14 Dec 1942, Kommandeur of 1/JG51 Heinrich Krafft was shot down by Russian AA guns at Bjeloi, and as beaten to death by Russian soldiers.
17 Dec 1943, Joachim Kirschner, IV/JG27, was hit during a dogfight with Spitfires over Croatia and bailed out, but he was captured by partisans and shot to death.
29 March 1944, Detlev Rohwer, Gruppenkommandeur II/JG 3 attacked some B-17s . His Bf 109 G-6 was hit by return fire from the bombers and he bellied near Ibbenburen and was strafed by P-38s and suffered severe wounds. He was hospitalized at Ibbenburen where he had a leg amputated. He died of his wounds on 30 March.
24 April 1944, Franz Schwaiger, Staffelkapitan 1./JG3 fought against US bomber formations and its escort. After scoring a P-51 his Bf 109G-5 ran out of fuel and he had to make a forced landing near Rain am Lech and P-51s strafed and killed him.
6 Sept 1944, Lt/Col. Quince L. Brown, 78th FG was attacking Vogelsland airfield and his a/c was seen hit by tracers and Brown baled out. He was seen to land safely in a field, 2 km west of Schleiden near the town of Weirmuehle and to run and hide in some long grass. He was shot in the back of the head at close range and killed by an SS officer and the officer informed the German authorities that the US pilot had tried to escape, but in 1946 a War Crimes court found him guilty of murder and ordered his execution.
30 March, 1945, Lt. Erich Schulte was killed in his parachute by enemy fighters after bailing out. The Me 262 was claimed (and later confirmed as destroyed) by 2/Lt. Leonard A. Kunz and Capt. Robert F. Sargent, 339th FG.
4 april 1945, Gruppenkommandeur III./JG7, Rudi Sinner bailed out of his Me 262 after being hit by P-51s and landed in a plowed field. Two P-51s from 339th FG strafed him during the time he was dragged about 20 meters by the parachute and when the P-51s circled around for another pass, Sinner ran for about 25 m and the P-51s then strafed his parachute. The Me 262 was destroyed by 1/Lt. Robert C. Croker and shared with Captain Kirke B. Everson, 339th FG.
17 April 1945, Col. Elwyn C. Righetti, 55th FG Group CO was hit by flak near Dresden and he bellied-in his P-51D after strafing an airfield. He was killed by a furious mob of German civilians.
28 April 1945, Lt. Ernst Rudolf Geldmacher, II./JG7 was shot down as he took of from Ruzne airfield and was later beaten to death by a enraged mob.
Fighter pilots and sometime bomber crews were killed and beaten by irate civilians or German military personnel. The reason was often personal loss or the general devastation and casualties resulting from air attack generated this intense hatred.
The last traces of moral objections to this manner of warfare had long ago been forgotten. The incidents should not be covered up and the sad story is that it happened on both sides. Even Capt. Richard Peterson, 357th FG admitted in an interview for Wings that he had made mince meat of an Bf 109 pilot who had flown from parachute to parachute, shooting at the bomber crews. - I just tore him up and that was the only time I did it, he said.
Regards
GT
17 Dec 1943, Joachim Kirschner, IV/JG27, was hit during a dogfight with Spitfires over Croatia and bailed out, but he was captured by partisans and shot to death.
29 March 1944, Detlev Rohwer, Gruppenkommandeur II/JG 3 attacked some B-17s . His Bf 109 G-6 was hit by return fire from the bombers and he bellied near Ibbenburen and was strafed by P-38s and suffered severe wounds. He was hospitalized at Ibbenburen where he had a leg amputated. He died of his wounds on 30 March.
24 April 1944, Franz Schwaiger, Staffelkapitan 1./JG3 fought against US bomber formations and its escort. After scoring a P-51 his Bf 109G-5 ran out of fuel and he had to make a forced landing near Rain am Lech and P-51s strafed and killed him.
6 Sept 1944, Lt/Col. Quince L. Brown, 78th FG was attacking Vogelsland airfield and his a/c was seen hit by tracers and Brown baled out. He was seen to land safely in a field, 2 km west of Schleiden near the town of Weirmuehle and to run and hide in some long grass. He was shot in the back of the head at close range and killed by an SS officer and the officer informed the German authorities that the US pilot had tried to escape, but in 1946 a War Crimes court found him guilty of murder and ordered his execution.
30 March, 1945, Lt. Erich Schulte was killed in his parachute by enemy fighters after bailing out. The Me 262 was claimed (and later confirmed as destroyed) by 2/Lt. Leonard A. Kunz and Capt. Robert F. Sargent, 339th FG.
4 april 1945, Gruppenkommandeur III./JG7, Rudi Sinner bailed out of his Me 262 after being hit by P-51s and landed in a plowed field. Two P-51s from 339th FG strafed him during the time he was dragged about 20 meters by the parachute and when the P-51s circled around for another pass, Sinner ran for about 25 m and the P-51s then strafed his parachute. The Me 262 was destroyed by 1/Lt. Robert C. Croker and shared with Captain Kirke B. Everson, 339th FG.
17 April 1945, Col. Elwyn C. Righetti, 55th FG Group CO was hit by flak near Dresden and he bellied-in his P-51D after strafing an airfield. He was killed by a furious mob of German civilians.
28 April 1945, Lt. Ernst Rudolf Geldmacher, II./JG7 was shot down as he took of from Ruzne airfield and was later beaten to death by a enraged mob.
Fighter pilots and sometime bomber crews were killed and beaten by irate civilians or German military personnel. The reason was often personal loss or the general devastation and casualties resulting from air attack generated this intense hatred.
The last traces of moral objections to this manner of warfare had long ago been forgotten. The incidents should not be covered up and the sad story is that it happened on both sides. Even Capt. Richard Peterson, 357th FG admitted in an interview for Wings that he had made mince meat of an Bf 109 pilot who had flown from parachute to parachute, shooting at the bomber crews. - I just tore him up and that was the only time I did it, he said.
Regards
GT
This angried him and he tried to take down some of the B-17's, but was shot down by another P-38. Ironically, the B-17 Radio Operator attended the guys funeral.
