Kommando Welter NJG11 Wehrpass

[Sturmvogel]

Hello,

Some time ago I received a group of documents that belonged to a member of Kommando Welter NJG11 that flew Me 262 jets at the end of the war.

I am not sure whether he was a pilot or a observer, however according to the Wehrpass he was awarded the Frontflugspange für Nachtjäger in Silber in March 1945. Therefore, I assume he did fly. So far nothing is known about this pilot and I would be glad if anybody could tell me more about him. I attach the most interesting pages from his Wehrpass.

He was also awarded the KvK II class without swords. I thought that only civil people got this award? But then again, I am not an expert regarding medals, awards, but more interested in the Me 262.

Also, I found the text "Einweisung auf Strahflugzeuge" (briefing in jet airplanes) also in two other Wehrpass I own. I am wondering if this means that he actually flew them or was only theoretically instructed how to fly them. I assume he actually flew jets.

Regards
Roger

[Sturmvogel]

Wehrpass 2

2nd photo

[Sturmvogel]

3rd

3rd photo

[Sturmvogel]

4th

4th photo

[Hank C.]

Hello,

...edit...

He was also awarded the KvK II class without swords. ...edit...

Regards
Roger

Very nice wehrpass. It looks to me like KVK II m. (mit-with) Schwerten. He also seems to be fairly well decorated, so it is very conceivable he was a pilot. Too bad there's no stamp on the 2nd listing of awards (FFsp, EK1, etc.)

best
Hank

[Eric JB]

Hi Roger,

Nice unit entries, but I have a feeling that your man wasn't an aircraft crewmember, but groundcrew.

Any pilot or flightcrew training in the Wehpaß ?

For me the way the awards are written/stamped-in are a bit strange !

Any other information for your man in the booklet ?

yours friendly

Eric-Jan Bakker

[Sturmvogel]

Soldbuch

Hi Hank and Eric Jan,

I remembered that I also got one page of the Soldbuch. And it seems that he indeed was not a pilot. It should have been mentioned on the Soldbuch page "Fliegendes Personal" as far as I am aware. So, the awards for the Soldbuch seem to have been faked, probably to increase the value? I didnt' pay so much, so that's OK and it is still very interesting to have documents of a member of this group.

I do have documents of another member of this group (not the Wehrpass). There is a flight report which mentiones both pilot and observer. He was the observer. His name was Gabriel, pilot was Lippert.

Regards
Roger

[Sturmvogel]

NJG11 Gabriel

Here is the document I mentioned

[PzV]

comments

He would be rather old to be a pilot since he was in Pi Btl 3 in 1934 and it is odd that the awards are not unit stamped as is usually the case (but of course not always and at the end of the war almost anything goes). Also there is no career field entered such as "Beobachter Abz" etc. What is really interesting the the commentary "Einweisung auf Strahlflugzeuge" (training or orientation on jet aircraft). This mans military career is quite interesting!

[Larry deZeng]

Look at how long he spend with Wehrmeldeamt Wilhelmshaven, in a Horst-Kp., in a Bewachungszug and then in a Lw.-Felddivision. Note the absence of any training courses following the Feld-Div. entry. This guy appears to have been a "general duties" Uffz. used for guard or field soldiering, or he was in clerical/administrative work. There is nothing there to support the assumption that he was air crew or trained to service aircraft. The "briefed on jet aircraft" entry or whatever could represent nothing more than a security briefing for men who were used to guard the Me 262s at Rechlin, which is where Kurt Welter's unit, Nachtjagderprobungskommando Me 262, was stationed, Nov 44 to Mar 45.

--BHS1956

[Sturmvogel]

Burg

Hello BHS1956,

Kdo Welter was not at Rechlin, but first in Burg and Lübeck and at the end of the war at Schleswig-Jagel.

I have another Wehrpass of an pilot (this time the pilot license, training, etc. is mentioned in the Wehrpass and there is also a stamp "Fliegendes Personal" on the first page) who worked for Rechlin and testet various jets: from Me 262 to Ar 234 and also Me 163 (all these aircraft types are mentioned in the Wehrpass and confirmed by a Rechlin Stamp). It also has the entry "Einweisung in Strahlflugzeuge". So, at least in this case "Einweisung in Strahlflugzeuge" meant that he actually flew them and not only guarded them.

Also, if Schröder was with various NJGs it makes sense that he belonged to some kind of administrative personell. For simply guarding duty he could have changed from flying units to ground units, etc. and it wouldn't make sense to stay with nightfighters.

Regards
Roger

[Ian Jewison]

Unfortunately, I am not keen on the awards to page 38 at all!

As Eric-Jan has already mentioned they look odd! The Spange in Silver and EK I particularly!!!

As he has no Bordfunker/Sch******252;tzen, Flugzeugf******252;hrer/Beobachter training and never served in such training units I would say ground crew.....

I will read through the thread again but my initial instinct is, I do not like the award entries on page 38.

Regards,
Ian

[Sturmvogel]

Awards

Hello Ian,

I agree with you, they look strange considering that he apparently did not have flight training. I assume they were added after the war either by himself or by a dealer to increase the value.

I am almost sure that he belonged to some kind of administrative personell. Other documents came with the Wehrpass, all from NJG11. He was ordered once to Berlin Staaken, where the Lufthansa converted standard two-seat trainers of the Me 262 into nightfighters. The order doesn't say what he was supposed to do there but it is surely related to the Me 262. Also, there was a repairing tag for a FuG 218 radar (which was used in the 2-seat Me 262 nightfighter). So, either technical or administrative ground personell is my best guess. But at least of a highly interesting unit.

Also, if he was a pilot with the other NJG units, I am sure his name would appear somewhere, but so far I haven't found anything.

Regards
Roger

[Larry deZeng]

Roger -

According to Jurleit, pp.82-90, 160; Aders, p.172; W.Dierich, Die Verbände der Luftwaffe; Flugzeug Magazin article in 5/1989, pp.25-27; BA-MA Freiburg, Signatur 2 III/66; Theo Boiten; and a number of ULTRA signals, Nachtjagderprobungskommando Me 262 (a.k.a. Kommando Welter and/or Sonderkommando Welter) was formed 2.11.44 at Rechlin-Lärz with two Me 262 A-1a jets to evaluate its use as a night fighter for employment against RAF Mosquitos. Oblt. Kurt Welter in command. On 25.1.45 OKL issued orders that it be expanded to 12 Me 262s and re-designated 10./NJG 11. Concurrent with this order, which was put in force on 28.1.45, Nachtjagderprobungskommando Me 262 moved from Rechlin-Lärz to Burg bei Magdeburg. The rest of your basings are correct.

So, unless I have something terrible wrong here, it looks like we were both right. Even though 10./NJG 11 (FpN: L 63345) was unofficially referred to as "Kommando Welter" from 25.1.45 to the end of the war, many of us think of only the EKdo. as really being "Kommando Welter" because that unofficial appellation was overshadowed when the designation 10./NJG 11 came into existence. The official orders and reports after that date almost always refer to it as 10./NJG 11.

--BHS1956

[Sturmvogel]

Burg

BHS,

I have Jurleit, Classic's Pup, etc. as well. Since you initially wrote in your post

"...Rechlin, which is where Kurt Welter's unit, Nachtjagderprobungskommando Me 262, was stationed, Nov 44 to Mar 45."

I just wanted to point out that during the majority of the period you mentioned they were actually not at Rechlin, as you then correctly mentioned afterwards as well.

Also, Jurleit mentiones that in Welter's Wehrpass it says: "10./NJG11 Kommando Welter nach Burg bei Magdeburg". So, it seems that at least Welter himself continued to use "Kommando Welter" as designation (together with the official designation 10./NJG11).

But no nit-picky here, we know which unit it was whether we call it 10./NJG11 or Kommando Welter or Sonderkommando Welter. But thanks for the correction and additional details about this unit.

Regards
Roger