Last flight out of the Stalingrad encirclement

Last recorded flight in and out of the Stalingrad encirclement

Michael Deiml took part in eighty-one missions in the Battle for Stalingrad. Fifty-nine of these were air attacks and raids. Twenty-two were operations to deliver provisions and to fly out wounded from the Stalingrad Pocket. All data are recorded in his flights logs.

After the loss of Pitomnik and Gumrak airfield in the Stalingrad pocket only the emergency airfield of Stalingradskaja (also written Stalingradski or Stalingradskiy), near the city center of Stalingrad, was left to use to provide the encircled forces. This small airfield (400 meter x 60 meter) was used only two days. 22 and 23 January 1943.

Michael Deiml, flight mechanic, flew his first mission with his third crew on 12 January 1943 under Corporal Peter Adrian. Gunner was Corporal Werner Deiters, radioman Leading Private Werner Schubert and observer Leading Private Willi König.

On the morning of 22 January 1943, Leutnant Gerhard Münch was flown out of the makeshift airfield of Stalingradskaja (as the Red Army had at that time already captured Gumrak Airport)

The first three aircraft that arrived were HE-111, they dropped meal bombs but did not land. And then, towards nine o’clock, came the “Auntie Ju“ planes [Junkers 52 transport aircraft]. They circled once, then one of them attempted to land, and subsequently did land. But the Russians had meanwhile gotten wind of it and started to shoot into the airfield with artillery. At this point the half-frozen men came out of the rubble and stormed the plane, they wanted to fly away with it. When I showed my papers to the captain of the aircraft he said: “You want to board? You’ll never be able to get in.” I went went in through the cockpit, he let me board and we started.

On the evening of 22 January 1943 the later Generalmajor Hellmuth Mäder (Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords) flew out of the Stalingrad pocket with nine other soldiers in a Heinkel 111 from Stalingradskaya airfield.

Michael Deiml

Of the three transport vehicles landing on the morning of 23 January 1943 at Stalingradskaja Michael Deiml's plane was the last aircraft that landed in the Stalingrad encirclement.

As we can see above in Michael Deiml's flight logs of 23 January 1943 the Heinkel 111 (He111 H11) G1+CR plane left in Novotsherkassk at 07.25 hours and landed on Stalingradskaya airfield at 9.20 hours. The plane was unloaded. Food, medical supply and ammo was delivered. As a result of several events (the plane came under attack by Russian fighters) and activities (as unloading the plane) the plane had been about 90 minutes on the airfield.

His plane left the emergency airfield of Stalingradskaya at 10.45 hours with nine wounded soldiers on board. The plane landed in Novotsherkassk at 12.20 hours.

This flight is the last recorded flight out of the Stalingrad encirclement. If other German planes landed on Stalingradskaya after Michael Deiml's plane landed is not know or is not recorded. After his plane left Stalingradskaya emergency airfield the airfield was overran by Russian forces the same day.

Friedrich Wilhelm Klemm (With the last aircraft from Stalingrad) stated in his memoires that he flew out with one of the last planes that left the Stalingrad pocket at Stalingradskaya airfield. He talks about 3 Heinkel 111 landing on the strip that day before the airfield was overrun by the Red Army. The last plane (Deiml's?) left with with 9 wounded is mentioned in Kameraden Journal.

Deiml's flight is the last recorded flight in his memoires (Last flight into the pocket) we read that there were 9 wounded soldiers on board.

Michael Deiml was born on 28 March 1918 in Auerbach in der Oberpfalz and died on 9 February 2009 in Pegnitz.

stalingradski airfield

Thanks to :

Dipl. Ing. Konrad Schnitzler :
http://www.stalingrad-feldpost.de/index.html

More flight logs on Stalingrad and Michael Deiml on :

http://www.stalingrad-feldpost.de/Zeitzeugen/Zeitzeuge_Kallweit_/Flugbuch-Deimel/flugbuch-deimel.html

Reinhold Bush : Survivors of Stalingrad - Last flight into the pocket
Geert Rottiers : www.stalingrad.net

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