Luftwaffe Leutnant Heinz Töpfer. HELP!

[PerMilitaria]

Hi!

Can someone help me get some information about Luftwaffe Leutnant Heinz Töpfer? He was born 21/2 1924 and crash landed in Sweden with his Fw 109 in may 1945.

Is someone know something it would be great!

Thanks for reading!

Best wishes from Per.

[Mike Young]

Hi, I have the following (taken from the Bo Widfeldt book "The Luftwaffe in Sweden"): On 8 May 1945, Fw190 (W.Nr.931484) took-off from Nikas, at 1100 hours, intending to fly to the Danish Island of Bornholm, with Stabsgfr.Helmuth Böhn and Ofw.Hermann Goldenboom on board.
However, due to a navigational error they entered Swedish airspace and crash-landed at Allskogsgard at 1700 hours (Lt.Töpfer's Swedish internee number was III/B1396. He escaped from camp on 28 November 1945.
Regards, Mike

[MJC]

A little more information, but some duplication too.

III/SG-3
Fw 190M-1 (Mistel)
EK 2, Assault Operational Clasp

One of two Fw 190's that pancaked in Sweden, this M-1 at Allskogsgard (Ystad) Sweden on 8 May, 1945. Töpfer and two passengers intended to fly from Niklas (Kurland) to Bornholm Island, Denmark, but landed in Sweden due to a navigational error. The passengers were; StabsGefr Helmuth Böhn and Ofw Hermann Goldenbohm. Töpfer was interned until he escaped from camp on 28 November, 1945.

[Ed Taylor]

The loss of Topfer's Fw-190 is recounted by his Kommodore, Major Erhard Jahnert in his book "Mal oben - mal unten" published in 1992. Here are a few sections describing his last flight that may be of interest:

"I was once again in the air with the captains flying from Nikas to Flensburg on a course of 850 kilometers over the sea. If mechanical problems were experienced during the flight, I recommended to all a landing in neutral Sweden or secondarily a landing in Bornholm where the Danes should still be (as it turned out afterwards., both places would not have been suitable for a landing. The Island of Bornholm was in Russian hands and Sweden as a neutral country according to the Geneva Convention would deliver the German soldiers to the Russians)."

"The throttle is at full power, my A+I is moving faster and faster, a slight movement on the control stick and at 1:12 pm on May 8, 1945, the first aircraft of III./S.G.3 lifts into the air. One last circle over the airfield in order to come together. Now the nose is headed to the west and the Staffel leaves Latvian airspace. The coast is over flown. ... The unit close up on a course westward. Now the throttle is pushed forward to achieve the maximum possible speed with the least gas consumption. It is for instance about 450 km/h. ... The unit close up on a course westward. Now the throttle is pushed forward to achieve the maximum possible speed with the least gas consumption. It is for instance about 450 km/h. My course is plotted to the southern tip of the Swedish island of Gotland and after 25 minutes of flying time it should come into view. Still nothing is to be seen, yet I keep the compass needle on southwest. The coast of the Swedish island cannot lie too far away. Then - a short sputter in my engine. It still continues to sing its monotonous song. What could it have been. A tiny droplet of water in the gas mixture. Yet, that must have been it. The it becomes music to my ears once again. The music of the engine and it remains. ... There - directly to the west of me a blurred line on the horizon, the southern tip of Gotland. My moderate time was due to the fact that we had a west wind. I had overestimated the time our formation would be in the air. The faster gas consumption was roughly estimated. At this time no problem. Őland comes closer, my aircraft plots its course outside the 3 mile territorial limit. The flight continues on. There - land is in front of us, on the left and right of our course. On the left lies Bornholm. Once again I come close to the Swedish coast. The land is picked out good, its details are easily recognized. Erhard, I say, keep us further away. I mean keep it straight on course now. The point of contact with Sweden is quickly passed. "

"What is the matter? One aircraft, however, peels off from the formation! Is the guy crazy? A few hundred revolutions of the propeller before we reach the homeland, and yet he is still an Oberfähnrich. I cannot reach him by radio, I must leave him to his fate. With my eyes I can still see him flying away. Then this guy actually makes a firing run on some target on the land. Still I could not see if it shot back at him. That was the last that I saw or heard from my Oberfähnrich and his Focke Wulf including the two men in the fuselage.
I continue to fly on course in the direction of Flensburg. I still had the Swedish coast in sight, then the first islands of the Danish motherland come into sight. What awaits me and my formation there? A question that remains hanging in the air. I shoot a red flare for safety's sake in order to document that comrades we come in peace. We level off on our pathway in the direction of Flensburg. I have left the altitude of 3,000 to descend to 1,000 meters. We have passed the islands of Möns, Falster, and Lolland. Still we are about 100 kilometers from our landing airfield. Still 15 minutes flying time, yes and then? Then I must land. The new old question: what awaits us here? Soon we will find the answer to that question."

Jahnert's book also gives a very interesting picture of III./SG 2's last time in Kurland.

[Ed Taylor]

Here is a photo of Jahnert and Topfer taken on May 8 before their flight from Kurland. It is also from Jahnert's book "Mal oben - mal unten".

[PerMilitaria]

Thanks guys for the information! The question is: will he ever be found?

Here is a portrait of Töpfer.

[Ed Taylor]

If Topfer escaped from internment in Sweden it is likely that he made it back to Germany. If in fact he did, he would most likely have applied for veterans benefits. You might try to obtain his records from the Bundesarchiv in Freiburg.