[Mattesini]

Rome, November 22th 2006

Kind Gentleman,

on the attacks of the Luftwaffe the coasts of the Lebanon and Syria, in days June 13th 14th and 15th 1941, I have found some gaps, with regard to the number of the German aircrafts employs to you in the strafing missions. I have copy of bulletins operated you of the “X Fliegerkorps” (general Hans-Ferdinand Geisler), and of he lists on the naval losses of the British Admiralty, and knows very on the activity of the Mediterranean Fleet and on the operations of the French ships in the Mar of the Levant. And this I make it to integration from asked from Olivier Bacca and reported how much from Dirk, and without null removing to the job of Peter Taghon, developed in its excellent “Die Geschichte des Lehrgeschwaders 1” [LG.1]. Taghon has sure consulted my book “the German participation to the sea and air war in the Mediterranean (1940-1945)”, that it is the only text in Italian to being cited in its Bibliography.
At the beginning of June 1941, after it are moved from the airports of the Sicily on the airports of Greece and Crete (Eleusis and Iraklion), and taking advantage of for the missions of recognitions and strafing over a long time span beam also the Italian airport of Gadurra, on the island of Rodi, the airplane of the X Fliegerkorps, began to execute attacks on the naval base of Alexandria, and on it objects you of Porto Said and Haifa. There were employs the He.111 bombers of the II./KG.26 and the Ju.88 As to you of the Staab/LG.1 (colonel Friedrich-Karl Knust), I. and II./LG1. The III. /LG.1 were to Derna, in Libia, in order to support the operations on the land forehead, in particular against of Tobruk, and it did not participate to the missions in the Levant Sea. In order to characterize it objects to it to you naval in this zone of sea, the X Fliegerkorps had the Ju 88 Ds of the squadrons from recognition 1./(F) 121 and 2./(F) 123, that intensely they were employed.
Morning of the June 13th, 3 scout Ju.88 of the X Fliegerkorps signalled one naval forces British escapes from Alexandria, directed towards the coasts of the Lebanon, and comprising also one presumed battleship of the class “Barham”. In reality the organic of the British naval group was constituted from the cruisers of the15th Division (rear admiral E.L.S. King) “Phoebe” and “Aiax” and from the naval destroyer “Kandahar”, “Kimberley”, “Janus” “Jackal”, “Stuart”, “Jaguar”, “Griffin” and “Defender”. As a result of the sight, immediately took off for the attack two formations of German bombers.
The first formation, of 4 Ju.88 of the I./LG.1, not having found the objective, between the hours 15,00 and hours 15,35 attacked the airport of Nicosia (Cyprus); the second formation, reduced to 9 aircrafts of the II./LG.1, because the others 3 Ju.88 had been forced to re-enter to breakdowns, attacked without outcome 2 cruisers and 6 destroyer sights to you to the south-west of Beirut, uncoupling in stuck bombs from 250, 500 and 1000 kilogramme. Before the attack to the ships of rear admiral King, the German crews noticed in flight, to the quota 5000 metres, 4 fighter. They were the Tomahawks of the Squadron 30° of the RAAF. A Ju.88 thought, erroneously, to have hit with one bomb from 1000 kilogramme a cruiser, approval to skid and in flames. Two Ju.88, of 4./LG.1 and 5./LG.1 (lieutenants Heinrich Diekjobst and Rolf Bennewitz), did not re-enter to the base, and theirs eight men of crew were in vain search from others 2 Ju.88 between Rode and Cyprus
In the course of morning of the June 14th a Ju.88 from recognition was envoy to hold under control the British ships along the coasts of the Lebanon, being signal 8 ships, between which a cruiser class “Aurora” and a cruiser class “Cairo”. The mission had been planned from the Commando of the X Fliegerkorps also in order to become account if in the attack of the day ahead the enemy ships had received damages. An other Ju.88 took off ahead in the afternoon carrying itself to Beirut, where I sight 3 light cruisers and 5 destroyer.
During the night 3 He.111 torpedo bombers of the 6./KG.26 (captain Siedschlag), they were sendes you to the search of the British ships towards Haifa, while others 6 He.111 of the II./KG.26 (captain Horst Beyling), 2 of which they were forced to re-enter to mechanical defects, were send to you to bomb the port of Haifa. At last, 2 He.111 torpedo bombers of the 6./KG.26 they carried out a search in the night between the June 14th and the 15th on the zone of sea between Cyprus and the coast of Syria, where attacked separately, to the 01,53 and the 02,55, a convoy and a steamboat, without to achieve some result.
The ships of the Mediterranean Fleet newly were sighted the morning of the June 15th from 2 Ju.88 from recognition, that they signaled the presence of three naval groups of which one, comprising one battleship and 4 cruisers, discovered to the hour 09,12 in lat 34°50' N, long. 33°20'E. As a result of this sight, beginning from hours 11,50, 13 Ju.88 bombers of the II./LG.1, guides you from the commander of the group captain Gerhard Kollewe, and 6 Ju.88 of the I./LG.1 (captain Cuno Hoffmann) took off for attacked to wide of Beirut that naval formation, that it was escorted from fighter aircrafts Hurricane of the Squadron 80°. However, 6 Ju.88, four of first formation and two of the second one, were forced to re-enter to breakdowns, and others three aircrafts, always of the second formation not having found the objective naval, bombed the airports of Nicosia and Paphos, on the island of Cyprus. The others 10 aircrafts attacked the Force B, as soon as arrived on the coasts of the Lebanon and constituted from the New Zealand cruiser “Leander” and from the naval destroyer British “Jervis”, “Hasty”, “Ilex” and “Isis”.
The captain Kollewe, lieutenant Lohnert and the second lieutenant Sauer, took of sight a light cruiser and reported to have destroyed it with four bombs, of which from 1000 kilogramme uncoupled from Kollewe. It was be a matter of the “Isis” that had to return to Haifa. A large cruiser was thought hit with one bomb from 500 kilogramme uncoupled from the aircraft of the Lieutenant Obernhuber. It was be a matter of the “Jackal”, that it received light damages for near blows. An other cruiser to read was attacked from the only aircraft of the second formation (the I./LG.1), whose crew thought to have hit that ship to miles 10 the south-west of Beirut. It had to be a matter of the naval destroyer “Ilex”, that also it was attacked little after, from French airplane “Potenz” of 4th the Naval Air Group. The” Ilex” was damaged seriously from two bombs fallen close to the hull, and with it knows it boilers to it flooded was towed to Haifa from the” Hasty”.
Two Ju.88 of the 5./LG.1 were damages from the Hurricane of the 80° Squadron, and one of they, with the commander of the Staffel Oblt. Wilger Schacht, was forced to land to Anamur Head, on the southern coast Turkey, where had interned. According to Ju.88 it landed to Tripoli of Syria, with not repairable damages (70% of the aircraft).

Perdoned the English bad one.

Regards,

Francesco Mattesini