The 'strange' death of Staffelkapitän 11./JG 7 Lt. Erwin Stahlberg, April 1945

The new Avions magazine "Hors Série" 'special' published by Lela Presse, "Les pertes des Messerschmitt 262" by Philippe Saintes (Me 262 losses) is a neat 100-page monograph packed with pics and profiles. 

However the report of the destruction in combat of the Messerschmitt 262 flown by Oberleutnant Erwin Stahlberg, Staffelkapitän of 11./JG 7 on 14 April 1945, attributed by the author -as in numerous previous works - to a Mustang pilot, Captain Clayton K. Gross of the 354th FG is erroneous. At least two Osprey monographs ('Aces of JG 3' -extract below - and 'JG 7 Nowotny') repeat this 'account'- Stahlberg crashed to his death at the controls of his jet, shot down by the P-51 of Clayton Gross..

Colin Heaton in his 'Me 262 Stormbird' refers to him as Lt. Erich Stahlberg of 9./JG 7, shot down in combat of course.

The truth is that Lt. Erwin Stahlberg did not even fly a sortie on 14 April 1945 far less meet an untimely end in combat. The reality is much more mundane albeit a little bizarre...

15 April 1945 -the closing weeks of the war in Europe. III. Gruppe of JG 7 are completing preparations for one of their final moves, eastwards, via Bavaria, into the Protectorate of Bohemia, part of the one-time Czechoslovakia. This was virtually all that was left of the once-powerful jet command IX. Fliegerkorps (J). Transferring to Prag-Rusin the Gruppe had put down in Plattling the previous day, 14 April, according to one account. However on the morning of the 15th Erwin Stahlberg is still very much alive. But his Me 262 jet is unserviceable. Stahlberg elects to hitch a ride with a convoy of ground crews, jumping up into the cab of a truck with Luftwaffe mechanic Uffz. Theodor Becker and Uffz. Walter Wetzer, previously of 3./JG 300. Stahlberg's truck is towing a trailer loaded with heavy oxygen bottles. The road convoy sets out in the early afternoon on the route that links lower Bavaria with Czechoslovakia. On a section known as the Ruselberg-Strecke between Deggendorf and Regen the road is hilly, steep in places and notorious for accidents. Stahlberg's truck slows as its approaches a bend on a descent on this section. Suddenly it starts to pick up speed. The driver lets out an exclamation - " Scheiße, die Bremsen - the brakes!" By now Stahlberg's truck is speeding downhill. Turning into the bend, the driver fights with the wheel. Tyres squealing, the truck skids side on, sliding into the turn. The momentum of the heavy load pulls both truck and trailer over the edge. Stahlberg is thrown from the cab into the fast-flowing river below. He disappears under the surface. Seconds later the trailer plunges into the water. On top of him. Stahlberg never comes back up. At the crash site the bodies of the three men are retrieved and taken to the church in Deggendorf..

Stahlberg's friend and Staffel comrade Leutnant Friedrich-Wilhelm Schenk, who had followed him to III./JG 7 after the dissolution of I./JG 300 in March 1945 described the accident which cost Stahlberg his life in a letter written during 1983 ;

" ...Stahlberg was unable to make the transfer by air as his machine was not serviceable. The road convoy travelled on the route that links lower Bavaria with Czechoslovakia known as the Ruselberg-Strecke. (Deggendorf-Regen). He was travelling with ground crews in a truck hauling a trailer full of heavy oxygen bottles . The road descends steeply down into Deggendorf. At a sharp bend the brakes gave way and the truck and trailer went off the road straight into the fast-flowing river. Stahlberg was thrown from the cab into the water and the trailer plunged down on top of him. He drowned. I attended his funeral in the cemetery at Deggendorf. His body was later transferred and interred at the graveyard of Hofkirchen-Leithen an der Donau where I took this photo of the headstone.…"

This account by "Timo" Schenk is confirmed by the register of deaths that can be read at the catholic chuch in Deggendorf where the names of those who died in the crash of the truck on the Ruselberg-Strecke are listed;

Stahlberg, Erwin, Oberleutnant, Jagdgeschwader 3 (his unit prior to postings with 1./ JG 300 and 11./JG 7 ). Born 1 March 1917, died 15 April 1945 at 15:00 on the Ruselbergstraße.
Becker, Theodor, Unteroffizier, mechanic, born 25 October 1919 at Daseburg, fractured skull 15:00 15 April 1945 on the Ruselbergstraße.
Wetzer Walter, Unteroffizier with 3./JG 300 (disbanded mid-March 1945) Born 10 September 1921, hospitalised in the Res. Lazarett IA at Deggendorf, died 29 April from complications of lockjaw.

Details of the circumstances of the death of Erwin Stahlberg are related in the history of JG 300 by Lorant and Goyat 'Batailles dans le Ciel d'Allemagne' (Docavia, 2005).

Note that Robert Dorr in his "Fighting Hitler's Jets' publishes Clayton Kelly Gross's account of his jet victory on 14 April - " I sighted the jet ..sporting a large 'Red 1' on its fuselage....I subsequently met the pilot I had shot down that day  - a certain Kurt Lobgensang.."

William Hess in his "German Jets versus the USAAF" writes;

Rudolf “Rudi” Sinner Gkr. III./ JG 7 Me 262 'Green 1' (Revell/Hasegawa 1:72 scale )

My second 72nd scale Revell Me 262 in a week! Using Xtracolor and WEM Luftwaffe enamels in 82 and 83 this one is finished as one of the 'striped' machines flown by Maj. Rudolf Sinner of the Stab III./JG 7 'Green 1' (note the German-language caption in the Radinger/Schick book extract below states 'Red 1' ) toting twin 21 cm W.Gr. rocket launchers which were tested at Brandenburg-Briest but were no doubt a complete waste of time on such a fast machine as this.

Note the JG 7 fuselage bands, the III. Gruppe bar in black (white outline) and the white Hakenkreuz - none of these markings features were visible on the first photo of Sinner's machine 'discovered' - and illustrated by J. Crandall for the Schiffer edition of M. Boehme's JG 7 history. It wasn't until A. Urbanke's LiF 'special' revealed details of Sinner's other striped machine (without the rocket launchers) that modellers could assume with a fair degree of certainty that this particular aircraft featured them.

Note the stripes extend over the tail of the aircraft; the T. Tullis profile in the Classic Me 262 Volume 3 has the tail and rear of the fuselage mottled. I used the decals from the Kagero ' Messerschmitt Me 262 - in Defence of the Reich' booklet although they appear a little on the small side to me - I took the Gruppe emblems from an Aeromaster sheet.

Hasegawa have just re-released this aircraft in 1:72nd scale  - rather bizarrely the Hasegawa box-art for this machine features a view of the lower surfaces - the artist evidently not prepared to commit to a rendition of the upper surfaces 'stripes' perhaps or merely a device to emphasis the 'highlight' of this 'limited edition' kit, the white-metal rocket launchers? Whatever, list price at Hannants is a prohibitive £33 ! Hasegawa painting instructions opt for the 81/82 combination with Braunviolett but the LiF article on Sinner's striped 262s recommends the two greens finish as per my model here. In-box look at this kit on britmodeller here

Rudi Sinner enjoyed most success in aerial combat with JG 27 serving in North Africa. He claimed his first victory on 12 October 1941, when he shot down a RAF P-40 near Sidi Omar. On 4 June 1942, Sinner was appointed Staffelkapitän of 6./JG 27. On 10 June, Oberleutnant Sinner was shot down near Bir Hacheim by the British Ace, Charles Overton (5.5 confirmed, 1 probable and 0.5 damaged victories), flying a Spitfire Vb fighter of 145 Squadron RAF. Then, on 24 June, Sinner’s aircraft was hit in the engine during combat with RAF Hurricane fighters and he was forced to make an emergency landing. Sinner recorded his 10th victory on 13 July and his 20th on 24 July. On 31 August, Sinner shot down a Hurricane near Alam el Haifa. His victim was South African Ace, John “Harry” Gaynor (5.5 destroyed and 6 damaged victories) of 1 Sqn, SAAF, who crash-landed unhurt. He claimed his 30th victory on 3 September. In June 1943, Hauptmann Sinner was appointed Gruppenkommandeur IV./JG 27 then based at Kalamaki, Greece. However, his stay with the unit was  brief.
On 30 July 1943, Sinner was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of IV./JG 54, based on the Russian front, taking over from Hauptmann Erich Rudorffer (224 victories, RK-S). Sinner led the Gruppe until 10 February 1944. He added three further victories to his victory total during his time with the unit. In March 1944, Hauptmann Sinner became Gruppenkommandeur of III./JG 54 located on the Western front. On 6 March 1944, Sinner shot down a USAAF B-17 four-engine bomber for his 36th victory. However, his aircraft was hit by the bombers’ defensive fire and Sinner was badly wounded. He successfully baled out of his stricken Bf-109 G-6 (W.Nr. 410557) ‘2’. By 12 June 1944, Sinner was again serving with JG 27, based on the Invasion front in France, in command of I.Gruppe. He was to lead the Gruppe until 1 August 1944.

During early 1945, Sinner was appointed Gkr. III./JG 7 and quickly brought the Gruppe up to operational status. At this time his victory total stood at 36, including 32 victories achieved over North Africa.

Sinner was to add three confirmed victories to his tally flying the jet, including two USAAF B-24 four-engine bombers near Rathenow on 3 March. On 4 April, Sinner led seven other Me-262s off from Rechlin. Emerging from the clouds shortly after take-off, the flight was bounced by P-51 fighters of the 339th Fighter Group. In the ensuing combat ‘Rudi’ Sinner’s aircraft was hit. With his face and hands badly burned, he baled out at low level. His parachute deployed at the last moment and failed to open fully so that he hit the ground heavily and was dragged into a barbed wire fence. He reported that the P-51s then attempted to strafe him. Sinner’s wounds were serious enough to keep him out of the rest of war.

Rudolf Sinner was credited with 39 victories in 305 missions. 36 of his victories were achieved over the Western front, including three four-engine bombers and three flying the Me 262 jet fighter. Three victories were achieved over the Eastern front. He was shot down 12 times, baling out on three occasions, and was wounded five times.

Bf 109 ace Arnold Bringmann JG 3, JG 7

Above; Me 109 E "schwarze 11" of 5./JG 3 in St.Omer-Arques during the winter of 1940/41. Pilot in the photo is Gefr. Arnold Bringmann (on the right) who survived the war with "at least" 30 victories including 2 Abschüße while flying a Me 262 with III./JG 7 (or EJG 2). Images from Michael Meyer's ebay sales. 

Bf 109 Friedrich belonging to the  Stab II./JG 3 photographed on 1 July 1942. Gefr. Arnold Bringmann seen here on his return from the sortie on which he achieved his first victory, an Il-2 over Schtschigry. Having flown with II./JG 3 during the Battle of Britain he was acting Staffelkapitän of 1./ JG 3 for the Bodenplatte operation on New Year's Day 1945 with the rank of Feldwebel. At war's end he was flying the Me 262 Turbo with JG 7.

Me 262s of III./JG 7 undergo maintenance at Brandenburg-Briest, April 1945

Atmospheric shots taken from a German TV 'doku' depict Me 262 jet fighters of III./JG 7 undergoing maintenance at Brandenburg-Briest, April 1945. The aircraft  seen in the first few frames is a Messerschmitt Me 262 A-1a of 11./JG7 parked off the runway at Brandenburg-Briest.





Groundcrew glad in their ubiquitous black overalls attend to the 30 mm MK 108 cannon in the nose of 11./JG 7's 'White 8' prior to another sortie from Brandenburg-Briest in the spring of 1945.






Note the unusual 'tortoise shell' camouflage finish and the green tactical number '2' barely discernible under the JG 7 'running fox' emblem on the nose of the aircraft. This machine is displaying the chevron and bar of the Geschwader Operations Officer although may have been flown by the Kommodore Mjr. Weissenberger. It is not known if this aircraft belonged to the Gruppenstab of the III. Gruppe or had been assigned to the Geschwaderstab. Note the Stab command makings on the rear fuselage are those from the Gruppenstab. However there is no III. Gruppe vertical bar present. Why this aircraft should be wearing a combination of Geschwader and Gruppe markings is uncertain. Similar screen shots were also used by Robert Forsyth in his Osprey JG7 title.