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Re: "Zerstorer" Hardback by John Vasco and Peter Cornwell - Coming from Wingleader in 2025
Supporting evidence by individual identity as promised above in #87:
[Note: The Z table page references in brackets below indicate where this WNr. evidence appears in the Loss & Damage Tables of Zerstörer (2025).]
WNr. 3367 & 3368 (2) Bf 110 D-3 - both probably delivered in July 1940
WNr. 3367 reported 80% damaged on 21-Oct-40 with 2./Erpr.Gr. 210 (no unit code given). (Z table p.279)
WNr. 3368 reported 25% damaged on 31-Aug-40 with 2./Erpr.Gr. 210 as S9+EK. (NOT included in the Z table at p.207 but see BoB Then and Now Mk V p.612 although here it is identified as WNr. 3568: also explicitly corroborated as WNr. 3368 in Matti Salonen's databases)
WNr. 3370 & 3371 (2) Bf 110 D-3 - both probably delivered in July 1940
WNr. 3370 reported damaged on 31-Aug-40 with 2./Erpr.Gr. 210 as S9+DK. (Z table at p.207) Also recorded on 31-Aug-40 once by WNr. and with aircraft code 'D' in Flugbuch Balthasar Aretz - see tabulation in Bombsights over England (2002) on p.169.
WNr. 3371 photographed slightly damaged with a readable WNr. - see photo Zerstorer (2025) p.249(mid lft) Normally flown by Gr.Kdr. Martin Lutz. NB WNR. 3171 NOT INCLUDED IN ANY GQM LOSS OR DAMAGE RECORD.
WNr. 3373 & 3374 (2) Bf 110 D-3 - both probably delivered in July 1940
WNr. 3373 reported as total loss on 06-Sep-40 with 1./Erpr.Gr. 210 as S9+BH. (Z table p.260)
WNr. 3374 reported as total loss on 15-Aug-40 with Gr.Stab./Erpr.Gr. 210 as S9+BB. (Z table p.201) Gr.Adj. Fiedler killed.
WNr. 3377 & 3378 (2) Bf 110 D-3/N - both probably delivered in late July 1940
WNr. 3377 reported 10% damaged on 21-Aug-40 with 2./Erpr.Gr. 210 as S9+EK. (Z table at p.205) Also photographed on or just after 21-Aug-40 shown slightly damaged and with a clearly readable WNr. - see photo Bombsights over England (1990) p.55(btm). Also recorded twice by WNr. in Flugbuch Balthasar Aretz pages reproduced on p.96 op.cit. (on 4- & 8-Aug-40). [Same photo also in Bombsights Over England (2002) p.95(tp) and the same Flugbuch mentions in the tabulation in Bombsights over England (2002) on p.169 .]
WNr. 3378 reported as total loss on 27-Sep-40 with 1./Erpr.Gr. 210 as S9+DH. (Z table p.263) Gr.Kdr. Lutz killed.
WNr. 3381 to 3384 (4) Bf 110 D-3/N - most or all of these likely delivered in August 1940
WNr. 3381 reported damaged on 22-Aug-40 with 2./Erpr.Gr. 210 as S9+GK. (Z table p.205) Then reported as total loss on 31-Aug-40 with 2./Erpr.Gr. 210 also as S9+GK. (Z table p.207)
WNr. 3382 reported as total loss on 05-Oct-40 with 1./Erpr.Gr. 210 as S9+FH. (Z table p.278)
WNr. 3383 reported as total loss on 05-Oct-40 with 1./Erpr.Gr. 210 as S9+GH. (Z table p.278)
WNr. 3384 WNr. readable on S9+HH of 1./Erpr.Gr. 210 in photo taken in Sep-40 in Zerstörer (2025) p.237 [also reproduced in Bombsights Over England (2002) on pp.118/9 with caption confirming the WNr. as clearly readable on the original print.]
WNr. 3387 to 3390 (4) Bf 110 D-3/N - comprised most or all of the four D-0/B examples not reported by the BAL as delivered by Mtt-Augsburg until September 1940
WNr. 3387 noted in the table in Mankau+Petrick: Bf 110/Me 410 p.329 as "8.40 - 9.40 Erprobungsträger ETC 1000 - und Bombenrevi-Einbau; Erprobung in Rechlin".
WNr. 3388 reported as total loss on 27-Sep-40 with 1./Erpr.Gr. 210 as S9+JH. (Z table p.263)
WNr. 3389 noted in Mtt-A BAL Report for Sep-40 in BA-MA RL 3/1542. [Still reported there as a D-0/B (N)] "Werk-Nr. 3389, die im Monat August an Firma MTT.A.G. zu Austauschversuchsen abgeliefert wurde, wurde nach Umbau auf N-Motor im September 40 an die Trupple abgeliefert." = Werk-Nr. 3389, which was made available to the firm MTT.A.G.in the month of August for interchangeability trials, was delivered to the troops in September 1940 after conversion to the N-series engine."
WNr. 3390 reported as total loss on 04-Sep-40 with Gr.Stab./Erpr.Gr. 210 as S9+AB. (Z table p.259) Gr.Kdr. Boltenstern killed.
Note: WNr. 3398 reported lost as S9+EH on 5-Oct-40 (Z table p.278) can only have been a transposition of WNr. 3389. There is no other GQM record for WNr. 3398, however looking at records in the span from WNrn. 3392 to 3416 this aircraft was almost certainly assigned to ZG 26. (In BoB Then and Now Mk V p.675 this loss is identified as WNr. 3598 and it is also included as WNr. 3598 in Matti Salonen's databases.) With the wholly independent contemporary identification by Mtt Augsburg of WNr. 3388 delivered configured as a Bf 110 D strike variant, and now with foreknowledge of the very small quantity of aircraft carrying the strike sub-type designation, the balance of evidence indicates that both WNr. 3398 and 3598 are corruptions or misreads/misreports of what was actually WNr. 3389.
Since the new D-2 and D-3 designations were not introduced until late in July 1940 it is readily apparent that the aircraft data plates borne by all of the D-3s and probably at least some of the D-3/Ns were still stamped as examples of the D-0/B. Consequently how these aircraft were reported subsequently by sub-type would have depended very much on how quickly or indeed whether unit technical records had yet been updated with the revised designations.
One other point apparent in this listing is how members of the Erpr.Gr. 210 Stab managed to secure the newest of aircraft deliveries for their personal use, two Gr.Kdr. and one Gr.Adj. being lost in these examples. Not too unreasonable perhaps though in a unit that was very much led from the front.
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