Looking for information about Uffz. Gerhard Kroll

[grunnvms]

A few days ago I 'stumbled' over the location of a WWII fighter crash. After some research it proofed to be the wreck of a FW190D-9 that was flown by Uffz. Gerhard Kroll. This particular aircraft came down on February 24th 1945. It is now buried under a bicycle path.

With the help of Google I tried to get some information about Gerhard Kroll, and it turns out he was quite a famous pilot with 37 (?) kills on his name.

He survived the war, and you can find numerous web sites with model aircraft painted like the one he flew, or paintings signed by him.

However I would like to get some more information about him, and a portrait would be absolutely great.

Can someone help me out?

 

[fubar57]

Shot down by a Spitfire. Not sure what the 15 signifies. The header says "Unit"

3/25/45 Kroll, Gerhard Fw. WIA 15 NW of Bocholt Spitfire

 

[XBe02Drvr]

15 NW of Bocholt Spitfire

Probably 15 Km NorthWest of Bocholt, location of engagement.
Cheers,
Wes

 

[Andrew Arthy]

Hi,

Gerhard Kroll served with 9./J.G. 54 in 1944 and 1945, and then with 15./J.G. 26 after the Staffel was re-designated. He did not claim any aerial victories. As an Unteroffizier he crashed on 1 January 1945 during Operation Bodenplatte while flying with 9./J.G. 54, in an FW 190 D-9 marked 'Blue 19 + ' borrowed from I./J.G. 26. He spent two weeks in hospital as a result, before returning to his unit. On 25 March 1945 he was flying with 15./J.G. 26 as Oblt. Willi Heilmann's wingman, and was shot down and wounded in an FW 190 D-9 marked 'Yellow 15 + ' north-west of Bocholt at 15:00. A first-hand account from him appears in Caldwell's JG 26: Top Guns of the Luftwaffe. In mid-April 1945 he was assigned to the convalescent Staffel of II./J.G. 26. He did not fly any more missions before war's end.

There is no mention of Kroll crashing on 24 February 1945.

Sources for the above are Caldwell, The JG 26 War Diary Volume Two, Caldwell, JG 26: Top Guns of the Luftwaffe, and Manrho & Pütz, Bodenplatte, all excellent books.

Cheers,
Andrew A.

 

[fubar57]

Probably 15 Km NorthWest of Bocholt, location of engagement.
Cheers,
Wes

I shortened up my cut and past and unfortunately it looks as you wrote. Here is the top of the page with the headers and you can see "Unit" and shows Kroll as "15", maybe the aircraft number...

Cross posted with Andrew

 

[Greyman]

From Shores' Second Tactical Air Force Volume III:

25 March 1945
Towards evening II. and IV./JG 26 commenced taking off from Bissel at 1740 for a 'Freie Jagd', putting 15 aircraft into the air. Over Bocholt the German pilots were 'jumped' by Allied fighters which they thought initially were Tempests. They had in fact been caught by Spitfire IXs of 412 Squadron, the pilots of which also made a misidentification of the Dora-9s, which they took to be Bf 109s! The Canadian pilots had spotted a reported 12-plus fighters five miles south of Winterswijk while patrolling between that town and Zutphen. The Germans reported that their opponents were initially below the level of the JG 26 aircraft, but climbed rapidly and engaged. Sq Ldr M. D. Boyd claimed one which shed pieces and went down in flames. Flg Lt D. M. Pieri added a second which crashed and burst into flames, while Flg Off V. Smith, after initial difficulty in getting rid of his drop tank, claimed a third.

Fw Gerhard Kroll, wingman to Oblt Willi Heilmann, who was leading, lost his leader and found himself up against three Allied fighters; he baled out, badly burned. Fw Gerhard Muller-Berneck crash-landed, wounded, and four other Focke-Wulfs were destroyed or damaged. During the fight Uffz Pfiffer claimed a Spitfire Shot down at 1823 south of Stadtlohn, while Lt Prager claimed a 'P-47' north-west of Bocholt (his 18th victory). No losses were suffered by 412 Squadron, however.