Bf 109 down in Black Sea

[U260diver]

On July 26th 1941 crashed the Bf 109 F4 Werknummer 8300, weiße 14+~
From 7/JG52 with pilot Fw Erich Tepan. Till this day the pilot is MIA.
The Bf 109 came from Bucharest – Pipera airfield.

According information: (Erich´s "Staffelkapitän" Oblt. Hans Jörg Zimmermann)
At 26-7-41, 11.45 hours 2 Bf 109s near the Black Sea coast in North/ East direction from Constanta searching for Russian hydroplanes.
They found 2 red hydroplanes flying 3-4 meter above the water. Together with Uffz. Ratzlaff, Fw Tepan started the attack, Ratzlaff’s attack
Was successful and the plane crashed (burning) in the Black Sea. After the 4th attack from Fw Tepan on the second Russian hydroplane he was hit
By the (tail) gunner, his Bf 109 crashed from a high of 100m in to the Black Sea – Constanta area. The Germans made a search for several hours but they found only parts from the Soviet plane shot down by Uffz Ratzlaff.

The first claim from Uffz. Ratzlaff :

19-08-1941 – I-26 then he claimed on 28-11-1941 2x a I-26, he made a total of 68 planes.
Ratzlaff became POW on 29-9-1942 and died a few years ago in Berlin.

It’s strange that there is nowhere a mention in Ratzlaff’s claims about the Russian hydroplane his first mentioned is the one on 19-08-1941.
Does anybody know if it’s true that he shot down a plane on July 26th 1941?

After the war the parents from Erich Tepan got news from strangers that Erich was POW in Russia

The first letter

An die
Kommandantur des Lagers
Nikl Zawodnyk Uifala bei Tochelabinsk Ural

wrote Erichs mother on the 21. Aug 1944 to Generaloberst HEITZ/Kriegsgefangenlager (POW) Nr. 27 in Russia if Erich is in this POW or if he know something about him. But with no success.

They heard that people saw him till 19-07-1947 in this camp as a POW

Does somebody know if there is a possibility to check this story if it was true that he was a Soviet POW instead of MIA or KIA?

If there is more information about this story or a better detail about crashing area pls. react.

Thanks in advance…

[Dénes]

Here is an excerpt from my latest book, 'From Barbarossa to Odessa' (vol. 1), related to this incident (page 92):

"Uffz. Kurt Ratzlaff (7./JG 52) shot down an MBR-2 at 11:55 [on July 26, 1941], about fifty kilometres NE of the harbour. One of his comrades claimed another one, but that victory was not confirmed.

Another severe blow for III./JG 52 was the loss of Fw. Erich Tepan of the same Staffel, whose Bf 109 F-4, White 14, crashed in the sea off Constanţa, along with the pilot. He was the third, and last, member of III./JG 52 killed in combat in the defence of Rumania."

This 'kill' was Ratzlaff's second one, the first one being a DB-3 shot down on June 25. At the time of his misfortune, Tepan also had two 'kills' on his tally.

Gen. Dénes

This post has been edited by Dénes on January 15, 2008 09:11 pm

[U260diver]

Denes many thanks for your information it's a great help for me!

From JG 52 only the III Gruppe was in Romania.

Before the war with the SU, this Gruppe was renamed JG 28.

When the germans retreated from the Crimean peninsula in May 44,
also II Gruppe entered Romania.
Also I Gruppe saw some action there during 1944.

I have here some more JG52 crashes in the Black Sea, maybe interested for you.


1 ) 22.07.42 - 7.St Uffz Paul Erhardt, Notlandung auf See, Luftkampf mit DB-3
No further details, but must be the Constanza area
Bf 109F-4

2 ) 22.07.41 - 7.St Fw Franz Schlosser, Fallschirmabsprung, Luftkampf mit DB-3
No further details, rest like 1)

3 ) 26.07.41 - 7.St Fw Erich Tepan, Absturz in See nach Jägerbeschuss
Bf 109F-4, WNr. 8300, "W14"

4 ) 05.05.42 - 7.St Lt Köppen, Bf109F-4, WNr. 7303, "W4"
10km N of Akmonay, Kuban PI
Ritterkreuzpilot

5 ) 10.05.43 - 9. St Hpt Ehrenberg, Bf109G-4, Wnr. 19504/ 15504 "Y8"
PQ 76812, Taman area, Kuban PI

6 ) 06.05.44 - 7.St Fw Evers, Bf109G-6, WNr 161188, "W1"
Southwest of Kap Chersonez, Krim PI

7 ) 08.05.44 - Stab/ II Gr Uffz Heinz Krah, Bf109G-6, WNr 18390, "TO+QD"
5km N Kap Chersonez, Krim Peninsula

I have some photo's from Fw. Erich Tepan but they are not made on the Eastern front, maybe somebody has photo's from him made there?

U260diver