Question on Luftwaffe protocols for missing aircraft??

[Ireland]

As someone that knows very little about military protocol, I'm looking for someone to explain the procedures/protocols that would take place when a Luftwaffe plane did not return to base. Let's say an NJG4 plane that did not return. Do they give it a few days? Is a report made and if so to whom & what would be the chain of command? A letter sent to local police to do a search or did the Luftwaffe do their own searches? And then what is the process from there? Do they notify next of kin and if so, what would the a record of that be called? How long before someone is declared MIA? Then KIA? Something posted in a newspaper? Are there forms/reports/ key words (or specific file?) I should be searching for in the archives that could possibly mention a missing crew/plane? Are there acronyms or specific reports I should be looking for? Any help or direction someone can give would be greatly appreciated. I want to make sure I have exhausted my search before traveling to the archives in person.

Thank you in advance!

-Ireland

 

[Stig1207]

As someone that knows very little about military protocol, I'm looking for someone to explain the procedures/protocols that would take place when a Luftwaffe plane did not return to base. Let's say an NJG4 plane that did not return. Do they give it a few days? Is a report made and if so to whom & what would be the chain of command? A letter sent to local police to do a search or did the Luftwaffe do their own searches? And then what is the process from there? Do they notify next of kin and if so, what would the a record of that be called? How long before someone is declared MIA? Then KIA? Something posted in a newspaper? Are there forms/reports/ key words (or specific file?) I should be searching for in the archives that could possibly mention a missing crew/plane? Are there acronyms or specific reports I should be looking for? Any help or direction someone can give would be greatly appreciated. I want to make sure I have exhausted my search before traveling to the archives in person.

Thank you in advance!

-Ireland

If you haven't already done so, try 12 O'Clock High

 

[Ireland]

If you haven't already done so, try 12 O'Clock High

I have. Thank you

 

[MIflyer]

No doubt it depends heavily on the specific circumstances. When the BF-110 flown by Rudolph Hess did not return the Luftwaffe scrambled fighters to look for him. Of course they had found out he was going to the UK to negotiate peace, or something.

 

[Ireland]

I understand. But under normal circumstances I assume there were some sort of procedural protocol for notifying headquarters or next of kin. Some sort of forms completed? I am hoping someone knows the typical protocol, names of forms or who would be the next step in notification when a solider/pilot didn't return.

 

[Snautzer01]

I understand. But under normal circumstances I assume there were some sort of procedural protocol for notifying headquarters or next of kin. Some sort of forms completed? I am hoping someone knows the typical protocol, names of forms or who would be the next step in notification when a solider/pilot didn't return.

Part of paperwork.
On other cards there would be name of kin and adress.

eBay: Airwar ww2 The Pilots.

German Hanns Neuhauser 05-07-1944 Wednesday 2./KG6...

ww2aircraft.net

 

[Snautzer01]

GQM Verluste und Unfälle
That is what your asking i think. The quartermaster reports?

Look here

GQM Verluste und Unfälle. - Luftwaffe and Allied Air Forces Discussion Forum

GQM Verluste und Unfälle. Luftwaffe and Axis Air Forces

forum.12oclockhigh.net

 

[Ireland]

GQM Verluste und Unfälle
That is what your asking i think. The quartermaster reports?

Look here

GQM Verluste und Unfälle. - Luftwaffe and Allied Air Forces Discussion Forum

GQM Verluste und Unfälle. Luftwaffe and Axis Air Forces

forum.12oclockhigh.net

YES!! That's exactly what I needed help with. Thank you so much. I couldn't figure out where to find them nor knew exactly what they were called. But I figured there was some sort of protocol when a crew went missing. Some sort of report had to be filed. Thank you!!

 

[Snautzer01]

YES!! That's exactly what I needed help with. Thank you so much. I couldn't figure out where to find them nor knew exactly what they were called. But I figured there was some sort of protocol when a crew went missing. Some sort of report had to be filed. Thank you!!

And there are a lot of them.

 

[Barrett]

As someone that knows very little about military protocol, I'm looking for someone to explain the procedures/protocols that would take place when a Luftwaffe plane did not return to base. Let's say an NJG4 plane that did not return. Do they give it a few days? Is a report made and if so to whom & what would be the chain of command? A letter sent to local police to do a search or did the Luftwaffe do their own searches? And then what is the process from there? Do they notify next of kin and if so, what would the a record of that be called? How long before someone is declared MIA? Then KIA? Something posted in a newspaper? Are there forms/reports/ key words (or specific file?) I should be searching for in the archives that could possibly mention a missing crew/plane? Are there acronyms or specific reports I should be looking for? Any help or direction someone can give would be greatly appreciated. I want to make sure I have exhausted my search before traveling to the archives in person.

Thank you in advance!

-Ireland

Maybe not much help to this thread, but the Luftwaffe (perhaps uniquely) had a percentage system for reporting aircraft damage/loss. The quartermaster returns for the Battle of Britain are a prime example, running from 10 percent (repairable locally) to 100 percent (missing or known destroyed.) I do not find a definition of what ratio was considered repairable, but presumably it was a decision at the depot level.

 

[MIflyer]

Quite some time ago I recall reading that the Luftwaffe did not consider one of their aircraft 100% destroyed unless the crew was lost as well.

And reportedly the Luftwaffe, unable to get sufficient numbers of He-219's due to Nazi brass wanting Bf-110's for night fighters, (since they owned the company), resorted to building new ones from spare parts.

As far as depot level repairs, my friend Ward Duncan, maintenance chief of the 9th PRS in India, got so disgusted with the lack of progress they were making on repairing a bomb-damaged F-4 Lightning, went to the depot and complained. In response they told him they were tired of working on it and he could take it with him; it was no longer on the books. I could see that happening almost anywhere, in any Air Force.

 

[Snautzer01]

And reportedly the Luftwaffe, unable to get sufficient numbers of He-219's due to Nazi brass wanting Bf-110's for night fighters

It is not that simple.

 

[Ireland]

I'm looking for some sort of report regarding an entire missing plane/crew. My grandfather was the pilot. I have his KARTE that states his plane went missing in Teutoburger Wald the night of March 27, 1945. A year later a request was made to the court for a declaration of death. Again it states "vermist Teutoburger Wald U8355" I know that there was a battle over the Rhine the days prior and following to March 27, 1945. And obviously some sort of report was made and survived the end of the war since there was a specific location given. "U8355" Teutoburger. But what I do not know is if there were protocols that stated when a plane didn't return, "x" is filed with such office and then escalated from there. Or what kind of reports were done to notify next of kin? I was hoping in knowing these steps it would help me narrow down in the archives to any details on his demise or possibly where he was buried. He was running Himmlebett at the end of 1944 for NJG4. So seems he was probably out of the Vechta airbase by March 1945. Just looking for any more info I can find.

 

[Ireland]

YES!! That's exactly what I needed help with. Thank you so much. I couldn't figure out where to find them nor knew exactly what they were called. But I figured there was some sort of protocol when a crew went missing. Some sort of report had to be filed. Thank you!!

And there are a lot of them.

Are you aware of any reports after April1, 1945? If so, can you direct me where to find them as I have only seen to April 1945 listed. I'm assuming it probably took a few days before a plane/crew missing on March 28, 1945 was reported. So I'm hoping April or May 1945 reports still exsist.

 

[Ireland]

I see the records listed as such… my understanding is these records are archived in Invenio. Then what does GQM Vordruck II and NVM mean? Are these separate archives? Are the
records for missing aircraft different from missing crew/pilots?

Tägliche Verlustmeldungen.- Flugzeugunfälle und Verluste bei den fliegenden Verbänden

RL 2-III_1199 Bd. 4 - 16.März - 1.Apr.45

 

[Stig1207]

Quite some time ago I recall reading that the Luftwaffe did not consider one of their aircraft 100% destroyed unless the crew was lost as well.

No, 60-99 % were write-offs, the differences in percentage being how much of the aircraft could be salvaged for usable parts. 100% was missing or totally destroyed whether or not the crew was lost. Naturally a lot would probably depend on the situation at the specific time and place; damage less than 60% would not always feasibly be repaired.

 

[Snautzer01]

NJG4. So seems he was probably out of the Vechta airbase by March 1945.

In 4.43 2./NJG4 became 12./NJG5, and a new 2./NJG4 was formed from the rest of I./NJG4.
Reduced to 1./NJG4 on 30.3.45, when Stab I., 2. and 3./NJG4 was disbanded.
Bases:
9.42 - 8.44 Florennes* 3. JD
4. JD (from 9.43) Bf 110, Do 217, Ju 88
8.44 - 1.45 Langendiebach Jafü Mittelrhein Bf 110, Ju 88G
1.45 - 3.45 Vechta 2. JD Ju 88G
3.45 - 5.45 ? 2. JD? Ju 88G

Nachtjagdgeschwader 4

 

[Snautzer01]

Might be this one: From III./NJG4 on 28/3:- Subject: Personnel and QM Return: A) 24/3/45, time unknown. B) 7. Staffel. C) Location Unknown. D) Special Operation. E) Reason Unknown. F) Ju.88 G1. G) 712283. H) 3C AR. I) 100%. J) Replacement. Yes. K) Personnel casualties: Lt. ??, Pilot; Oegfr. Werner Lefkes, ??; Uffz. Erich Stifter, BF; Gefr. Johann Blever, BM, missing. L) Unknown. (note - see HW 5/682 T.500/96: 7 Ju88 took off from Lippspringe and Paderborn, only 6 landed. Possible identity of pilot of 3C+AR is Lt. von Mylius or Lt. Wittendorf)

ULTRA message about the loss (from HW 5/688, R.511/C/24)

By RodM on Torch Lost JU 88 24 March 1945 - Page 2 - Luftwaffe and Allied Air Forces Discussion Forum