Quote:
Originally Posted by Simon Trew
As just one example, Trendle (Point Blank 4/44, April 1944, p.119) identifies no fewer than thirteen bombers (twelve Ju 88, one Do 217) lost during the attack on Convoy UGS 37 on the night of 11-12 April 1944. Yet there is no sign of these losses in the Luftflotte 3 loss tables.
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I don't know the Luftflotte 3 loss tables, but your sentence may imply that you have number of losses per type and day. It this is the case, you can write on this forum all reported He 111 with number and date and we can try to identify them.
Just two examples, IV./KG 55 (serving as operational training group for KG 55) lost 5 He 111s shot down on 23 April and 4 on 4 May, all shot down by Allied fighters (see
https://www.histavia21.net/HISTAV2/Cra1944-1.htm). I don't know if they will be reported to Luftflotte 3 or another command.
In early 1944, many Luftwaffe training units were also based in France, especially SW France, and they lost tens of aicraft each month. I doubt they were reported to Luftflotte 3.
I./ZG 1 (formerly V./KG 40) was flying patrols over Biscay and escorts for convoy attacks in Med, and lost 27 Ju 88s between January and May 1944.
As for units being based in France and reporting losses to Luftflotte 3 for operation northward and to Luftflotte 2 for those southward, I don't believe in it. The Luftwaffe loss record was first used to manage replacement aircraft and crew, and so will be sent to the headquarters from the home base of the unit, not the one responsible for the operation zone.
Just checked the German loss lists for November-December 1943, IV./KG 55 and I./ZG 1 are reported under Luftflotte 3. And losses of KG 26 against a Med convoy on 26 Nov 1943 (Rohna was sunk in this attack) were reported under Luftflotte 3, in a sub-part titled "(Einsatz Süd)".