2005

Is this possible - normally B-17s did not do Night Operations, that could be a mis-identification ?

". . . 214 squadron was re-equipped with B-17s for electronic countermeasures including jamming and spoofing by German-speaking crewmembers. I believe they were active by early July 1944. My source is the excellent book "A Thousand Shall Fall" by Murray Peden, a Canadian 214 pilot."
Fred Mitchell, Dallas, TX
(Feedback received with thanks Friday 19th August 2005)

the aircraft was severly damaged by return fire and crashed. The crew baled out successfully.

The report only states that the crew escaped by means of parachute but nothing about the way the got out of the aircraft.

February
SWEDEN 1944
photo Saab	SAAB Ejection test carried out from the rear of a converted B 17

April
Date	Air Force	A'cft	Unit / Serial	based	crashed	crew	photo	seat
11/12th April 1944	Luftwaffe	Heinkel He-219		Venlo	Intercepted by a Mosquito from 239 Sqd. Crashed near Weert, Nertherlands	Gefreiter Werner Perbix.		Heinkel (compressed air) katapultsitz
						Unteroffizier Herter		Heinkel (compressed air) katapultsitz
	I was pleased to see your site and I looked immediately to April 1944: in the night of 11/12th April 1944 a He219 took off from Luftwaffe airfield Venlo, east of my hometown Venlo. The crew was Unteroffizier Herter (surname still unknown) and Gefreiter Werner Perbix. The aircraft was intercepted by a Mosquito from 239 Sqd. , the location given as 'near Aachen'. The crew left the He219, using the ejection seats for the first time under operational combat conditions. So far, they might be rightfully appointed to be the first crew who saved their lives by means of ejection under combat conditions. Unfortunately, the serial number of this He219 has not been discovered too, but the remains of this nightfighter were excavated in the 1970's by the Dutch air force near Weert, a town in the southeast area of the Netherlands. Hoping that this small contribution was worth mentioning, all the best, Drs. Marcel A.L.M. Hogenhuis / Venlo (Chairman of the Förderverein Ehemaliger Fliegerhorst Venlo) see: www.fliegerhorst-venlo.net
	NOTE by site author In his memoirs Ernst Heinkel mentions that the two crew were awarded 1000 Reichsmarks each as a reward for being the first crew to use the ejection seat ("Katapultsitzen") in an emergency combat situation

May
Date	Air Force	A'cft	Unit / Serial	based	crew	photo	seat
19th May, 1944	Luftwaffe	Heinkel He-219	V6 DH + PV Werknr. 190006	pilot - Joachim Eisermann flew aircraft during ejection test	Erprobungsspringer Wilhem Buss		Dornier ? (compressed air) katapultsitz
19th / 20th May 1944 (nightflight)	Luftwaffe	He 219A-O	190116 G9+DC	II./NJG 1			Heinkel (compressed air) katapultsitz
19th / 20th May 1944 (nightflight)	Luftwaffe	He 219A-O	190116 G9+DC	II./NJG 1	Leutnant Otto Fries ejected, wounded in action 1st ejection	Feldwebel Alfred Staffa ejected wounded in action 1st ejection	Heinkel (compressed air) katapultsitz
On night Operations for home defence the righthand engine suddenly exploded into flames - probably due to enemy fire. Control response was marginal and, after jettisoning canopy, the pilot lost control of the aircraft. Wireless Operator baled out and was severley wounded on landing with his parachute. Lt Fries could not regain sufficient control to try landing the burning aircraft and ejected. He landed unhurt by means of his parachute. The aircraft crashed at 01.25 hrs 3 Km south of s´Hertogenbosch and was destroyed. Possibly shot down by Mosquito Night-fighter "R" 85 Sqn flown by F/Lt K.D. Vaughan & F/Sgt R.D. McKinnon The report explicitly states "Lt Fries... ejected". The report of Herr Thesenfitz to Heinkel gives the W/O´s name as "Staffer" -which seems to be the correct spelling, "Staffa" could be just a phonetic spelling of the name!

June
Date	Air Force	A'cft	Unit / Serial	based	crew	photo	seat
4th June 1944	Luftwaffe	He 219A-O	190188 G9+BL	I./NJG 1	Hauptmann Heinz Eicke, unhurt ejected near river Schelde		Heinkel (compressed air) katapultsitz
					Oberfeldwebel Heinz Gall, killed in action
The crew flew on a night target-simulation. After about 1 1/2 hrs flight time the aircraft was attacked from the rear. There had been no warning from either the Radarcontroller or the Wireless Operator. The left engine immediately burst into flames and could not be exstinguished. Pilot landed with his parachute and was not hurt, the W/O was found dead with his parachute not deployed about 500m from the crashsite. The airplane crashed 400m north of Wilhelminsdorp. Probably shot down by Mosquito Night-fighter NF MkVIII HK248 of RAF 219 Sqn flown by Pilot Officers D.T.Tull & P.J. Cowgill The report only mentions the parachute landing, not the way the pilot left the aircraft
6th June 1944	Luftwaffe	He 219A-O	190177 G9+JK	I./NJG 1	Leutnant Ernst Mauß, wounded in action		Heinkel (compressed air) katapultsitz
					Unteroffizier Günter Kraus, killed in action
The crew took off on 05-06-44 at 23.01 hrs on a night target simulation. Due to weather closing in they were recalled to Grove. While overflying the field in the penetration-procedure in southerly direction the left engine lost RPM and, after power could not be restored, was shut down. The engine burst into flames explosively, also noted by the Wireless Op. Pilot ordered the bale-out and the canopy was jettisoned by the W/O. At this instant crew communication broke and, after twice calling the W/O, the pilot ejected successfully. The W/O´s remains were found in the crashed aircraft near the road Herning - Silkeborg, 8 Km East of Herning and 4 Km South of Ikast. The report states only the bale-out, but does not specify it was an ejection. Details also seen as Erwin Mauz, aircraft as G9+1K
12th June, 1944	Luftwaffe	Heinkel He-219	V6 DH + PV Werknr. 190006	pilot - Joachim Eisermann flew aircraft during ejection test	Erprobungsspringer Wilhem Buss Do 335 seat at differing pressure		Dornier ? (compressed air) katapultsitz
22nd June 1944	Luftwaffe	He 219A-O	190203 G9+LF	II./NJG 1	Oberleutnant Johannes Hager, unhurt		Heinkel (compressed air) katapultsitz
					Feldwebel Hubert v. Bergen, killed in action
					Feldwebel Robert Körschgen, wounded in action
On night Operations for home defence over the Schelde estuary the aircraft was hit by return fire from a tailgunner and the Wireless Operator was killed. The Air Gunner baled out and was lightly wounded in the process. The damaged aircraft was recovered at Eindhoven A/D by the pilot. The report only mentions the W/O taking to his parachute, again no direct mention of an ejection. There appears to be some confusion with the crew of this aircraft. The He-219 being a two seat aircraft. Air Gunner´s name also given as: Feldwebel Robert Kürschgen

Date	Air Force	A'cft	Unit / Serial	based	crew	seat	photo
6th July 1944	Luftwaffe	He 219A-O	I./NJG 1		Oberfeldwebel Josef Ströhlein, unhurt	Heinkel (compressed air) katapultsitz
					Unteroffizier Keune, unhurt	Heinkel (compressed air) katapultsitz
After attacking B-17 bomber at about 01.45 hrs Is this possible - normally B-17s did not do Night Operations, that could be a mis-identification ? ". . . 214 squadron was re-equipped with B-17s for electronic countermeasures including jamming and spoofing by German-speaking crewmembers. I believe they were active by early July 1944. My source is the excellent book "A Thousand Shall Fall" by Murray Peden, a Canadian 214 pilot." Fred Mitchell, Dallas, TX (Feedback received with thanks Friday 19th August 2005) the aircraft was severly damaged by return fire and crashed. The crew baled out successfully. The report only states that the crew escaped by means of parachute but nothing about the way the got out of the aircraft.