captive)

 

Fw. Kurt Knappe - first Abschuss in the West

An 'unexpurgated' view of Fw. Kurt Knappe's rudder scoreboard on his Fw 190 A-4 WNr. 2413 from the ECPA-D file DAA 2693 - recently posted elsewhere without commentary. Knappe arrived in the West at III./JG 2 with 51 Eastern Front 'red star' victory markings on his rudder. This image was taken on the occasion of his first 'kill' in the West - his 52nd - marked with what appears to be an RAF 'roundel' visible here (bottom row) but which is in fact an American 'star'. This first victory with 7. Staffel was achieved on 30 December 1942 -a USAF B-17- shot down over the sea during a 1st Bomb Wing raid comprising some 40 B-17s on the U-boat pens at Lorient. B-17 'kills' were soon represented with a double-bar with US star superimposed on JG 2 rudder scoreboards. Knappe was posted to the West in late 1942 along with another JG 51 ace - Erich Hohagen - to 'beef up' 7./JG 2 who had lost Oblt. Egon Mayer following Mayer's appointment as Kommandeur of III./JG 2. Mayer replaced 'Assi' Hahn who departed for JG 54 in the East on 1 November 1942.

The 8th USAF's raid on the U-boat pens at Lorient on Wednesday 30 December 1942 - the 27th mission of this fledgling force- was significant in the story of the Fw 190-equipped III./ JG 2. Kommandeur Mayer and his Stab along with nine Fw 190s from 7. Staffel were airborne from Vannes to counter the incursion. Mayer was determined to carry out a new tactic that he had been considering over the previous weeks - the frontal attack, hitting the B-17s where their defensive fire was at its weakest. Flying alongside Knappe that morning was another ace encountering four-engine bombers for the first time - Lt. Georg-Peter Eder.
 

Oblt Albrecht Bellstedt - a novice Fw 190 pilot in III./JG 2 ..and an ace in V./KG 40

For a brief period during September and October 1944 the 22-year-old Albrecht Bellstedt from Bremen was Staffelkapitän of 9. /JG 2. He had been posted to the newly reconstituted III./JG 2 – sent to Königsberg/Neumark (Poland) for rest and refit after heavy losses in Normandy. Here he converted onto the Fw 190 and was appointed to lead 9. Staffel on 17 September 1944. But Bellstedt flew just a handful of sorties in the Fw 190 - he would be shot down and killed over the Rhineland/Palatinate on 21 October 1944 in combat with US fighters.

But Bellstedt was no novice aviator - in fact he was a leading fighter ace on the Ju 88 C-6. He had made his ‘name’ with V./KG 40 and during the course of 1943 had claimed around 10 aircraft downed over the Bay of Biscay. His most ‘notorious’ victory (participation) was returned on 1 June 1943 - a KLM DC-3 flying civilians between Lisbon and Whitchurch, Bristol in England. Seventeen passengers including women and children and the famous American film star Leslie Howard were killed. The Ju 88 crews were apparently not aware this was a regular 'civilian' service - it would perhaps have been a better option to escort the DC-3 into a French airfield.

 Below; 500th Feindflug in 14./KG 40,  - Obslt Kurt Necesany (left) and Albrecht Bellstedt, 21 May 1943.

Bellstedt’s 14./KG 40 was re-designated I./ZG 1 in October 1943. The ace flew his last sortie over the Bay of Biscay on 16 May 1944. With the Allied landings in Normandy on 6 June I./ZG 1 along with III./ZG 1 was hastily deployed to fly strafing attacks against the beaches, for which neither the aircraft nor the crews were prepared. Losses were heavy. In the space of just four days, 33 ZG 1 airmen were killed, three captured and five wounded. Among those killed were Oblt. Ulrich Hansen (Gruppenadjutant III./ZG 1), Lt. Kurt Löw (Staffelführer 7./ZG 1) and Lt. Knut Gmelin (Staffelführer  1./ZG 1). Bellstedt flew his fourth and last mission over Normandy on 10 June 1944. He was fortunate that for the rest of the month I./ZG 1 was withdrawn from the front and Bellstedt recorded seven so-called Bandbekämpfung or ‘anti-partisan’ missions against the Resistance in southern France. His last flight of the month took place on 30 June 1944. It was his 116th Feindflug.

The date 5 August 1944 marked the end of I./ZG 1. With its disbandment,its members were posted to other units. Until then, Bellstedt had only flown the Ju 88 and was now sent to Königsberg to retrain on the Fw 190. On 17 September 1944 he began flying fighter missions as the Staffelkapitän of 9. / Jagdgeschwader 2. Mombeeck published a poor quality image of Bellstedt and his new Staffel in his JG 2 history (volume 6). It is presumed that he did not survive his third mission after clashing with US fighters. He may have fallen victim to the 365th or the 368th Fighter Group. His Fw 190 crashed in the Limburg-Montabaur area (north-west of Frankfurt). Still only 22 years old, he was buried in Neuwied. To paraphrase Chris Goss, his 'successes', just like those of many of his pilot comrades in V./KG 40, have mostly been forgotten.