[Stig Jarlevik]

Jerry

The way I see it, there is a high probabillity there is no claim from German point of view. The rear-gunner simply may not have been aware that he had hit anything. Donaldson was on his tail and no doubt any sane gunner would concentrate his vision (and aim) at THAT Whirlwind and not the other one which he may or may not have realised he had hit. Since Donaldson never saw Crook go down it would be reasonable to think that Crook was behind Donaldson's vision and who knows the rear-gunner might have hit Crook by "mistake" while shooting at Donaldson. As the leader of the two, Donaldson surely was in the lead and Crook following and I am also very positive about a certain tunnelvision from a rear-gunner facing a Whirlwind boring in with full power. From Foreman's 1941 part 1 it also is said the "Do 215" hid in clouds as soon as it possibly could, making any further looking for enemy aeroplane(s) hit impossible.

With regard to aicraft ID, I believe the ID of a Do 215 is fairly accurate. This was an interception, remember, and not a melée with umpteenth aeroplanes in the air. Donaldson could concentrate on what he saw and to me such ID is much more reliable than during big dog fights. Aeroplane could then have been as stated a Do 215, but also of course a Do 17 or a Me 110. Sounds logical if this was a recce machine homeward bound.

Cheers
Stig