Hello all,
I would like to present my research regarding a pilot who served with 5./JG27 in 1943. Any comments or amendments would be gratefully received.
Oberfeldwebel Fritz Meikstat
Born on the 17th June 1922 in Schillfelde, Germany
Units:
15.10.1940 – 28.2.1941 2./Flieger-ausbildung regiment 61 Oschatz
1.3.1941 – 5.1.1942 Luftskriegschule 5 Schueler Kompanie Breslau – Schoengarten
6.1.1942 – 30.3.1942 Flugzeugfuehrerschule C8
31.3.1942 – 11.10.1942 Zestoerer – Vorschule 1
12.10.1942 – 10.11.1942 Jagdfliegerschule 7
11.11.1942 – 24.2.1943 1./Jagdfliegerschule 4
25.2.1943 – 31.3.1943 Jagdgruppe Sued – 2. Staffel
1.4.1943 – 25.7.1943 5./JG27
Ranks:
1.3.1941 Fahnenjuenker
1.3.1941 Fahnenjuencker-Gefreiter
1.6.1941 Fahnenjuencker-Unteroffizier
1.10.1941 Faehnrich
1.2.1942 Oberfaehnrich
28.8.1942 Oberfeldwebel
Areas of service:
31.31942 – 10.11.1942 Served in France
25.2.1943 – 31.3.1943 Watch in the Mediteranean
1.4.1943 – 25.7.1943 Served in the air defence of Sicily and Southern Italy
Orders and decorations:
Pilots badge
Fighter bar in bronze for twenty operational sorties.
Airfields:
22.2.1943 – 20.6.1943 Trapani, Sicily
21.6.1943 – 3.7.1943 Lecce, Southern Italy
4.7.1943 – 30-7.1943 San Vito dei Normanni, Southern Italy
Aerial victories:
None
Details of sorties and incidents involving 5./JG27 between April - July 1943:
5th April 1943 - An air battle with P-38s over the sea, 30 kms east north easterly of Cap Bon, Tunisia. Uffz. Rolf Pilz missing and Fw. Anton Woeffen took to his parachute over the sea but survived.
17th April 1943 – An air battle with Spitfires, 20kms south westerly of Zembra. Gefr. Wolgang Korn (missing) and Herbert Lotter (unknown) took to his parachute over the sea.
18th April 1943 – Combat with Spitifres over Zembra at 19:00. Lt. Hans Lewes took to his parachute but survived.
22nd April 1943 – Air battle with P-40s over the sea around Cap Bon, Tunisia at 09:45. Lt. Heinz Schlechter took to his parachute over the sea. Uffz. Kurt Krumrey was killed aboard a JU52.
26th April 1943 – Sortie over Tunisia and made contact with Spitfires. Uffz. Arnulf Gottschall and Fw. Anton Woeffen both had problems but survived.
29th April 1943 – Air combat with P-38s 10kms south westerly of Marettimo at 11:25 and another air battle with P-40s 40kms east, south easterly of Cap bon, Tunisia at 17:25.
9th May 1943 – Air combat with B-17s 20 km north, north westerly of Capo san Vito at 13:20.
10th May 1943 – Trapani airfield was bombed by allied aircraft and air combat with P-38s north easterly of Cap Bon, Tunisia at 14:00.
11th May 1943 – Air combat with P38s 25 km west of Marsala, western Sicily at 12:14.
13th May 1943 – Air battle with Beaufighters south west of Marettimo at 10:05 and air battle with P-38s southerly of Cagliari, Sardinia.
21st May 1943 – Air combat with B-17s south of Marsala, Western Sicily at 11:20.
22nd May 1943 – Air battle with P-38s near Favignana, Near Trapani, Sicily at 16:15. An unnamed pilot crashed over Favignana.
25th May 1943 – Air battle with B-17s north westerly of Marittemo at 11:15 -11:30.
28th May 1943 – Air battle with P-38s escorting B24s and B25s over Marsala, Western Sicily at 18:00. Fw. Arthur Mueller shot down.
31st May 1943 – Combat with B-17s westerly of Trapani, Sicily at 14:40.
4th June 1943 – Trapani airfield was bombed by allied aircraft.
5th June 1943 – sortie over Sciacca, Sicily. No known contact with the enemy.
6th June 1943 – Trapani airfield bombed. Combat with P-40s 20 km south of Pantelleria at 12:53.
7th June 1943 – Sortie over Tunisia. Two pilots of II/JG27 shot down and taken POW in Pantelleria and Menzel Temime.
10th June 1943 – Contact with the Spitfires around Pantelleria at 12:30. Lt. Hans Lewes went down 25 km south of Marsala, Sicily on the return flight.
15th June 1943 – Air battle with Spitfires 5km north westerly of Marettimo, an Island off the west coast of Sicily at 10:20. Uffz. Hans Dierck missing in action.
16th June 1943 – Sortie near Sciacca. No know contact with the enemy.
18th June 1943 – Sortie around Capo San Vito. Uffz. Herbert Lotter missing.
2nd July 1943 – Sortie again B24s around Lecce at 11:15 and 14:16.
5th July 1943 – Obfhr. Hans Kohn and Obfw. Peter Fassbender killed in a Bf108 ‘Taifun’.
10th July 1943 – Combat with Spitfires 30 km South easterly of Syracusa, east Sicily at 16:07 hours.
12th July 1943 – Air battle with Spitfires. Staffelkapitaen Ernst Borngen claims his 27th victory.
16th July 1943 – Air battle with B24s around San Vito. Hptm. Ernst Borngen shot down and wounded in combat.
18th July 1943 – Air battle 20 km easterly of Capo Molino. Lt. Peter Lux missing in action.
23rd July 1943 – Air battle with B-17s northerly of Cosenza, mainland Italy. Staffelfuehrer, Oblt. Walter Otte killed and Fw. Anton Woeffen wounded.
25th July 1943 – Air battle with Spitfires 30 km north westerly of Messina. Obfw. Fritz Meikstat missing.
Oberfeldwebel Fritz Meikstat of 5./JG27 was shot down by a Spitfire 30kms north west of Messina, Sicily on 25th July 1943. Fritz was flying Bf109 G-6/trop (18414) Red 3 + -. His unit were based at San Vito dei Normanni, Italy at the time of his demise. Fritz was an experienced pilot with at least twenty operational sorties behind him. His Wehrpass appears to have been signed by Oberleutnant Herbert Schramm, Staffelfuehrer of 5./JG27. Schramm did not join the Staffel until 13th August 1943 but the unit left Italy only a couple of days after Meikstat was lost. He would have completed and signed the Wehrpass for sending to Meikstat’s family when the unit returned to Weisbaden, Germany.
A record of the action in which Fritz Meikstat was lost is contained in ‘Spitfires over Sicily’ by Brian Cull.
…….Following an Ultra intercept, it was learnt by the RAF that convoys of transport aircraft were ferrying into Sicily. 244 Wing (145,417 and 601 Sqns) swept eastwards from Cape Milazzo (NE corner of Sicily), only to find that 322 Wing (81,152 and 242 Sqns) led by W/C (flying) Colin Gray had beaten them to it. Gray’s Wing had recently started flying from Lentini airfield on Sicily.
The Luftwaffe aerial convoy consisted of ten Ju52/3ms of I/TG1 that were well spread out and circling the beach prior to landing in Sicily. No. 81 Sqn which were equipped with Spifire IXs attacked the fighters while the other Sqns went after the transport aircraft. Many of the JU52/3ms burst into flames very quickly and this led the allied pilots to believe that these aircraft must have been carrying petrol. A dozen Me109s from I/JG77 and II/JG27 plus a number of MC202S of 161 Gruppo were about 3,000 feet above the JU52/3ms. No. 81 Sqn went after the fighters and a melee ensued in which about thirty aircraft were involved. Wg Cdr Colin Gray “could not see a single Junkers still in the air, and every time I saw a German fighter he had a Spitfire on his tail”…………
The fighter claims for this action for aircraft destroyed are as follows:
No. 81 Sqn.
F/Sgt Larry Cronin (RAAF) in JL188. Two Me 109s destroyed, one near Cannitello, the other over northern Sicily.
S/L Whitamore in EN492/FL-E. One Me109.
No. 152 Sqn.
F/O Norman Jones. Two Me 109s. The pilot of his second claim being seen to bale out at low level over the sea before he opened fire.
F/O Roy Kingsford. One Me109 probable. Last seen smoking badly in a gully over the Italian mainland.
No. 242 Sqn.
Sgt H R Kelly. One Me109 destroyed.
F/L George Silvester. One Macchi destroyed and one Me109 damaged.
Luftwaffe losses
Oblt Gerhard Strasen Stab/JG77 in wk nr 18640, wounded, possibly F/O Kingsford's victim.
Oblt Heinz-Edgar Berres Staffelkapitan 1/JG77, 52 victories, in BF+QU wk nr 18101, missing.
Uffz Madaun 1/JG77 in wk nr 18683, survived.
Unknown Stab/JG77 in wk nr 18329, survived.
Uffz Albert Salzer 4./JG 27 crashed near Cefalu,killed.
Obfw Fritz Meiktat 5./JG27 missing 30 km NW of Messina.
In addition another aircraft of 4/JG27 flown Fw Heini Steis belly landed safely near Cape Orlando.
I would suggest that Meikstat was more than likely shot down by either F/Sgt Larry Cronin (RAAF) or S/L Whitamore of No. 81 Squadron but there is a chance that he may have been shot down by F/O Norman Jones of 152 Squadron or Sgt H R Kelly of 242 Squadron.
I would like to present my research regarding a pilot who served with 5./JG27 in 1943. Any comments or amendments would be gratefully received.
Oberfeldwebel Fritz Meikstat
Born on the 17th June 1922 in Schillfelde, Germany
Units:
15.10.1940 – 28.2.1941 2./Flieger-ausbildung regiment 61 Oschatz
1.3.1941 – 5.1.1942 Luftskriegschule 5 Schueler Kompanie Breslau – Schoengarten
6.1.1942 – 30.3.1942 Flugzeugfuehrerschule C8
31.3.1942 – 11.10.1942 Zestoerer – Vorschule 1
12.10.1942 – 10.11.1942 Jagdfliegerschule 7
11.11.1942 – 24.2.1943 1./Jagdfliegerschule 4
25.2.1943 – 31.3.1943 Jagdgruppe Sued – 2. Staffel
1.4.1943 – 25.7.1943 5./JG27
Ranks:
1.3.1941 Fahnenjuenker
1.3.1941 Fahnenjuencker-Gefreiter
1.6.1941 Fahnenjuencker-Unteroffizier
1.10.1941 Faehnrich
1.2.1942 Oberfaehnrich
28.8.1942 Oberfeldwebel
Areas of service:
31.31942 – 10.11.1942 Served in France
25.2.1943 – 31.3.1943 Watch in the Mediteranean
1.4.1943 – 25.7.1943 Served in the air defence of Sicily and Southern Italy
Orders and decorations:
Pilots badge
Fighter bar in bronze for twenty operational sorties.
Airfields:
22.2.1943 – 20.6.1943 Trapani, Sicily
21.6.1943 – 3.7.1943 Lecce, Southern Italy
4.7.1943 – 30-7.1943 San Vito dei Normanni, Southern Italy
Aerial victories:
None
Details of sorties and incidents involving 5./JG27 between April - July 1943:
5th April 1943 - An air battle with P-38s over the sea, 30 kms east north easterly of Cap Bon, Tunisia. Uffz. Rolf Pilz missing and Fw. Anton Woeffen took to his parachute over the sea but survived.
17th April 1943 – An air battle with Spitfires, 20kms south westerly of Zembra. Gefr. Wolgang Korn (missing) and Herbert Lotter (unknown) took to his parachute over the sea.
18th April 1943 – Combat with Spitifres over Zembra at 19:00. Lt. Hans Lewes took to his parachute but survived.
22nd April 1943 – Air battle with P-40s over the sea around Cap Bon, Tunisia at 09:45. Lt. Heinz Schlechter took to his parachute over the sea. Uffz. Kurt Krumrey was killed aboard a JU52.
26th April 1943 – Sortie over Tunisia and made contact with Spitfires. Uffz. Arnulf Gottschall and Fw. Anton Woeffen both had problems but survived.
29th April 1943 – Air combat with P-38s 10kms south westerly of Marettimo at 11:25 and another air battle with P-40s 40kms east, south easterly of Cap bon, Tunisia at 17:25.
9th May 1943 – Air combat with B-17s 20 km north, north westerly of Capo san Vito at 13:20.
10th May 1943 – Trapani airfield was bombed by allied aircraft and air combat with P-38s north easterly of Cap Bon, Tunisia at 14:00.
11th May 1943 – Air combat with P38s 25 km west of Marsala, western Sicily at 12:14.
13th May 1943 – Air battle with Beaufighters south west of Marettimo at 10:05 and air battle with P-38s southerly of Cagliari, Sardinia.
21st May 1943 – Air combat with B-17s south of Marsala, Western Sicily at 11:20.
22nd May 1943 – Air battle with P-38s near Favignana, Near Trapani, Sicily at 16:15. An unnamed pilot crashed over Favignana.
25th May 1943 – Air battle with B-17s north westerly of Marittemo at 11:15 -11:30.
28th May 1943 – Air battle with P-38s escorting B24s and B25s over Marsala, Western Sicily at 18:00. Fw. Arthur Mueller shot down.
31st May 1943 – Combat with B-17s westerly of Trapani, Sicily at 14:40.
4th June 1943 – Trapani airfield was bombed by allied aircraft.
5th June 1943 – sortie over Sciacca, Sicily. No known contact with the enemy.
6th June 1943 – Trapani airfield bombed. Combat with P-40s 20 km south of Pantelleria at 12:53.
7th June 1943 – Sortie over Tunisia. Two pilots of II/JG27 shot down and taken POW in Pantelleria and Menzel Temime.
10th June 1943 – Contact with the Spitfires around Pantelleria at 12:30. Lt. Hans Lewes went down 25 km south of Marsala, Sicily on the return flight.
15th June 1943 – Air battle with Spitfires 5km north westerly of Marettimo, an Island off the west coast of Sicily at 10:20. Uffz. Hans Dierck missing in action.
16th June 1943 – Sortie near Sciacca. No know contact with the enemy.
18th June 1943 – Sortie around Capo San Vito. Uffz. Herbert Lotter missing.
2nd July 1943 – Sortie again B24s around Lecce at 11:15 and 14:16.
5th July 1943 – Obfhr. Hans Kohn and Obfw. Peter Fassbender killed in a Bf108 ‘Taifun’.
10th July 1943 – Combat with Spitfires 30 km South easterly of Syracusa, east Sicily at 16:07 hours.
12th July 1943 – Air battle with Spitfires. Staffelkapitaen Ernst Borngen claims his 27th victory.
16th July 1943 – Air battle with B24s around San Vito. Hptm. Ernst Borngen shot down and wounded in combat.
18th July 1943 – Air battle 20 km easterly of Capo Molino. Lt. Peter Lux missing in action.
23rd July 1943 – Air battle with B-17s northerly of Cosenza, mainland Italy. Staffelfuehrer, Oblt. Walter Otte killed and Fw. Anton Woeffen wounded.
25th July 1943 – Air battle with Spitfires 30 km north westerly of Messina. Obfw. Fritz Meikstat missing.
Oberfeldwebel Fritz Meikstat of 5./JG27 was shot down by a Spitfire 30kms north west of Messina, Sicily on 25th July 1943. Fritz was flying Bf109 G-6/trop (18414) Red 3 + -. His unit were based at San Vito dei Normanni, Italy at the time of his demise. Fritz was an experienced pilot with at least twenty operational sorties behind him. His Wehrpass appears to have been signed by Oberleutnant Herbert Schramm, Staffelfuehrer of 5./JG27. Schramm did not join the Staffel until 13th August 1943 but the unit left Italy only a couple of days after Meikstat was lost. He would have completed and signed the Wehrpass for sending to Meikstat’s family when the unit returned to Weisbaden, Germany.
A record of the action in which Fritz Meikstat was lost is contained in ‘Spitfires over Sicily’ by Brian Cull.
…….Following an Ultra intercept, it was learnt by the RAF that convoys of transport aircraft were ferrying into Sicily. 244 Wing (145,417 and 601 Sqns) swept eastwards from Cape Milazzo (NE corner of Sicily), only to find that 322 Wing (81,152 and 242 Sqns) led by W/C (flying) Colin Gray had beaten them to it. Gray’s Wing had recently started flying from Lentini airfield on Sicily.
The Luftwaffe aerial convoy consisted of ten Ju52/3ms of I/TG1 that were well spread out and circling the beach prior to landing in Sicily. No. 81 Sqn which were equipped with Spifire IXs attacked the fighters while the other Sqns went after the transport aircraft. Many of the JU52/3ms burst into flames very quickly and this led the allied pilots to believe that these aircraft must have been carrying petrol. A dozen Me109s from I/JG77 and II/JG27 plus a number of MC202S of 161 Gruppo were about 3,000 feet above the JU52/3ms. No. 81 Sqn went after the fighters and a melee ensued in which about thirty aircraft were involved. Wg Cdr Colin Gray “could not see a single Junkers still in the air, and every time I saw a German fighter he had a Spitfire on his tail”…………
The fighter claims for this action for aircraft destroyed are as follows:
No. 81 Sqn.
F/Sgt Larry Cronin (RAAF) in JL188. Two Me 109s destroyed, one near Cannitello, the other over northern Sicily.
S/L Whitamore in EN492/FL-E. One Me109.
No. 152 Sqn.
F/O Norman Jones. Two Me 109s. The pilot of his second claim being seen to bale out at low level over the sea before he opened fire.
F/O Roy Kingsford. One Me109 probable. Last seen smoking badly in a gully over the Italian mainland.
No. 242 Sqn.
Sgt H R Kelly. One Me109 destroyed.
F/L George Silvester. One Macchi destroyed and one Me109 damaged.
Luftwaffe losses
Oblt Gerhard Strasen Stab/JG77 in wk nr 18640, wounded, possibly F/O Kingsford's victim.
Oblt Heinz-Edgar Berres Staffelkapitan 1/JG77, 52 victories, in BF+QU wk nr 18101, missing.
Uffz Madaun 1/JG77 in wk nr 18683, survived.
Unknown Stab/JG77 in wk nr 18329, survived.
Uffz Albert Salzer 4./JG 27 crashed near Cefalu,killed.
Obfw Fritz Meiktat 5./JG27 missing 30 km NW of Messina.
In addition another aircraft of 4/JG27 flown Fw Heini Steis belly landed safely near Cape Orlando.
I would suggest that Meikstat was more than likely shot down by either F/Sgt Larry Cronin (RAAF) or S/L Whitamore of No. 81 Squadron but there is a chance that he may have been shot down by F/O Norman Jones of 152 Squadron or Sgt H R Kelly of 242 Squadron.
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