[Martin Gleeson]

Hallo Chris,
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P-38 activities in Tunisia have been a long-standing interest of mine, but as you know this is still a difficult area to research.
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The 82nd FG flew two missions that day (31st January 1943). One by the 95th FS escorting B-26s on an overwater anti-shipping mission, no losses. The second by the 97th FS escorting more B-26s to attack Gabes aerodrome. Their three losses included two POWs; 2/Lts. Harold R. Decker and Leonard E. Pratt. The latter suffered a number of minor injuries and became a POW after being handed over to the Germans by local inhabitants.
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The 1st FG certainly flew this day and may have suffered one P-38 lost but as far as I can tell they had no pilot losses.
The 14th FG had been rested by this date.
The 3rd Photographic Group has always been the most difficult P-38 unit to obtain any information on, and I have nothing useful.
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Meimberg himself in Vol. 2 of Prien's 'JG 53' states he was directed to a lone P-38 at 7,000 m. over Tunis. He shot it down noting the pilot baled out, winding up in hospital as a POW. The time given (German) was 13.14 hours from Tony Wood's Luftwaffe claims research. Using the same resources (times and locations) it appears the four P-38 claims by JG 77 were against the 97th FS while the B-17 and single P-38 claims by I./JG 53 were against a B-17 raid to Bizerte, the latter probably escorted by the 1st FG. Because Bizerte, Tunis and Gabes are far apart and the actions mentioned all occurred around the same time (c.1200-1315) there was unlikely to have been an overlap in Luftwaffe claims.
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I disagree with RSwank insofar as the 82nd FG lost five aircraft on January 30th (destroyed or written-off), but 'only' three on the 31st. I don't think the above has helped much, except maybe to point in the direction of the 3rd PG. I will do a little more checking though.
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Regards,
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Martin.