Heinkel He 177

[Hesekiel]

As i wrote before... I will receive the envelopes with the fieldpost number in two weeks... And i hope this letters are from the Heinkel crewmember. Another relative from my friend was in the Army... I will know that if i have them

 

[imalko]

what is the Feldpost number ? I have a copy of all of them with unit

Hello Yerger,

Then maybe you could help me? Check out this thread: http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/ww2-general/help-advice-needed-17900.html

If you have any information regarding the question asked there that would be most helpful and very much appreciated.

Cheers!

By the way... Hesekiel, that are some very nice pictures indeed. Thanks for sharing.

 

[vikingBerserker]

Near the engine nacelles, it looks like some kind of rack, for Fritz X or Henschel?

 

[Aaron Brooks Wolters]

Excellent find Hesekiel Thank you for sharing!

 

[Hesekiel]

Today i "played" a little with the first picture together with a friend... There is a code in front of the balkenkreuz and it looks like "E8" or "F8" in great black letters...
My friend told me his relative died in Russia in his plane... But i didn´t know the year....
It seems to be usual in this time to "censore" the Unit code.. I have a few photos of my uncles Ju88 in the air, where the Code "B3" also is removed, but with a graphic program can make visible.....

So the He 177 looks either from KG 40 or FKG 50.... Still have to wait for the fieldpost letters

 

[HerrKaleut]

Hesekiel, can't help with your pics but can give 177 units . They were;
Fernkampfgeschwader 50
KGs 1, 4, 10, 40, 100(wiking), 200.

Flugzeugfuhrerschule..(B)15, (B)16, (B)31.


hope that is of assistance...good luck




Just seen the other posts, I didn' realise your reserch was that advanced!!

 

[Hesekiel]

Thanks a lot HerrKaleut!
The units who used the 177 are known.. But only a dark and maybe censored Picture is a small source to "discover" someting
My friend is looking to find eventually more pictures or informations.. I will post news at once

 

[Erich]

look at the crewmans clothing this will give you some clues as to possible year and you might be able to deduct just what unit and also note the plain overall grey camo of the a/c

 

[Hesekiel]

Yes Erich.. As i mentioned before... The Camouflage and the painting of the Spinners points to KG 40.. Clothing 1943/44
The thing that confuse me is my friend tell his relative died in russia... I think he is maybe wrong. Another relative of him was in the army and died there. This documents i have see... Maybe he is muddling something......

 

[Erich]

might be a good idea to find someone who has Classic Publications He 177 Grief which should have a ton of information as well as photos of the time period/camouflage.

 

[Hesekiel]

Today i was with my friend in his mothers house and we searched for some news.
Unfortunately we have found no more Pictures of the 177 yet. Only one of a belly landed Do 217 and a badly crashed He 111.
But nevertheless we found very useful informations
I have "discovered" a case with LOTS of Felpost Letters...
I have to sort them, because this letters are from 4 men (brothers)..
A Panzergrenadier (died 1944 in Italy), a Tank crew member (missed in Stalingrad) and two of the airforce.

During the first view i found two letters who discovered a lot of the "177 crewmwmber". A Letter to his father from his squadron leader about his shooting down on Feb. 2 1943 southwest of Orel and a letter from 1948 from a surviving crewmember after his return from Russion POW...
I will scan this letters tomorrow and show them here...

The Unit was Kampfgeschwader 4, "General Wever"
The Name of The Crewmember: Hans Wilhelm Schneidewind
Function: Kampfbeobachter (Observer)
40 Feindflüge
Number of his ID Tag: 214651/100

Crew:
Pilot: Uffz Karl Heinz Fedrowitz ID Nr.: 214651/42
Radio Operator: Obergefreiter Leonhardt Koppold (survived ! ) 55538/112
Gunner1 : Uffz Rudolf Dröttboom 214651/28
Gunner2 : Gefreiter Willi Holzhauser 214651/59
Observer : Uffz Hans Wilhelm Schneidewind 214651/100

Tomorrow MAYBE i will receive a Luftwaffe Soldbuch which one is from H.W. Schneidewind. This will give all answers.....
Sorry for this long post, but i think the informations are useful

 

[vikingBerserker]

That's some excellent information, nice find!

 

[Hesekiel]

So.. Here are the Scans of the Letters..

1. The letter from the Squadron leader

2. The letter from the radio operator Leo Koppold dated 1948 after returning home

And here are the two photos

This badly damaged plane was former a Heinkel He 111 !
Regarding the fuselage-stripe it seems to be a KG 54 plane

And here a belly landed Do 217

And here a little look of what i have to read and to do

 

[Maximowitz]

Excellent research my friend, absolutely fascinating.

 

[Kingscoy]

Hi,
Interesting post. I'm including two other pics of a different He-177 with two RAF members. Probably taken shortly after the war or maybe on their way towards Germany....don't know much about these pics, got them from a friend.
So any help in identifying this a/c is welcome.

These pics doesn't have much to do with the other postings but I'm hoping they will be appreciated.

Regards from Holland,
Sander

 

[Hesekiel]

Great pics! Thank you for posting!
Of course your pics have "to do" with the thread
As i received yesterday the whole estate i thought everything will be easy and i find all the answers i´m looking for.. But...
With this whole stuff there are more and more questions are coming up.
I asked in another forum for informations about the crash time and date, but the only loss of KG 4 on this day was a He 111 H6.. But the man i have the documents from was definitive a crewmember of a He 177... This all is confusing me...

 

[Maximowitz]

I noticed your post on the other forum Tom. I'm sure they'll be able to help, they must be as intrigued with the mystery as we are!

 

[Hesekiel]

Thanks Paul!
I hope we all together will solve this thing...
Thought i get the Soldbuch today.. But my friend called that it will hopefully come tomorrow in my hands. And i hope there are some other documents with it.
Like the letter from the squadron leader and the radio operator. Never hold those things in my hands before....

 

[Maximowitz]

I love this sort of thing Tom, it's like the past reaching out to the present. History in your hands.

 

[Hesekiel]

Yes. You are right Paul!

I will tell the community here a real tragedy...

By researching the estate i was really shocked...

This belongs not really to the thread, but i think it is worth to post it...

Family Schneidewind:

There were 4 brothers who served....

1. Feldwebel Ottomar Schneidewind (Tank)........missing in action in Stalingrad
2. Feldwebel Gerhard Schneidewind (Flak).........died in Italy
3. Unteroffizier Hans Schneidewind (AirForce).....died at Orel
4. Obergefreiter Ernst Schneidewind(Infantery)..died in Stalingrad

What a tragedy for this family ! Can you see some parallels to "saving private Ryan???

I have to put the fieldpost away for a moment......