My week of digging/researching.

[Vegard T]

As i promised you guys: here is my report on last week which was my fall vacation, i spent it mostly on trying to find out information about a german plane that was shot down during the war and crashed on the island called Toska(Which is where i was born) and i dug up a couple of parts too.

The first couple days it was raining too much to dig. But when the rain took a break, i went out a bit and dug, but the soil was so wet and it started raining again, a couple day later when it stopped raining i went out again, but wherever i dug, the holes got filled with water, i managed to dig one hole, it was very muddy, but i managed to dig up lots of rusted items(Pictures will added of the parts later today when i have cleaned them).

I visited two people who saw the plane go down, and the reason it got shot down is because every German pilot had to signal that he was German so he would not be shot down, this pilot forgot to signal that he was German, then Skjellanger fortress and Herdla airport started firing at him, he then signals that he is German, they stop firing, but then a nearby German guard boat wants to join in on the fun and eventually shoots the plane down. He comes in from the south over the island and almost crashes in 2 houses, then he pulls directly up like a rocket. He also turns the plane a bit so he won't get hit by it, he bails out and ends up in the ocean north of the island and gets picked up by the norwegians and later picked up by the germans.

He was Uffz(Unteroffizer) Josef Sommeregger of the Jagstaffel 1./I./JG 5, he was shot down in his FW-190 A-3 1/2/1943. I also found out he did not survive the war, he died 7/7/1943 in his Messerschitt Bf-109 G-2 at the rank of Fw(Anybody knows what that is?)(Any additional information about him will be appreciated).

PS: Photos will be added later today(Hopefully).

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Vegar, his rank was that of Feldwebel.

Cheers, Ade.

[Vegard T]

Thank you, i know most of the ranks of the Luftwaffe, but i didn't think about that.

[gend]

Josef Sommeregger was at this time Feldwebel!
My information: after his crash into the sea only a slick of oil and an empty life west was observed by the Seenotdienst.

Gruß, gend

[Vegard T]

Wow, so that puts him as M.I.A, by he is most likely K.I.A since they never found the body.

[gend]

Original text:
Still MIA but probably KIA: after his crash into the sea only a slick of oil and an empty life west was observed by the Seenotdienst.
07/07/43 Fw. Josef
Sommeregger 1./JG 5 Bf 109 G-2
(14055)
white 3
Combat with Hampden,
100 km s.w. of Egersund

[Vegard T]

Kinda weird how he was first flying a FW-190 A-3 in the west of Norway and then gets shot down and gets wounded in action, then gets promoted and transferred to the North of Norway flying a Messerschmitt Bf-109 G-2 and then gets shot down and killed in action.

[big ned]

Original text:
Still MIA but probably KIA: after his crash into the sea only a slick of oil and an empty life west was observed by the Seenotdienst.
07/07/43 Fw. Josef
Sommeregger 1./JG 5 Bf 109 G-2
(14055)
white 3
Combat with Hampden,
100 km s.w. of Egersund

Interesting. I doubt though that he was killed after combat with a Hampden, as these were withdrawn from operations in late 1942. An aircraft that had a very similar looking tailplane that was operating in the northern areas of Norway at the time though was the Lockheed Hudson/Ventura. My guess is it was more likely one of these.

Regards, Ned.

[Vegard T]

I wish it were possible to find a picture of him.

[Vegard T]

I wonder what he was doing all the way up here at Toska, his Jagstaffel was stationed at Sola airport, if you search on google map after "Sola airfield" and then "Toska, radøy", then you will see. If there were any threats about enemy planes in that area, i doubt they would call on that jagstaffel, Herdla is much closer.