Me 323 losses in the Middle East ?
 

Hello,
How many Me 323's were lost while in the Middle East ?
How many losses were due to enemy aircraft action ?
How many losses on the 26th July 43 ?
Thanks
Alex

Re: Me 323 losses on 26.July 1943
 

Here are two on 26.July 1943

Me 323 WNr.1267 (VM+IO), I./TG 5, Fw. Karallus KIA 26.July 1943 due to enemy fire. 2.F & 4.Bs KIA, rest WIA, East of Cap Rera.
2.F Fw. Ernst, Bf Ogefr. Höpner, Bm Fw. Schröder, 2.Bm Uffz. Michales, Bs Uffz. Bierstädt, 2.Bs Ogefr. Etzel, 3.Bs Gefr. Nitzke & 4.Bs Ogefr. Kamenz

Me 323 WNr.1270 (VM+IR), I./TG 5, Ofw. Böge KIA 26.July 1943 due to enemy fire. 2.F, Bm, 2.Bm & Bs also KIA, rest WIA, near Garibaldi.
2.F Ofw. Klar, Bf Uffz. Fleck, Bm Fw. Ring, 2.Bm Ogefr. Gettinger, Bs Ogefr. Ströhle, 2.Bs Uffz. Steinhäuser, 3.Bs Ogefr. Rittner & Bs Gefr. Eiden

Hope this helps, GRM

Re: Me 323 losses in the Middle East ?
 

Alex, from GQM list between 10-11-42 and 30-9-43 in Mediterranean operations I have listed 60 Me323 losses with 35 of these down to accidents or aircraft destroyed on the ground. Those lost to fighters are 11-1-43 one, 14-3-43 one, 22-4-43 fourteen off Kap Bone, 20-5-43 four, 26-7-43 two, 30-7-43 one and 30-9-53 two. These are from my best reading of the GQM where 2,3 and 5 can be confused as well as 0,6 and 8 but this should at least act as a guide,

Regards

Brian Bines

I belive there was a French publication on the Me323 giving a loss list does anyone know if this is a complete aircraft and crew listing, thanks.

Re: Me 323 losses in the Middle East ?
 

By the way both losses above were in MTO area, not in the east.

The French publication is an old Avions magazine, describing the MTO losses between Nov 42 and AUg-Sep 43 IIRC. The WNr are given, with the cause, dmaage percentage, location and number of casualties (x KIA, x WIA) but no crew name.

If someone is interested, I can find the exact reference, as I have it at home.

Re: Me 323 losses in the Middle East ?
 

Losses lists were dealt with in the late (and sorely missed) Barry Rosch's "Luftwaffe Verband".

Re: Me 323 losses in the Middle East ?
 

Hi Laurent,

The French publication I referred to was ' Le Messerschmidt Me 323 Gigant' by Jean Lousis Roba published in 2011. If you could sort out the reference for the old Avions magazine with the MTO losses that would be a great help,

Regards

Brian Bines

Re: Me 323 losses in the Middle East ?
 

Hi Brian,

it is Avions n°36, published in 2002.

Best Regards

Re: Me 323 losses on 26.July 1943
 

some corrections/additions:

sign: C8 + DG, location: Caprera (an island) not Cap Rera, name: Bierstedt (regarding his logbook)

regards
Rasmussen

Re: corrections
 

Danke!

Re: Me 323 losses in the Middle East ?
 

Hello Guy's,
Thank you all for your replies they are most welcome.
Brian, what is the "GQM List " ? is it on the web ?
CJE, what is Barry Rosch's "Luftwaffe Verband" ? is it a book or a website I have not heard of this before.
Laurent, do you have this issue of "Avions" that you mention ?
Rasmussen, can you confirm the details of the a/c you picked up on ? as there seems to be quite a difference between it being coded "VM+IO" to "C8+DG"was this due in any way to the a/c being transfered from an earlier say I./TG 5, to the unit it was with at its end ?

Many thanks to you all
Alex

Some explanation
 

GQM = the Luftwaffe Quartermaster's office kept track of losses, materiel & personnel. Much of the records survived the war (not 1944 -- but not much happened that year...!) and were microfilmed: twelve rolls. Some are more legible, some less-so. They include typos, transpositions and pencilled corrections or updates. Some units were more meticulous about supplying loss data than others.

The Luftwaffe Verband was an organization, Barry published a semi-regular newsletter/booklet for several years.

The VM+IO was the Stammkennzeichen of Me 323 WNr.1267, a factory-supplied radio callsign. The C8+DG was the fuselage code that the unit applied to this airframe. Many transport machines operated without unit codes being applied, retaining their SKZ. Stammkennzeichen were unique, but same unit codes might be applied to a number of different machines (there were a series of "1G+BT" of 9./KG 27 as the war continued, for example).

Hope this clarifies, GRM