6./JG 52
Combat Report
Date of Report ..................................................................................................................................................................... (1.) ................................................
21/04/1943
Staffel ......................................................................................................................................................................................... (2.) ................................................
6./JG 52
Pilot Name ................................................................................................................................................................................. (3.) ...............................................
Georg Schünemann
Status of Pilot .................................................................................................................................................................... (4.) ................................................
OK
Status of Aircraft ........................................................................................................................................................... (5.) ................................................
DAMAGED
General Report ..................................................................................................................................................................... (6.)
Collided with Yellow 3 on take off. Remainder of flight avoided wreckage and continued mission.
I identify five factors leading to this accident:
* Uneven assembly for take-off caused confusion as to order: Formation order would have had yellow 3 after yellow 1, but I flying yellow 6 was slightly forward. Both of us hesitated to take off.
* Because of this delay, I was hasty to take off following 3 to avoid being too strung out.
* Yellow 3, being new, throttled up slowly and carefully, which I did not anticipate.
* I throttled up very hard, as I had done on previous flights.
* This would not have been enough to cause disaster, but I was fixated on avoiding the radio tower close to my left, and did not see yellow 3 until we collided.
In summary, I take full responsibility for this mishap.
Claims ............................................................................................................................................................................................ (7.)
Number of Air Claims ..................................................................................................................................................... (8.) ................................................
0
Type of Aircraft ................................................................................................................................................................ (9.) ................................................
N/A
Number of Ground Claims ......................................................................................................................................... (10.) ................................................
0
Type of Ground Targets ............................................................................................................................................ (11.) ................................................
N/A
m. d . W . d . G . b .
Georg Schünemann
21/04/1943
Report Approved