Bf-110 losses 2.4.44 Upper Austria
 

Hi all,
Is there anyone who knows Bf-110 losses in Austria for April 2, 1944? In the special area Linz, Steyr. (Upper Austria)

A B-17 gunner takes for this day a firing of a Bf-110 in claim which I can find however nowhere in the German archives.

Thanks,

Re: Bf-110 losses 2.4.44 Upper Austria
 

Hi "Quax"

Looking in ÖFS's Sonderheft 30 (losses over Austria) there were none!
However it has come to my attention that a second volume has been published obviously containing more and better details, so later research may still show a different picture

Cheers
Stig

Re: Bf-110 losses 2.4.44 Upper Austria
 

There were several:
1944-04-02, 4./ZG 1, Bf 110 G-2, 150128, 2N+PM, Reichraming, 17 km südsüdöstlich Steyr
Flugzeugführer Uffz Schiller, Otto, +
Bordfunker Uffz Labecki, Karl, verletzt
Luftkampf. Bruch 100 %.
1944-04-02, 5./ZG 1, Bf 110 G-2, 150124, 2N+DN, Fl.Pl. Aigen
Flugzeugführer Lt Sonntag, Alois, +
Bordfunker Uffz Kunze, Erwin, verletzt
Überschlag. Bruch 100 %.
1944-04-02, 6./ZG 1, Bf 110 G-2, 5224, 2N+GP, Fl.Pl. Wels
Flugzeugführer Uffz Schötz, Peter, verletzt
Bordfunker Uffz Ullwer, Rudolf, +
Überschlag. Bruch 100 %.
1944-04-02, 6./ZG 1, Bf 110 G-2, 6292, 2N+BP, Südlich Steyr
Flugzeugführer Fhr Walter, Fritz, vermißt
Bordfunker Uffz Rodaro, Christl, vermißt
Luftkampf. Bruch 100 %.
1944-04-02, 1./ZG 76, Bf 110 G-2, Südlich Linz
Flugzeugführer Ofw Schmidtchen, Otto, verletzt
Unbekannt. Bruch ? %.
1944-04-02, 2./ZG 76, Bf 110 G-2, 120055, Laussa, 10 km südsüdöstlich Steyr
Flugzeugführer Lt Foerster, Heinz-Eberhard, verletzt
Bordfunker Uffz Kappler, Günter, +
Absturz und Aufschlagbrand. Bruch 100 %.
1944-04-02, 2./ZG 76, Bf 110 G-2, 130052, Behamberg, 6 km östlich Steyr
Flugzeugführer Fhj-Fw Kaepernick, Georg, verletzt
Bordfunker Uffz Nettesheim, Heinrich, +
Unbekannt. Bruch 100 %.

Matti

Re: Bf-110 losses 2.4.44 Upper Austria
 

My Goodness Matti

It seems Sonderheft 30 has kept out most of the Zerstörer losses, for some reason.

Oh well, better pick it up on the shelf again and start to update it....
The booklet feels a bit like a disappointment, but that certainly does not apply for you

Thanks You Matti
Cheers
Stig

Re: Bf-110 losses 2.4.44 Upper Austria
 

Many thanks, that informations needs further research.
Maybe we can find the Bf-110 which shot down by this B-17:
http://dkmcclurewwii.blogspot.com/p/chapter-6.html
Donald McClure tell in this report an amazing story.
That made me curious to find out which Bf-110 is exactly that.

Could parts of a BF-110 from the area be the aircraft you are looking for?
Parts: 46.1 001 and 110.772-010
nfortunately no serial number (WerkNr./Werknummer)

Re: Bf-110 losses 2.4.44 Upper Austria
 

Quax, thank you for making us aware of Donald K. McClure's very interesting memoirs. Are you perhaps Mr. Arzberger mentioned in the story?

On the date that you are interested in, there were two large raids by the American Fifteenth Air Force on the Steyr ball-bearing factory and the Steyr-Puch aircraft factory. The Luftwaffe response to these raids is sumamrised in Donald Caldwell's excellent volume, Day Fighters in Defence of the Reich: A War Diary, 1942–45. I have extracted the following information from the book: two Bf 110 units participated in the attack on the American bomber stream. III./ZG 76 flew 28 sorties from Öttingen in Bavaria and II./ZG 1 another 32 from Wels in Austria. III./ZG 76 claimed one B-17 shot down for the loss of four aircraft and two crew members killed. II./ZG 1 claimed three B-17 and three B-24 bombers. It lost five aircraft, with five men killed, two missing and two wounded.

The book can be bought on the publisher's website, in both hardback and electronic versions. Donald is a great researcher and the book is thoroughly recommended.

You will see in Matti's great set of data above that information about aircraft losses involving aircrew casualties is usually available. This is because personnel casualty reports included data about the aircraft involved. In cases where there were no aircrew casualties, data for 1944 is often unavailable, because the original Luftwaffe loss records for that year have been lost.

Re: Bf-110 losses 2.4.44 Upper Austria
 

Hi Dan,
No, I'm not Mr. Arzberger! I am only interested in the history in my home country where wreck parts of a Bf-110 can still be found today and it is not exactly known in my small town what the fate of the two pilots was. I assume that this is the connection from the memories of Mr. Mcclure.
Thank you for the advice. I will buy the book and try to get more information. With luck the aircraft parts will get a crew sometime.
One could immortalize this then perhaps in the homeland museum of my small city.
Do you happen to know if there is a parts list for Bf-110 "G" somewhere?
I would like to know where the existing parts were installed. Some part numbers are stamped into the wreckage parts

Re: Bf-110 losses 2.4.44 Upper Austria
 

Thanks for pointing at the memoirs-good read

Re: Bf-110 losses 2.4.44 Upper Austria
 

I have a few files just post the numbers i i will try to put a position in for you

Re: Bf-110 losses 2.4.44 Upper Austria
 

Hi Snautzer,
For example this parts like attached
THX