This aircraft was shot down by U.S fighters in combat over the Lüneburger Heide. This was the first mission for the young German pilot, and it is not known why he did not bale out after being hit? It is possible that he could have been killed in the aircraft during the combat. Ortlieb Uher perished in the crash of his Focke Wulf Fw190A-7 aged just 22 years.

Extracts from Prien & Rodeike’s book; Missions in Defence of the Reich from 1939 – 1945 Part 2.

Translated from the German by Anne Wadingham +

…At more or less the same time as JG 1 the Staff Flight with the I./ and III./JG 11 were also on mission and the complete JG 11 seems to have been engaged as one fighting unit against the “fourmotors” ; At circa 13.40 hours the Focke Wulfs met south of Uelzen, in flying B-24’s of the 2nd Bomb Division who, with course set to the east, were protected by numerous Mustangs; and an embittered, for both sides extremely costly, confrontation followed. After both groups of JG 11 had been able to fly a first concentrated frontal attack and during that episode managed to shoot down or send off eight Liberators, the Mustangs of the protecting unit threw themselves at the German hunters and an extensive battle ensued, in the course of which six P-51 Mustangs were shot down. The reported total of fourteen successes of the JG 11 was divided as follows…

These successes had to be set against very sad losses, as on this day JG 11 had to regret the loss of at least eleven fallen and three wounded and the total loss of twenty machines. Uffz. Ortlieb Uher was shot down during an engagement near Wittingen, district Giffhorn, whilst Uffz. Henri Tiedemann was shot down in the region of Unterlues and though wounded, managed to climb out. Rudolf Schmid, who meanwhile, after attending “War school” had been promoted to “Leading Officer Cader”, was shot down and wounded further east, near Schmoelau district Salzwedel

Gallery:

Location of cowling catches on Fw190. (1)

Ortlieb Uher in front of his Fw190. (2)

Ortlieb Uher Death Notice. (3)

Ortlieb Uher Grave stone with flowers left by the society. (4)

Crash site location in woodland near the village of Schweimke. (5)