A heads-up for aerospace author Richard Whittle's latest article just published in the 'Summer 2024' edition of the National Air and Space Museum magazine " Air & Space Quarterly ". A former research fellow at the NASM, Richard has turned his research skills to the career and mysterious demise of Germany's 'other' female test pilot, Melitta von Stauffenberg. He sheds new light on the various theories surrounding her death at the end of the war. On 8 April 1945, while at the controls of a Bücker Bü 181 Bestmann trainer en route to Schoenberg - perhaps to rescue her husband imprisoned by the regime after his brother's failed assassination attempt on the Führer - and navigating along a rail track running near the Danube in the vicinity of Strasskirchen, Bavaria, she was shot down, by whom it is - or rather was - unclear. According to German author Gerhard Bracke, Me 109s may have been involved. And according to eye witnesses she managed to successfully crash-land the aircraft, but apparently later died from her 'non life-threatening' injuries in hospital in Straubing, possibly at the hands of the Gestapo. In a recent message to this blog, Richard writes, " the Bücker 181 Melitta was flying was placed at her disposal by a Major at the Flugzeugführerschule A 114 in Marienbad, where she had ended up on April 6. But Marienbad is in the Czech Republic today, and she took off on April 8 from somewhere in the vicinity of Straubing, maybe Flugplatz Straubing, it seems. The plane she was flying bore the registration GY + BL. I am continuing my research, specifically regarding information on the airfield Melitta departed from on April 8, 1945.."
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NASM quarterly magazine 'Air and Space'
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