Losses of I./KG 26 on 15 April 1944 at Flensburg
 

According to the loss list available at http://www.rafandluftwaffe.inf, on 15 April 1944 seven He 111 of I./KG 26 were destroyed and three damaged on the ground by P-47s of 56th FG.

From what I know, 56th FG claimed 8 He 111 destroyed and several damaged during this attack (and lost two P-47s to Flak).

Luftwaffe loss lists in 1944 have been lost, and it is unusual to known ground losses for this year, so I wonder if the first source used 56th FG claims, or if a surviving source is listing the I./KG 26 losses for this day ? Maybe ULTRA ?

Thanks in advance

Laurent

Re: Losses of I./KG 26 on 15 April 1944 at Flensburg
 

I don't know the source but the Steenbeck book about KG 26 ("Die Spur des Löwen") lists 10 losses at Flensburg that day due to "Tieffliegerbeschuss" but no other details. No archival sources are listed.

The Rudi Schmidt book ("Achtung - Torpedos Los!") doesn't list a/c losses at all! There are personnel losses listed in some detail but apparently none occurred that date!

Larry deZeng's notes about this state that all the losses were from the Einsatzstaffel (apparently out of I./KG 26) which had just arrived 3 days before when attacked by 4 P-51s, resulting in all 9 a/c being destroyed. No source for this information is noted.

Thus the source(s) for information concerning this incident seem to be obscure. Your speculations sound reasonable but I suspect that Ultra was not involved or Larry would have noted it. American records seem the most likely.


DGS

Re: Losses of I./KG 26 on 15 April 1944 at Flensburg
 

My entry is not from ULTRA, but I would be surprised if it's not mentioned in BNA HW 5 and/or in other Sigint reports such as the Pearl/ZIP series. However, none of these would give aircraft markings, Wk.Nr., crew names, or other miscellaneous details.

L.

Re: Losses of I./KG 26 on 15 April 1944 at Flensburg
 

Exact number can be found in Summarische Verlustmeldungen at BAMA! The reason why the He 111 were left in the open is well known. The blast pens at Flensburg were some cm to narrow for the He 111 to fit in.

Junker

Re: Losses of I./KG 26 on 15 April 1944 at Flensburg
 

ULTRA's not so good for incidents on German soil at this period, I guess that most communications were still going by landline or courier and so weren't intercepted. Of course, the fact that I don't have anything doesn't prove it isn't there.

Re: Losses of I./KG 26 on 15 April 1944 at Flensburg
 

Thanks a lot for all the replies, giving me several hints for my search.

Best regards

Re: Losses of I./KG 26 on 15 April 1944 at Flensburg
 

Yes, that is so 95% of the time. The exception would be if the strafing was accompanied by bombing which cut the base power and landline connections. Then the boys from the Horst-Nachrichtenzug would have to crank up their radios (wireless sets) and transmit the initial reports of the attack with preliminary damage estimates to their Koflug and Luftgaukommando. But 15 April was an all-fighter day and no 8th AAF bombers operated.

L.