[RodM]

Hi Nigel,

firstly, No. 8 (Pathfinder Force) Group also sent Lancasters to Zuffenhausen and lost two. No. 1 Group lost three Lancasters, No. 6 (RCAF) Group lost three Halifaxes, and No. 4 Group wrote off one Halifax (it was one of seven bombers damaged by night fighters).

The TNA file with reports from returning crews is AIR 14/3227 - it contains (very rare) Group Forms Z for January 1945, which provide summaries of what returning crews witnessed and/or experienced.

I said two Lancasters crashed on the outward route - my mistake - it was one Lancaster and one Halifax.

I would not read too much into the aircraft type identities given for aerial victory claims. The fact Bahr wrote "Avro Lancaster" in his Flugbuch is not proof positive he shot down four Lancasters.

Perhaps I can describe a sequence of events surrounding your uncle's aircraft crash:

The bomber stream approached Zuffenhausen from the north. The prescribed route took them westward to a point 9.5 km SE of Zweibrücken, then westward to a point 6.7 km NNW of Bad Rappenau (leg 3 of the route), before turning south towards Zuffenhausen (leg 4 of the route).

The first air combats and aircraft losses occurred along leg 3 of the route.

The gunners of 103 Sqn Lancaster RA500 fired at an "Me410" attacking a Lancaster at 23.20 hrs, 24 km SSE of Speyer. "Almost immediately" afterward, a Ju88 attacked RA500 and damaged it with four 20-mm cannon shell hits.

The crew of a 51 Squadron Halifax reported "two short bursts of tracer fired from dead astern below. No fighter seen. No return fire" at 23.34 hrs, 16 km ENE of Speyer.

426 Squadron Halifax crashed near the Mingolsheim railway station circa 23.28 - 23.35 hrs. Surviving crew members stated a night fighter shot down their aircraft. Additionally, pilot W/C F.C. Carling-Kelly RCAF stated: "The aircraft was shot up in the air at 2328 hours on 28th January, 1945, six minutes from the target".

103 Squadron Lancaster PB638 crashed into a forest 1/2 km NNE of Michelbach. Because there were no survivors, I don't know the cause of loss at this time. I suspect a night fighter attack is the most likely cause, but this is conjecture and not based on evidence.

The next air combats occurred along leg 4 of the route, after the bombers turned southward. 576 Squadron Lancaster NG273 suffered damage from two 13-mm bullet hits at 23.36.5 hrs and 153 Squadron Lancaster suffered damage from seven 13-mm bullet hits at 23.38 hrs. Both attacks occurred over Besigheim, 19 km N of Zuffenhausen.

A large number of air combats occurred over Zuffenhausen between 23.30 - 23.42 hrs and four bombers suffered damage during night fighter attacks. Six bombers crashed along the homeward route and another was written off after landing in France.

I have attached a map plot of events during the Zuffenhausen raid in the area where your uncle's Lancaster crashed. The four sightings of aircraft shot down/crashing are plotted, bearing in mind the locations are crew estimates of their own locations at the time of the sighting.

Regards

Rod