Break down of Lw losses during BoB

[Franek Grabowski]

Gents
I have been trying but failed to find a break down of Luftwaffe losses during the Battle of Britain on weekly or monthly basis, best by Luftflotten. Does anyone have ever seen anything like that?
TIA

[Stig Jarlevik]

Franek

My friend Geoffrey Sinclair has made a try which I enclose here.
Unfortunately the tabulation does not work out properly. I have tried to fix it when I copy his data.
Not sure it works however after I press send....

The various Battle of Britain books have their summaries and more
detailed loss listings. For a start these are the Luftwaffe loss
numbers from the RAF publication of the Luftwaffe Quartermaster records,
which are reproduced in The Narrow Margin by Wood and Dempster

\ as column separator, Destroyed \\ damaged.

Jul-40 \ Aug-40 \ Sep-40 \ Oct-40 \ Nov-40 \\ Jul-40 \ Aug-40 \ Sep-40 \Oct-40\ Nov-40 \ Month
0 \ 1 \ 0 \ 1 \ 0 \\ 0 \ 0 \ 0 \ 1 \ 0 \ Short Range Recon. Operations Enemy Action
0 \ 1 \ 1 \ 3 \ 0 \\ 0 \ 2 \ 1 \ 3 \ 0 \ Short Range Recon. Operations Not Enemy Action
2 \ 1 \ 2 \ 3 \ 5 \\ 1 \ 1 \ 7 \ 7 \ 7 \ Short Range Recon. Not on Operations
18 \ 13 \ 16 \ 8 \ 4 \\ 2 \ 1 \ 3 \ 1 \ 3 \ Long Range Recon. Operations Enemy Action
8 \ 3 \ 3 \ 5 \ 1 \\ 4 \ 1 \ 3 \ 6 \ 1 \ Long Range Recon. Operations Not Enemy Action
4 \ 2 \ 3 \ 3 \ 1 \\ 1 \ 1 \ 3 \ 4 \ 2 \ Long Range Recon. Not on Operations
34 \ 177 \ 187 \ 104 \ 12 \\ 6 \ 24 \ 17 \ 24 \ 6 \ Single Engine Fighter Operations Enemy Action
12 \ 34 \ 33 \ 19 \ 7 \\ 8 \ 33 \ 42 \ 28 \ 5 \ Single Engine Fighter Operations Not Enemy Action
7 \ 20 \ 14 \ 22 \ 15 \\ 16 \ 23 \ 16 \ 33 \ 20 \ Single Engine Fighter Not on Operations
19 \ 114 \ 81 \ 10 \ 0 \\ 4 \ 32 \ 13 \ 1 \ 3 \ Twin Engine Fighter Operations Enemy Action
1 \ 6 \ 2 \ 2 \ 1 \\ 2 \ 9 \ 0 \ 3 \ 0 \ Twin Engine Fighter Operations Not Enemy Action
2 \ 5 \ 5 \ 5 \ 5 \\ 2 \ 2 \ 1 \ 4 \ 0 \ Twin Engine Fighter Not on Operations
0 \ 1 \ 1 \ 1 \ 0 \\ 0 \ 0 \ 0 \ 0 \ 0 \ Night Fighter Operations Enemy Action
0 \ 1 \ 1 \ 13 \ 3 \\ 0 \ 1 \ 0 \ 2 \ 1 \ Night Fighter Operations Not Enemy Action
0 \ 1 \ 1 \ 2 \ 4 \\ 0 \ 0 \ 1 \ 2 \ 5 \ Night Fighter Not on Operations
76 \ 183 \ 165 \ 64 \ 14 \\ 12 \ 48 \ 58 \ 24 \ 1 \ Bomber Operations Enemy Action
17 \ 45 \ 65 \ 78 \ 57 \\ 14 \ 34 \ 70 \ 66 \ 43 \ Bomber Operations Not Enemy Action
20 \ 31 \ 19 \ 29 \ 13 \\ 28 \ 36 \ 34 \ 18 \ 30 \ Bomber Not on Operations
12 \ 47 \ 0 \ 0 \ 0 \\ 8 \ 14 \ 0 \ 0 \ 0 \ Dive Bomber Operations Enemy Action
4 \ 4 \ 2 \ 0 \ 0 \\ 2 \ 3 \ 1 \ 3 \ 2 \ Dive Bomber Operations Not Enemy Action
3 \ 7 \ 7 \ 6 \ 2 \\ 5 \ 8 \ 8 \ 2 \ 5 \ Dive Bomber Not on Operations
0 \ 0 \ 0 \ 0 \ 0 \\ 0 \ 0 \ 0 \ 0 \ 0 \ Ground Attack Operations Enemy Action
1 \ 0 \ 0 \ 0 \ 0 \\ 0 \ 0 \ 0 \ 0 \ 0 \ Ground Attack Operations Not Enemy Action
0 \ 0 \ 0 \ 0 \ 0 \\ 0 \ 0 \ 0 \ 0 \ 0 \ Ground Attack Not on Operations
1 \ 2 \ 0 \ 1 \ 0 \\ 1 \ 0 \ 0 \ 0 \ 0 \ Transport Operations Enemy Action
0 \ 1 \ 0 \ 0 \ 0 \\ 0 \ 1 \ 0 \ 0 \ 0 \ Transport Operations Not Enemy Action
3 \ 2 \ 6 \ 5 \ 4 \\ 3 \ 4 \ 2 \ 3 \ 2 \ Transport Not on Operations
11 \ 19 \ 8 \ 7 \ 2 \\ 0 \ 2 \ 2 \ 0 \ 0 \ Coastal Operations Enemy Action
3 \ 11 \ 15 \ 9 \ 1 \\ 0 \ 3 \ 3 \ 1 \ 0 \ Coastal Operations Not Enemy Action
2 \ 8 \ 4 \ 8 \ 4 \\ 1 \ 6 \ 5 \ 1 \ 1 \ Coastal Not on Operations
1 \ 1 \ 1 \ 0 \ 2 \\ 0 \ 1 \ 0 \ 0 \ 0 \ Miscellaneous Operations Enemy Action
0 \ 0 \ 1 \ 0 \ 0 \\ 0 \ 0 \ 0 \ 0 \ 0 \ Miscellaneous Operations Not Enemy Action
4 \ 3 \ 5 \ 4 \ 3 \\ 3 \ 4 \ 12 \ 4 \ 4 \ Miscellaneous Not on Operations

Geoffrey Sinclair

[Franek Grabowski]

Stig and Geoff
Many thanks for this, most helpful!
Browsing here and there I was unable to find such a breakdown, most giving a more general data. Quite, getting through GQ6 records may provide a more detailed analysis, but it would require a lot of work in turning them into a database, which would be a work on its own, and too much effort to what I actually need.
No worries, I can rework it back into a table.

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by Franek Grabowski

Quite, getting through GQ6 records may provide a more detailed analysis, but it would require a lot of work in turning them into a database

The Lagemeldungen West on the German Docs in Russia (TsAMO) site give each day's losses but these are only broken down by aircraft type, not unit or cause, and nothing about damage-only cases. These figures would be easy enough to enter on to a spreadsheet but might not give the information you need.

The other sources that might be useful are Bundesarchiv files RL 2-III/708a, /708b, /709a and 709b. These are free to download and between them cover 6 July–16 November 1940. They include weekly figures for loss or damage of aircraft broken down by type for each flying arm (fighter, Stuka bomber etc.).
So for example for 4–10 August there are 17 Bf 109 lost and 11 damaged, 10 Ju 87 lost and 7 damaged. There are also figures for crew dead, wounded or missing.

[Franek Grabowski]

Thanks!
I have much dislike to daily reports, but the other file seems interesting.
I am in need of rough approximates in order of obtaining a general view, and not a detailed to nut and bolt informaton. I find it intriguing some conflicting information concerning the battle, and I mean gross information.

[Chris Goss]

Geoff has asked to to post this:

Thanks for your help, please ask Franek what he is after and whether the
daily list as described has any merit

[Franek Grabowski]

Well, the Battle of Britain is usually shown through total numbers, but I would like to get a more detailed view by comparing shorter periods, best by sectors. It does not need to be very accurate, but rather show a general trend. I still need to verify RAF losses similar way, as there is a lot of conflicting data in regard of establishment, losses, and resupplies. Something does not add up, and I am not sure what.

[Chris Goss]

Geoffrey has asked me to post this:


The accounting for missing aircraft, missing or incomplete records, the usual clerical errors, that some aircraft write offs were repaired while some sent for repair were written off all create an inevitable degree of uncertainty. Both sides could and did rotate units in and out of the battle. I am not sure there was a general trend, loss ratios tightened and loosened as tactics changed and in the statistics people would worry about the total number of fighting days, whether they provide a good enough sample given all the variables. Accuracy when describing cause of loss is a big issue.

Shorter periods require more detailed loss lists, probably the best British one is at https://martinaviationpages.com/ Overall the British won the defensive fighting about 2 to 1, when you add Bomber and Coastal Command etc. the losses end up around 1 to 1.

For the time period 1 July to 31 October 1940, results from looking through the various older loss lists, Luftwaffe bombers seem to have shot down a minimum of 97 Spitfires and Hurricanes.

The evolution of the single seat fighter loss ratio, all causes July 108 Spitfires and Hurricanes to 57 Bf109s, 1.9 to 1 August 350 to 232, about 1.5 to 1 September, 343 to 234, about 1.5 to 1 October, 174 to 136 (removing the training unit Bf109s), 1.28 to 1.

Switching to losses on operations that were definitely or possibly due to enemy fighters the results look like

July 73 Spitfires and Hurricanes (Including 19 crashes, many related to night fighter training and 1 unknown), to 43 Bf109 (2 crashes, 2 unknown) August 242 Spitfires and Hurricanes (8 crashes, 7 unknown), to 185
Bf109 (4 crashes, 18 unknown)
September 267 Spitfires and Hurricanes (5 crashes, 18 unknown), to 195
Bf109 (8 crashes, 3 unknown)
October 117 Spitfires and Hurricanes (24 crashes, 3 unknown), to 112
Bf109 (9 crashes, 1 unknown)

The loss ratios, including the crashes are July 1.7 to 1, August 1.3 to 1, September 1.4 to 1, October 1 to 1

The loss ratios, excluding the crashes are July 1.3 to 1, August 1.3 to 1, September 1.4 to 1, October 0.9 to 1.

Hurricane, 181 KIA, 91 MIA, 181 wounded (50 slightly), 1 PoW, from 597 aircraft losses. Dropping the slightly wounded, the results are 45.5% of losses resulted in the death of the pilot, another 22% in the pilot being wounded, so your chances of walking away basically unhurt from a Hurricane loss was around 32.5%.

Spitfire, 135 KIA, 33 MIA, 85 wounded (26 slightly), 7 PoW from 379 aircraft losses, again dropping the slightly wounded, the results are 44.3% of losses resulted in the death of the pilot, another 15.6% in the pilot being wounded, so around 41.1% of Spitfire pilots were basically unhurt when their aircraft was destroyed.

Bf109 173 KIA, 71 MIA, 82 WIA, 188 PoW, (43 of which were wounded) versus 665 Bf109 losses, so around 37% of losses resulted in the death of the pilot, another 19% resulted in the pilot being wounded, so if you were in a Bf109 that was destroyed you had a 44% chance of surviving unhurt. As far as the Luftwaffe was concerned the permanent loss rate (KIA, MIA, PoW) was 66%, plus another 19% some of whom would not recover enough to fly fighters again. So only 15% of pilots were immediately ready to fly again.

Fighter Command for July 14 to 31 had an average of 608 operational fighters with crew, in August 702, in September 687, in October 693 as noted daily figures fluctuate a lot, from a minimum of 599 on July 23 to
740 on 24 August.

[Graham Boak]

The percentage of Bf.109 pilots does not seem to consider the continual inflow of pilots during the battle. That they suffered is generally agreed, but down to only one pilot in 7?

[Franek Grabowski]

Many thanks for that!
Well, there are lies, damned lies, and statistics.
Given the gross numbers discussed an absolute accuracy is not necessary, as it is more about trends.
The problem is, that the numbers usually provided, regardless of their accuracy, do not shed a light on what really had happened.
For example, there are 2,927 the Few listed, 2,353 of them British. The problem is that a one was qualified as a one of the Few following only a single op flight, which he could make in the north, not seeing an enemy. Thus, the number does not represent the number of airmen involved in the hottest southern sectors. Also, I understand the number does include Blenheim and Defiant pilots but exclude gunners, which further muddies waters.
Then I have 1,259 pilots in July and 1,796 pilots in November. The losses were 510 (407 British), out of those ~450 Hurricane & Spitfire pilots. Total losses including wounded 710.
This means that approx. 1274 pilots arrived as replacement, 574 being foreigners not requiring extensive training. Thus 673 were RAF trained, which seems a bit low to me, as I recall the monthly output was about 500 pilots. On the other hand hastily trained pilots required further training in squadrons rotated on operational rest and may have been not considered operational and thus not put into the statistics. This is of course simplification but roughly shows the problem.
Then at the end of August RAF reported shortages of pilots and rotation of airmen ceased, so there must have been some problem which is not apparent from the above.
Also , I count 61 Hurricane & Spitfire squadrons which should have an establishment of 18 aircraft and 22 pilots, thus giving 1098 aircraft and 1342 pilots. Given there was approx. 600 aircraft in average, the question is if the latter is serviceable aircraft only, but still it should suggest a bit of shortages.
Of course, this must be collated with the German data, in order to create a broader picture, hence my question.