Date:	Wednesday 10 January 1940
Time:
Type:	Messerschmitt Bf 109E-3
Owner/operator:	3./JG 76 Luftwaffe
Registration:
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Metterich, 5 km East of Bitburg, Rheinland-Pfalz -   Germany
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:
Destination airport:

Narrative:
On 10 January 1940 Leutnant Claus von Bohlen und Halbach of 3./JG 76 was carrying out a routine high-altitude patrol over the Trier region when his Bf 109 was seen to plunge vertically into the ground, probably as a result of oxygen failure. It crashed into a wood 600 m north of the village of Metterich, which is located about 5 km East of Bitburg, Germany.

The pilot was a prominent member of the Krupp family, the German leading steel-dynasty. He had a pre-war carreer as a reserve pilot and served several training units. Then, he was drafted to a fighter unit in September 1939 (or probably August 26th, 1939) for the Poland campaign. This is filed in his famliy’s records. After that, he was assigned to the western front with JG 76. In mid-January, he should have been released from the duty for a couple of week lasting vacation to undertake urgent necessary works in the Krupp-plant at Berndorf near Vienna. But the events of 10. January 1940 made those plans impossible.

You may order this files at: Historisches Archiv Krupp, Villa Hügel 1, 45133 Essen, Germany.

JG 54 loss list, by Günther Rosipal (http://www.jg54greenhearts.com/LossList.htm)
"Osprey Aviation Elite 6: Jagdgeschwader 54 ’Grunherz’", by John Weal and Jim Laurier. ISBN 1-84176-286-5
http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showthread.php?t=8541
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metterich
https://www.google.de/maps/search/49.98001,6.58876/@49.98001,6.58876,11120m/data=!4m2!2m1!4b1?dg=dbrw&newdg=1

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
10-Jan-2017 09:45	Laurent Rizzotti	Added
26-Jan-2020 16:51	stehlik49	Updated [Operator, Location, Operator]