Bob Braham and German night fighters

Oh my, that's what I feared. the Lelystad area is a modern polder so Geiger's wreckage could be on land now instead of water! Thanks Nick this is a very precise pic that will help us to locate the settings.

 

Your welcome.

 

so the question remains has there been any search for Geig.'s 110G-4 in the past or present time ??

 

I doubt that ... The island (Flevoland) was build in between 1950/60 I believe... don't think that at that time they were interested in an old plane wreckage.

 

Worse if they drained the water around 1950 and found a wreckage , they probably dumped it. On the other hand I have a newspaper article which says that over 2000 aircrafts have not been recovered in Holland.

 

Gents:

Back in the days when I was draining the internet of anything related to Mosquito claims or losses, I came across a *.pdf file entitled "NFLA Recovery List". According to the file, in August 1971 there was a recovery, apparently with the Project Number RNLAF-74(61) (I assume this means Royal Netherlands Air Force), of Bf 110 G-4 5547 G9+ER of 7./NJG 1, which came down on 29-9-43. The comment is "Wreck recovered. See also June/July 1970", though I can't see anything in the months referred to.

So, anyway, it would look very much like the remains of Geiger's aircraft were recovered back in 1971.

Cheers,

Mark

 

I was surfing about the subject and found more information at this forum. It says Geiger's 110 was recovered and a tail fin with his kills is in a Dutch museum.

Bob Braham vs August Geiger - Key Publishing Ltd Aviation Forums

 

Thanks TA. I also read about Geiger's fin but was this the same aircraft or did he crash more than once? If there was but one crash the fin belongs to a private Dutch collector and author who has indeed recovered it in the 70s. The reason I say this is because I have a copy of his book with a picture of it and it's compared to a 1942 fin. I may have to read the story again in case I find more details.

 

Hello All,

I can help bring this thread up to date, the remains of Geiger's Bf110 G9+ER are displayed at the Stichting Air Recovery Group 1940-1945 museum at Fort Veldhuis, Heemskerk Netherlands. Open Sundays May-October.

Hope this is of interest....

Greetings,

Pfeil335

 

thanks Pfeil, interesting how the water/muck as literally torn off the markings on that fin ah but we can see that Geiger carried the Spiralschnauze on the props which to me is quite notable for this early in the war.

 

Greetings and thank you for this update.

In the meantime I have more about Braham (and Sticks) . I only recently realized he shot down a HE-177 near my hometown , at Chateaudun. This is his March 5th 1944 score, when he got Wilhelm Werser's Greif (I/KG 100) at 3.15 pm when he surprised the Greif during a test flight ove rthe base. the crew of 6 did not survive.

 

The info I have on the Chateaudun incident is as follows:

"Took off at 13:10, and after investigating the Avord-Bourges area, flew on to Chateaudun. E/A was at about 800 feet, apparently flying a circuit. Mosquito closed to 300 yards without opposition and fired a long burst - e/a burst into flames and went spinning into the ground, where the Mosquito crew watched it burn. E/A 5J+RL of 3./KG 100.
May have been HE177A-3 Wrk. Nr 332214 of I/KG100 - routine flight to test a wing which had been replaced on the aircraft. Pilot Lt. Wilhelm Werzer 29; Radio Operator Uffz Kolomann Schlögl, 25; Mechanic Uffz Gustav Birkenmaier, 26; Gunner Uffz Alfred Zwieselsberger, 21; Gunner Uffz Josef Keres, 22; Mechanic Fwb Georg Breitsameter, 31, all KIA. Braham saw the He 177 as it took off at 1528 - after climbing to 1,000 feet and checking to ensure the bomber was not escorted, he flew a half-circle and was surprised that there was no response from the flak positions - some Luftwaffe personnel on the ground even waving to him. The He 177 fell at 1530 4km north of the airfield, exploding as it crashed. Werzer carried the Iron Cross First Class, and had been personally presented with one of his awards by Hermann Goering. His first child was born on 13 May 1944."

 

That is correct. Thank you for this confirmation. Incredible that the groundcrew waved at him and believed he was German, isn't it?

 

Hi everybody.
Very interested about these informations on german Ace Geiger.
Living in Belgium in the Ardennes, me & my youngest sons are doing a "duty of memory" in favor of the crew of a RAF bomber that was shot down in 1943 next to our home in La cornette/Les hayons (we've already written a substantial contribution in www.leshayons.com). The Lanc' (sqn115 ds690 KO-C) was shot down by german Ace Geiger in the night of 13-14 july 1943, returning from a raid on Aachen. All died except one wo bailed out. Violent crash, no identification possible, all buried in the same grave in the cemetery of the village. We're looking for ANY information on this pattern. Thanks for helping my sons (and others) remembering those guys.
Piet.