Body of Luftwaffe fighter pilot ace found

[Kyt]

Body of Luftwaffe fighter pilot ace Kurt Niederhagen found

http://www.avionews.com/index.php?co...po%3Dindex.php

[Antipodean Andy]

At last he can be laid to rest.

[Kitty]

Least he has his name back.

[morse1001]

The good news is that one more of the war dead will be able to rest under a headstone in his own country!

[spidge]

All warriors who have died with honour deserve a proper burial.

I have (3) RAF buried in Udine cemetery the dates are 2/45 (2) & 4/45. The three of their deaths were designated "flying battle".

The news story seems to have been translated with a language system as some of the wording was strange.

[Kyt]

Yes, the original article was in Italian. I've found the original source, and the above link cuts it off half way. This is the full article (translated using babel):

Udine, Italy - Pulled down from the hunting 30 Americans January 1944
(WAPA) - After the recovery of Messerchmitt BF-109, happened slid 20 October, in Common of Concord Saggitaria (Venice), has been identifies also the rests to you of the German pilot pulled down from the hunting 30 Americans January 1944.

After one before and difficult reading of the document of identity of the pilot, that it made to think to an other name and degree, hour, but, not is more some doubt, after necessary pulizia and the restoration of the document, from monday those poor rests brought back to the light 63 years after has a name.

E' the Obfdw (marshal greater) Kurt Niederhagen, ace of the Luftwaffe with 17 discouragements to its dispersed, passed away to the age of 28 years, been born assets and officially declared in the citizen of Mettmann, near decorated Düsseldorf and with the iron cross.

The investigators of the Grsa, after an analysis of the historical bibliography also have determined the belongings of the pilot to the 1/JG77 (1° Group of 77° the Flock hunting) in that period of base to Lavariano (Udine), taken off that morning in order to intercept the formations of bombers Americans, taken off from the Puglia and directed to the strafing of the friulani airports of Lavariano, Campoformido and Villorba in Province of Udine, and the airport of Maniago in Province of Pordenone.

That morning, happened furious aerial combats on skies of the Friuli and of the Veneto it orients them and a fixed historical esteem in approximately thirty the lost airplane that day from both the alignments.

Between these there was also Kurt Niederhagen, than after to be hit and after a breathtaking dive it has crashed to the ground, the impact was tremendous, pack-saddles to think that the rests of the airplane and the pilot have been find between one depth to you comprised between meters 1,5 and meters 6 in the sottosuolo.

Truly touching the moment in which it has been found again that small document package, soaked of wrapped water and from that compact clay therefore that has conserved it enough well preservandolo from the decomposition, and from which pian slowly is resolutions to separate the identity document, of the small banknotes, a refolded newspaper article and some photographies in.bianco and black that ritraggono some familiar moments of the pilot, the own house and some colleagues.

After the restoration of the identity document, the next weeks are destined just to the recovery and restoration of these photographies perhaps that ritraggono the pilot and, nearly sure with moglie, sons and parents, intimate moments of life that they return to the light after 63 years of oblivion, and that someone of its family will be able see again.

The job is begun approximately two years ago from part of the Grsa Association (Group historical searches aeronautics of Udine) coordinate from the Low getlteman and Of Odorico, that they have collected and verified the testimonies of the older persons of the place, the crossing of the historical data and bibliographies of the units and the airports, the search of the relative authorizations and the coordination, in order to arrive to the day of the recovery where men and the enterprise executrix the diggings have all worked voluntarily.

The rests of the pilot, currently are conserved in the mortuary room of the cemetary of Portogruaro (Venice) to disposition of the German authorities and the eventual relatives if they will make some demanded.

The route me of the airplane, reduced truly in thousand pieces, will be cleaned up and ulteriorly it analyzes to you from the members of the Association (D.F./Grsa)
(Avionews)

http://www.avionews.it/index.php?cor...po%3Dindex.php