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Info Eduard - February 2011
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HISTORY
Series of photographs from Hptm. Max Oskar Gehring’s album serving with ZG 1.
Above right is his Bordfunker Fw. Casper after completing a milestone mission. In
the centre is the Wehrpas and its associated photo of Max during Scherenfernohr.
Below left is another milestone mission celebration.
(archiv P.K. via Gehring family)
photograph of the excavation of Hptm. Gehring’s aircraft, from the ar-
chive of Horst Schuh. In March, 1989, the family of Gehring at last was
able to learn the fate, and the fateful spot, of their father and husband.
Max Oskar Gehring was born on March 5th, 1912 in
Rodewisch, in Saxony, Germany. He joined the Wehrmacht
in 1930, entered the conict in Spain, and received the
Spanienkreuz, silber mit Schwertern (April 14th, 1940) for
his participation. He completed pilot training and, in 1941,
was assigned to 7. (H) 13 Aufklärrungsgruppe, where he
remained until the 12th of February 1942, when he was
transfered to Zerstörergeschwader 2. In this unit, he took
over the 5th Staffel, and remained there until July, 1942.
On July 7th, he was transferred to II. Gruppe ZG 1. Serving
with its 6th Staffel, he achieved one victory on May 19th,
1942, aming a Soviet R-5. On August 22nd, 1942, he was
transferred to I. Gruppe, where he commanded its 2nd
Staffel, remaining in that position for a year, and downed
another two aircraft, a Rata and a LaGG 3. For his successes,
he was awarded the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold on July 17th,
1943. On August 8th of the same year, he was nominated
for the function of Gruppenkommandeur of II./ZG 76.
As CO, he led his Gruppe on its rst combat mission. While
forming up to attack B-17s of the 1st BD, his formation of
Bf 110s was attacked by the 56th Fighter Group. Gehrings Bf
110 G-2/R1 W.Nr. 410092, coded M8+AC, crashed near the
village of Lessenich with the loss of the pilot and Bordfunker.
The remains were recovered in March, 1989.