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Otto Fries
Victories : 18
Otto Fries was posted to NJG I nightfighter unit in January 1942 as a Gefreiter. He served with them on the Western Front right through until the end of the war, flying continuously against RAF Bomber Command. He was commissioned Leutnant in August 1943. In July 1944 Otto was flying Me110s of II.Gruppe based in St. Trond, St. Dizier and then Arnheim. He later joined I.Gruppe before transferring to Münster-Hansdorf flying the Heinkel 219 Owl. He is one of the last surviving He219 pilots. Shot down four times, on the second of which he escaped by catapult ejection seat out of the He219 during night operations for home defence - it is thought had been shot down by night fighter Mosquito "R" of 85 Sqd flown by F/Lt Vaughan and F/Sgt R D McKinnon. The right hand engine of his He219 suddenly exploded into flames. With the loss of most of the control of the aircraft he jettisoned the aircrafts canopy, his wireless operator Feldwebel Alfred Staffa baled out and was severley wounded on landing with his parachute. Lt Otto Fries could not regain sufficient control of the He219 which was now burning so he ejected. He landed unhurt by means of his parachute. The He219 crashed about 3 kilometres south of Hertogenbosch and was destroyed. This was only the third such ejection in combat in the world. Otto scored 18 air victories by the end of the war. Otto Fries signing artwork of Graeme Lothian. |
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Otto Fries
| Aircraft for : Otto Fries | |||
| A list of all aircraft associated with Otto Fries. A profile page including a list of all art prints for the aircraft is available by clicking the aircraft name. | |||
| Squadron | Info | ||
Manufacturer : Heinkel | He219 Full profile not yet available. | ||
Manufacturer : Messerschmitt Production Began : 1938 | Me110 The Bf-110 grew out of Herman Gorings specifications for a multipurpose aircraft capable of penetrating deep into enemy airspace to clear the sky of enemy fighters in advance of German bomber formations. The aircraft would also be utilized as a long range interceptor, and as a ground support and ground attack bomber. The Bf-110 prototype first flew in 1936. The prototype was under powered with its Daimier Benz DB 600A engines. Several months passed before a go ahead was given for large scale production which commenced in 1938. Utilizing improved DB 601 engines, the early production 110s were as fast as any single engine fighter at that time, and had superior fire power. Their biggest apparent weakness was in the areas of armor protection for the crew, and in terms of maneuverability when compared to single seat fighters. The 110 was produced in large numbers and in many different variants. The 110D was the long range model. An additional belly tank was fitted to that aircraft, with several later variants having the more traditional drop tanks. The first serious test for the Bf-110 came during the Battle of Britain. About 300 Bf-110s were involved. They became easy prey for Hurricane and Spitfire pilots, and Bf-109s were often required to assist the 110s in their own defense. On August 15, 1940, which became known as Black Tuesday, the Bf-110s were ravaged by the RAF, and for the month over 100 aircraft were lost. On the Eastern Front the Bf-110 performed admirably in the early stages of Operation Barbarossa. With the Soviet Air Force weakened in the first several weeks of the attack, 110s were effectively utilized in a ground attack role. Ultimately, the Luftwaffe re-equipped a significant number of its 110s as night fighters. The aircraft performed well in this role because it was a good gun platform with sufficient speed to overtake the RAF night bombers. Such night missions were typically carried out with no Allied fighter escort, so the 110 night fighters would not have to engage or elude Allied fighters in this role. | ||
Known Victory Claims - Otto Fries | |||||||
DATE | PILOT | UNIT | JG | CLAIMED | LOCATION | TIME | FRONT |
| 11/08/1943 | Fw. Otto Fries | 5 | NJG 1 | Lancaster | Hanzinelle: 3500m [SW Charleroi] | 2.56 | Western Front |
| 22/10/1943 | Ltn. Otto Fries | 5 | NJG 1 | Stirling | 11km ESE Schleiden: 5200m | 20.35 | Western Front |
| 03/11/1943 | Ltn. Otto Fries | 5 | NJG 1 | Halifax | Lanaken: 5700m [Epgrimby/22km SE Genk] | 19.3 | Western Front |
| 19/11/1943 | Ltn. Otto Fries | 5 | NJG 1 | Stirling | bei Tournai: 4100m [bei Horrues] | 19.59 | Western Front |
| 29/12/1943 | Ltn. Otto Fries | 5 | NJG 1 | Lancaster | S. Jüngenburg: 5600m [bei Lingen] | 22.16 | Western Front |
| 14/01/1944 | Ltn. Otto Fries | 5 | NJG 1 | Halifax | 3km SE Schalenburg | 19.3 | Western Front |
| 14/01/1944 | Ltn. Otto Fries | 5 | NJG 1 | Lancaster | 5km E. Bad Munder | 19.35 | Western Front |
| 21/01/1944 | Ltn. Otto Fries | 5 | NJG 1 | Halifax | 10km NW Scheveningen | 22.3 | Western Front |
| 20/02/1944 | Ltn. Otto Fries | 5 | NJG 1 | SW Eisleben: 6200m | 2.4 | Western Front | |
| 22/04/1944 | Ltn. Otto Fries | 5 | NJG 1 | Fu.F: 5000m [19km SW Soissons] | 23.31 | Western Front | |
| 23/04/1944 | Ltn. Otto Fries | Stab II. | NJG 1 | Halifax | Fu.F. 'Chameleon': 4000m | 23.38 | Western Front |
| 29/07/1944 | Ltn. Otto Fries | 2 | NJG 1 | 100km 150° FuF Kuli: 4500m | 1.26 | Western Front | |
| 29/07/1944 | Ltn. Otto Fries | 2 | NJG 1 | W. Stuttgart: 4200m | 1.46 | Western Front | |
| 06/11/1944 | Ltn. Otto Fries | 2 | NJG 1 | Lancaster | HP 2: 3000m {W. Rheine] | 19.27 | Western Front |
| 06/11/1944 | Ltn. Otto Fries | 2 | NJG 1 | Lancaster | GQ 9: 3000m [W. Rheine] | 19.38 | Western Front |
| 06/11/1944 | Ltn. Otto Fries | 2 | NJG 1 | Lancaster | GP: 3500m [W. Rheine] | 19.43 | Western Front |
| 05/01/1945 | Ltn. Otto Fries | II. | NJG 1 | Lancaster | N. Groningen | 19.3 | Western Front |
Known Claims : 17
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