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About German sources for Kuban air battles history Apr.-Jun.1943
Hello, friends!
About German sources for Kuban air battles history Apr.-Jun.1943.
Who know, is Ultra files in the UK National Archive (TNA) contains details of the subject in question similar to this:
<http://crusaderproject.wordpress.com/2011/03/20/a-day-in-the-life-of-the-luftwaffe-operations-report-by-fliegerfuehrer-afrika-23-nov-41/>
In the past decade I had ordered some documents from BAMA and many documents from NARA but nothing from TNA yet.
It seems the following sources about Luftwaffe are exists:
Remnants of some KTBs (StG2 and maybe some other)
Some LF4 documents on NARA rolls (but they are almost useless)
Mentions about air war in the Army and Navy documents
GQM loss list
List of German fighter victories
NVM data (but as far as I know they are unavailable now)
Published sources:
Some overview works like Plocher’s “The GAF versus Russia 1943”
Some Geschwader chronicles (JG52, JG3, KG27, KG55 etc)
Very useful reference books written by De Zeng and Stankey about bomber and ground attack units.
Memoires.
Maybe I forgot some sources. But it is clear that all mentioned sources are insufficient for real analysis. Even such basic day-by day info as a quantity of sorties is known for the few days only. It isn’t surprise, of course, due to loss of 95% Luftwaffe papers in the end of war. So the Ultra records are the last hope.
Even such basic day-by day info as a number of sorties is known for the few days only.
A huge volume of Soviet documents about Luftwaffe activity exists (AA defense detailed data, ground forces reports, VVS data about air combats and many other documents). They give a picture about Luftwaffe activity day by day and sometimes minute by minute. But they have obvious drawbacks, like any documents of any country about enemy activity.
By the way, who saw the JG52 Monatserfolgsberichte for Mar.-May 1943? Did Mr.Barbas’s volumes about JG52 contain all sufficient info from these documents?
Best regards,
Andrey
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