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Bf 109G-2/R6/Trop, WNr. 10805, Lt. Wilhelm Crinius, 3./JG 53,
Bizerta, Tunis, January 1943
Bf 109G-2/R6, WNr. 14810, Ofw. Rudolf Müller, 6./JG 5,
Petsamo, Finland, April 1943
A native to Hohenhausen, Wilhelm Crinius joined
Luftwaffe in January 1940. After his fighter pilot
training in February 1942, he joined 3. Staffel
JG 53 and fought in Malta, in the Eastern Front
and in the North Africa. On September 23, 1942, he
was awarded Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves for
shooting down 100 enemy aircraft. Till January 8,
1943, he added 14 more shot downs. On January
13, though, the fortune had changed her mind.
His aircraft was hit during the battle with Spitfires
near El Kala. Crinius suffered thigh injury and
due to the engine fire he was forced to perform
a water landing. The next day fishermen saved
him. After recovery he was sent to the POW
camp. After the World War Two came to an end,
he worked as a CEO of German subsidiary of
Phillips, later as a chairman of the board of Ernst
Düllmann GmbH. In 1989 he ran as a candidate
of Deutsche Volksunion party for European
Parliament. He died on April 26, 1997, in Stuhr,
Lower Saxony. Crinius’ “Gustav” was camouflaged
in RLM 78/79 shades and sported patches
and patterns painted in RLM 80. Underneath
the fuselage number there was repaint of the
previous marking visible, most likely by RLM 78.
The rudder sported the painting of the Knight’s
Cross accompanied by the victory marks.
Rudolf “Rudi” Müller was born on November
21, 1920, in Frankfurt am Main. During 1940,
he underwent pilot training and was assigned to
1./JG 77 in August 1941. He scored his first kill on
September 12, 1941, his victim was a Soviet I-16.
In February 1942 he shot down two RAF bombers
off Norwegian coast. On March 21, 1942, the 6./JG 5
was formed from Müller’s Staffel and the number
of his victories over Soviet pilots was steadily
rising during this time. Encounters took place
during Luftwaffe attacks on convoys to and from
Murmansk and during multiple combats with
Soviet forces in the area of the Vayenga airfield
or over the base of the JG 5 at Petsamo-Luostari.
Rudolf Müller was awarded the Knight’s Cross
on June 19, 1942, after achieving 46 victories.
In a dogfight with the Hurricanes of the 609 IAP,
he was shot down on April 19, 1943, on Soviet
territory, tried to escape with the help of winter
gear, but was eventually captured. On October
21, 1943, he was shot while attempting to escape
from a prison camp.
KITS 03/2024
INFO Eduard50
March 2024