Identifying Luftwaffe combat losses
 

Greetings all -

What is the best web-based source ( or sources) for looking up Luftwaffe combat losses? (plane type, unit, markings, pilot, etc...) In particular, I am looking to identify two aircraft shot down by 4FG/336FS ace John Godfrey: a Bf-109 shot down 01 December 43 on the mission to Solingen (while flying a P-47), and an ME-410 shot down 06 August 44 on the mission to Berlin (while in a P-51).

If there are no reliable web sources, would appreciate a good book recommendation.

Regards,

Tim McCann

Re: Identifying Luftwaffe combat losses
 

Web-based for complete losses - don't exist. Single book to find particular losses - don't exist. There is no web-based site with comprehensive LW losses. And short of knowing more details naming particular LW losses is a crap shoot at best.

Re: Identifying Luftwaffe combat losses
 

Tim:

To follow up on what Jim P. said, the postings you see on this board, both German, Japanese and Allied, that list details of losses are the result of years of painstaking research, translation, and recording by many people, like Jim P., from a real variety of sources. While RAF and USAAF loss records are generally available in archives (with a lot of digging and work), the Luftwaffe is missing almost an entire year (1944) and other years are available in microfilm or fiche format from German archival sources. The Russian archives are just becoming available to researchers and there are dedicated people working hard to get them unearthed and recorded.
You must understand that all these records are either from typed or hand-written original sources, must be translated and are often incomplete. Hundreds of thousands of aircraft were lost by the various AFs from accidents and combat. Other sources include logbooks from pilots and unit records kept at the time.
It is an extensive, tedious, on-going process for those who are dedicated to working on it.

Re: Identifying Luftwaffe combat losses
 

Hi
Only web stuff I have used is the excellent tony wood site, not sure if it covers the period you want tho'
http://www.lesbutler.ip3.co.uk/tony/tonywood.htm

Happy hunting/research
Cheers
Jerry