ZG 2 Bf 110 Battle of Britain Claims
 

I am looking for a source that lists claims by pilots of ZG 2 during the Battle of Britain. While Tony Wood's OKL claims listings includes BOB claims by other Bf 110 units there is not a single claim for ZG2. Some claims are listed in Mathews and Foreman's Luftwaffe Aces, Biographies and Victory Claims, but only for four 'aces' – these are repeated in Parry's BOB Combat Archive. I know that the unit did make significant claims as on 11 August the Luftflotte 3 Einzelmeldung reported : "St./Z.G.2., 1 Hurricane, 1 Spitfire; I./Z.G.2. 7 Hurricane, 4 Spitfire; II./Z.G.2 2 Hurricane, 2 Spitfires". I have checked several BF 110 reference books, but they only list losses, not claims. Any ideas?

Re: ZG 2 Bf 110 Battle of Britain Claims
 

ZG claims are hit and miss and normally incomplete and from what I remember, ZG 2 was worse than most

Re: ZG 2 Bf 110 Battle of Britain Claims
 

John Vasco and Peter Cornwell's book "Zerstörer" may help. It's devoted to Bf 110 units in 1940.

An ULTRA message from July 1940: "A pilot belonging to ZG 2 landed at Caen at 1345/18 and stated that his a/c had shot down a barrage balloon at Southampton."

Re: ZG 2 Bf 110 Battle of Britain Claims
 

Thanks Chris and Nick, I have Zerstörer, but no ZG 2 claims listed.

Re: ZG 2 Bf 110 Battle of Britain Claims
 

Peter and John did not go into that much detail in the book

Re: ZG 2 Bf 110 Battle of Britain Claims
 

I can add that 3 out of 4 claims made by II./ZG2 were reported by pilots of 6./ZG2. As to the I./ZG2: two claims by 2./ZG2, three by 1./ZG2, two by stab I./ZG2, four by 3./ZG2.

Regards

Robert

Re: ZG 2 Bf 110 Battle of Britain Claims
 

Hi Guys

Only one Gruppe each from ZG26 and ZG76 had earlier typed-out pre daily claims mikrofilm data to survive. Then with ZG2 only seven claims survive on the daily mikrofilms before it ceased to be.

However I do have definite proof for two claims only, these come from the flugbuch of the BF Heinz Oppers who records two claims for his pilot Josef Neuhaus:-

10th June 1940 I-6B
4th July 1940 Caribou

Both whilst flying for 5./ZG2.

What is really needed are photos of abschüßetafel of this Geschwader.

Kind Regards

Johannes

Re: ZG 2 Bf 110 Battle of Britain Claims
 

Thanks for your replies Robert and Johannes, I have another question for Robert, what is the source that lists the Staffel number for the claims? The Luftflotte 3 Einzelmeldung only lists them by Gruppe.

Peter

Re: ZG 2 Bf 110 Battle of Britain Claims
 

Hi Peter,

EOE research.

Robert

Re: ZG 2 Bf 110 Battle of Britain Claims
 

What is a caribou and I6-B??

Re: ZG 2 Bf 110 Battle of Britain Claims
 

What is a caribou and I-6B??

Re: ZG 2 Bf 110 Battle of Britain Claims
 

Excuse my naivete but was is EOE?

Peter

Re: ZG 2 Bf 110 Battle of Britain Claims
 

The 'Eagles over Europe' Project started by Larry Hickey decades ago. It was intended to cover the European air war from September 1939 to December 1940.

However with the death of Larry on 14th August this year, it appears that the Project has been cancelled...

Re: ZG 2 Bf 110 Battle of Britain Claims
 

Thanks John, with your many years of working on Bf 110 units – I have all your books – do you have anything to add on the lack of documented claims for ZG2 pilots?

Peter

Re: ZG 2 Bf 110 Battle of Britain Claims
 

I searched my archives and I have no claims for Neuhaus on 10/06/40 and 04/07/40 but rather on 10/06/42 (7.),04/07/42(8.) with 5/ZG2.

His first claim on 19/07/41 (I-16) with 3/ZG26

Michel

Re: ZG 2 Bf 110 Battle of Britain Claims
 

During the Battle of Britain, their loss/damage returns up the line were bloody awful! It's no surprise that there are problems with collating their claims...

Re: ZG 2 Bf 110 Battle of Britain Claims
 

Hi Michel

Couldn't find flugbuch of Opper's, but often they omit the year,(write it once for whole year) so it's likely you are correct, don't know how many pages I have/had. I think a Caribou is what the English called a P-39, but if you are correct with the year why would Opper's use this term. But perhaps the other claim is for an I-16. What types do you have for the dates?

Kind Regards

Johannes

Re: ZG 2 Bf 110 Battle of Britain Claims
 

Hello Johannes

10/06/42=I-6b (I-16 or I-18 ??)

04/07/42=Bell Caribou (effectively,probably a P-39 of 153° or 185° IAP deployed at that time at Voronezh)
the 153° IAP claimed a Bf.110 on the Voronezh Front....probably (?) Neuhaus who was shot down that 04/07/42.

Best Regards
Michel

Re: ZG 2 Bf 110 Battle of Britain Claims
 

Hi Guys

Firstly it is 1942 not 1940, sorry my mistake, let's call it a senior moment.
Looks like caribou might well be a P-39/Airacobra. Aircraft are often known under several names, but it was only the English that referred to the P-39 as Caribou when they ordered them from the American's. I know they found them inferior, which was likely the case in combat, but they were well used by the Russian's as ground-attack aircraft. I'm wondering if the English passed on those ordered onto the Russian's and the Caribou name stuck, or Neuhaus had encountered them in 1940 and personally carried the name forward? I would guess the title Caribou is only used in North America.

Kind Regards

Johannes