Air accident of 26 June 1942 on the Schallenberg

Gustav Heinrich Nipkow (born 24 October 1914; died 26 June 1942 in Eggiwil, citizen of Stäfa) was a Swiss pharmacist, field handball player, ice hockey player, runner and military pilot who was killed in a plane crash.

Plane crash

First Lieutenant (Oblt.) Nipkow was a pilot in Fliegerkompanie 9 (Fl Kp 9) of the Swiss Army.

On 26 June 1942 a search exercise was carried out in which Nipkow, in his Me 109 E aircraft, registration J-316, as leader of a two-aircraft patrol (with Fritz Brenzikofer), searched for a Fokker C.V. This aircraft was flying the route Solothurn–Biel–Aarberg–Bern–Thun.

They took off at 14:36. Since no radio contact with the ground station could be established, Nipkow and Brenzikofer flew back towards Thun. They flew along the Emme as far as the Schüpbach area. There were low-hanging clouds there. At Schüpbach they did not fly towards Konolfingen, but continued along the Emme into the upper Emmental. As the valley rose, they came ever closer to the cloud base. Nipkow then did not turn back, but turned off to the right and flew towards Thun. This direction led directly towards the Schallenberg. Now back in the clouds, Nipkow pushed the aircraft down and caught the terrain with his right wing. The aircraft was smashed to pieces.

Brenzikofer was flying somewhat lower, recognised the terrain and therefore did not push his aircraft down. He then climbed above the clouds and was able to fly back to Thun through a gap in the clouds. Two years later he too was killed in a flying accident.