Best Bomber Killing Aircraft......

[Erich]

if you guys are going to start posting what-ifs in combat and 4 engine bombers then please make another thread as this is being tainted........

agreed ? SturmFw's rule !

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

cool thanks

[cheddar cheese]

Youre welcome

Like Erich says though, we should really get back on topic.

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

yes I do agree

[Erich]

note the heavy armor around the cockpit on the SturmFw, Willi Unger, friend at the controls............yes this is a pic I posted some months ago...

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Nice pic. So you know Willi Unger?

Willi Unger was born on 27 March 1920 at Warstein in the Sauerland region of Westfalen. He became an accomplished glider pilot. He trained as an engineer and passed his Facharbeiterprüfung on 1 September 1939. He joined the Luftwaffe at the start of World War 2 where he served as a Flugzeugmechaniker despite his flying qualifications. He was finally accepted for pilot training in December 1941, commencing flying training with Flugzeugführerschule A/B 10 at Warnemünde. At the end of May 1943, he transferred to I./JG 104, based at Herzogenaurach, to undergo fighter pilot training. In December 1943, he was promoted to Unteroffizier and completed his fighter pilot’s training with the Ergänzungsgruppe, based at Laleu in France. Unger was posted to JG3 on 10 March 1944. Unteroffizier Unger was assigned to 11./JG 3, based at Salzwedel. His first victory was achieved during his seventh mission on 11 April, when he shot down a USAAF B-17 four-engined bomber, from a formation that had attacked Rostock, near Warnemünde. In April, he was to down a total of eight four-engine bombers. On 29 April 1944, IV./JG 3 and Sturmstaffel 1 were amalgamated and redesignated IV.(Sturm)/JG 3 under the command of Hauptmann Wilhelm Moritz (44 victories, RK). Unger was assigned to 12.(Sturm)/JG 3. On 8 May, after claiming a B-24 shot down, he was himself shot down but carried out a successful belly landing. In aerial combat over Oschersleben on 7 July, Feldwebel Unger shot down two USAAF B-24 four-engine bombers, his 10th and 11th victories. He was shot down again on 18 July, after shooting down a B-17 for his 12th victory, when coming into land at Memmingen by USAAF fighters. He managed to bale out landing in a tree! On 3 August, Unger shot down two B-24s, but was himself shot down by defensive fire from the bombers over the Lechtal Alps, baling out safely from his damaged Fw 190A-8 “Yellow 7” + ~. In August, he received the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold and promotion to the rank of Oberfeldwebel. By September 1944, Unger had transferred to 15.(Sturm)/JG 3. Fahnenjunker-Feldwebel Unger was awarded the Ritterkreuz on 23 October for 19 victories. He was given home leave, during which time he was married on 24 December. In December, he was promoted to the rank of Leutnant and attended a formation leaders course at Gütersloh. In February 1945, IV./JG 3 moved to the Eastern Front. Unger was appointed Staffelführer of 14.(Sturm)/JG 3 and led the Staffel on freie-Jagd and ground attack missions over the Oder front, He recorded his last three victories there. At the beginning of April 1945, Unger joined JG 7, based at Brandenburg, flying Me 262 jet fighters. Within two weeks he had completed his conversion training, however he achieved no further victories before being captured by American troops and taken to Regensburg for imprisonment. He was released on 28 May 1945. Post-war Unger was an active sports flyer winning a number of gliding competitions. He resumed his vocation as a fitter working for a local quarrying operation. He retired on 31 December 1981.
Willi Unger was credited with 24 confirmed victories in 59 missions. He recorded at least 21 victories over the Western Front, all four-engine bombers.

[Erich]

yes I know him. I have a copy of all his photos from his photo album as well as a portion of his flugbuch in the summer of 44. A kind a gracious man, Parkinson's is taking it's toll on him and all correspondance is done through his daughter...

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

It is great to know some of these pilots. I am sorry he has Parkinsons disease though.

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Do you know of any that live in the Stuttgart area?

[Nonskimmer]

Originally Posted by Erich

yes I know him. I have a copy of all his photos from his photo album as well as a portion of his flugbuch in the summer of 44. A kind a gracious man, Parkinson's is taking it's toll on him and all correspondance is done through his daughter...

Very interesting, Erich! I think you're very fortunate to have met him.

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

I agree I think it is a wonderful thing to know these people no matter what side they were on. Just the things they can tell you need to be preserved forever so that there stories are never forgotten.

[Erich]

it is an honour that is for sure.

Here is another chap from IV.Sturm/JG 3, Karl Heinz von den Steinen. He was wounded after three victories on 3 August 44 the same date as Will U. Karl is also a very special man....

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

I agree it is an honor to know these men.

Here is a picture of him and Wolfgang Kosse of 10./JG 3

[Erich]

last pic before I head out to work.

Friend Walter Hagenah. At least 8 "heavies" to his credit while serving in 13.Sturm/JG 3, later flew in Me 262 III./JG 7 taking out 1 P-51 with his R4M's.............obliterated is actually the word he used.

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Walter Hagenah was born in 1919. Hagenah completed his fighter pilot training in early 1942 and was posted to JG 3. Obergefreiter Hagenah was assigned to 2./JG 3, based at Wiesbaden. On 22 April, the unit was ordered to relocate to Vienna-Aspern in preparation for service on the Eastern front. Hagenah suffered a take-off accident in Bf 109 F-4 “Yellow 4” at Vienna, fortunately without injury. On 12 August 1942, Hagenah achieved his first success when he shot down a Russian LaGG-3 fighter. His last victories on the Eastern Front were gained on 14 October 1942, over the Stalingrad pocket, when he downed two Russian Il-2 Sturmovik ground-attack aircraft for his 5th and 6th victories. I./JG 3 was then recalled to Germany for rest and refit. By December 1943, Hagenah was serving with 10./JG 3. His 7th victory, a USAAF B-24 four-engine bomber, was claimed on 19 December 1943. On 12 May 1944, he claimed a USAAF B-17 four-engine bomber Herausschuss but had to force-land near Dornholzhausen in his Bf 109 G-6. In July 1944, Leutnant Hagenah transferred to IV.(Sturm)/JG 3, under the command of Hauptmann Wilhelm Moritz (44 victories, RK), based at Illesheim. The Gruppe was the first of several being formed to fly the heavily armed and armoured Fw 190 A-8/R8 Sturmbock fighters in an attempt to inflict heavy losses on the American bomber formations. He was appointed Staffelkapitän of 10./JG 3 when Leutnant Hans Weik (36 victories, RK) was shot down and wounded on 19 July 1944. On 30 July, he downed a USAAF P-38 twin-engine fighter for his 15th victory. In September 1944, Hagenah attended a fighter leaders’ course. He then went to Erfurt to convert ex-bomber pilots for fighter operations with the Fw 190A. Later he was sent to Luben to train new Sturmgruppe pilots. In March 1945, he was transferred to III./JG 7 to fly Me 262 jet fighters from Lärz. On 10 April 1945, he shot down a USAAF P-51 fighter with R4M rockets. It was his 17th and last victory.
Walter Hagenah was credited with 17 victories in about 140 combat missions. He recorded six victories over the Eastern Front. Of his 11 victories recorded over the Western Front, nine were four-engine bombers.