KITS 09/2022

WNr. 437, Uffz. Johannes Rathenow, 10./JG 1, Woensdrecht, the Netherland, July 1942

On July 4, 1942, in this Fw 190A-3 Uffz. Rathenow

scored his first air victory over the enemy aircraft,

the victim was a Boston Mk.III from No. 226 Squadron

RAF. The British bomber crashed into the sea twenty

kilometers west of the Dutch village of Callanstsoog.

During WWII Johannes „Boulette“ Rathenow scored

in total seven kills, besides the British Boston all

the others were American B-17s. He met his fate on

November 3, 1943 when he took off with 1./JG 1 for

a mission against the American bombers and their

escorting P-38 fighters who were headed for a raid

on Wilhelmshaven. After he was hit over Bad Zwischenahn Rathenow’s Fw 190A-6 exploded.

WNr. 2080, 10.(Jabo)/JG 2, Beaumont-le-Roger, France, spring 1942

In the end of 1941 Luftwaffe was considering to

restart its bombing of the Great Britain as well as the

coastal shipping. It was established that each fighter

unit deployed against Great Britain will commission

one Staffel to the „hit and run“ bombing attacks.

10.(Jabo) Staffel of the JG 2 flew in this role. Led by

Oblt. Frank Liesendahl, in four months the unit sank

20 ships representing 630 000 BRT displacement.

Blue 6 flying with 10.(Jabo)/JG 2 sported the standard

Luftwaffe day fighters‘ camouflage of RLM 74/75/76.

The units insignia was a fox biting the ship. On August 26, 1942 this Focke Wulf, at that time attached to

10.(Jabo)/JG 26 as black 13, was shot down by the AA

fire of a Canadian unit at Eastbourne. The pilot, Ofw.

Werner Kassa was killed.

WNr. 0552, Hptm. Josef Priller, CO of III./JG 26, Wevelgem, Belgium, late August 1942

Josef ”Pips“ Priller was born on July 27, 1915 in Ingolstadt, Bavaria. In 1935, he joined Wehrmacht, and

as soon as one year later, in October 1936, he started

to attend the fighter pilot training. He managed his

first shot down as a commander of 6. Staffel JG 51

when he downed a Spitfire above Dunkerque on May

28, 1940. In November 1940, he was appointed a commander of the 1./ JG 26. On December 6, 1941, he became commander of III./ JG 26, from January 11,1943 he

September 2022

lead the whole Jagdgeschwader 26. His total number

of shot downs kept growing. On December 20, 1941,

his successes were rewarded - Priller was decorated

with Knights Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

and Swords. On January 28, 1945, he was appointed

a post of an Inspekteur der Jagdflieger Ost, where he

remained till the end of WWII. Priller’s total score of

shot downs was 101 enemy aircraft. All of the shot

downs happened in the Western Front. After war he

married Johanna Riegele, the proprietor of a brewery

and became general manager of Riegele brewery in

Augsburg, Germany. He died of heart attack on May

20, 1961. The aircraft flown by Josef Priller in late summer 1942, in the standard camouflage scheme for

Luftwaffe fighters, had a yellow rudder and bottom

portion of the engine cowl. It also carried the marking for the CO of the III. Gruppe. The tail carried 77

kill markings, his tally to August 29, 1942.

INFO Eduard

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