Black Sea, June 6th, 1943

[Jochen Prien]

Gentlemen,

on June 6th, 1943, the Luftwaffe reported the sinking of a gun boat and two E-boats on the Black Sea coast in the area around Noworossijsk / Gelendshik. There are reports of pilots of 5th and 6th Staffel of JG 52 who accounted for these sinkings, yet I have no corresponding information from the Soviet side.

Can anybody out there provide me with some details, especially the identity of the Russian boats and their fate ?

As usual, any help would be gratefully appreciated.

Regards

Jochen Prien

[Matti Salonen]

Just a hint:
According the book "Soviet Warships of the Second World War" by Jürg Meister, page 152 a patrol boat (Storozhevoi Kater/Morskoi Okhrani) SKA.MO.072 was probably sunk by aerial attack off Caucasian coast on June 6, 1943.
Also on page 239 is repeated your info, that two unidentified Soviet Motor Torpedo Boats (MTB) were probably lost by German aircraft off Caucasian coast June 7, 1943.

Matti

[Andrey Kuznetsov]

Hello Jochen,

6 June was a hard day for the Black Sea Fleet.

05:55 MSC (04:55) MTB (TKA) No.46 and No.66 were destroyed during air attack, according to shore observers.

08:20 MSC (07:20) MGB (SKA) No.039, 072, 079 left Gelendzhik for search of survivors. But during new air attack (fighters) No.039 sunk.

12:30 MSC (11:30) in 3rd air attack (4 Bf109) No.079 was damaged and beached (later repaired), from crew were 8 dead and all other wounded. No.072 returned to Gelendzhik, from her crew 5 men were killed and 6 wounded.

What is the time of attacks according to German data?

Soviet fighters from 9.IAP and 25.IAP claimed 1 Bf109 downed and 2 Bf109 damaged.

What about real German losses?

Best regards,
Andrey

[Jochen Prien]

Dear Matti, dear Andrey,

many thanks for your posts. I'm still trying to piece together the events on the German side but have not been able so far to completely solve the problem.

From what I have I take it that the early morning attack was flown by a Schwarm of 5./JG 52 which comprised Lt. Wolfrum and Fw. Petermann and two more so far unidentified pilots. In spite of what Wolfrum wrote in his memoirs Oblt. Batz did not take part in this early morning sortie as is evidenced by his Flugbuch. According to Wolfrum during this sortie one Soviet gun-boat was left ablaze. According to Petermann's flight log and diariy this sortie resulted in sinking one vessel and setting a second on fire.

The 07.00 hrs attack appears to have been the work of a Rotte ( or a Schwarm ? ) of 6th Staffel and was the subject of a PK-report which has been published in several books. This report however has much of a fairy-tale. Taking part in this attack were Fw. Sachsenberg and with a "?" Fw. Waldmann.

According to the flight log of Wilhelm Batz and Walter Wolfrum and the memoirs of the latter a Schwarm of 5./JG 52 took off at 11.25 hrs for more low level attacks and flew four attacks on a gun-boat; whereas according to Wolfrum it was the same craft that was left ablaze in the early morning, which was now sunk, the flight log of Wilhelm Batz indicates that the vessel was set ablaze and ran ashore south of Kabardinka, where it was destroyed.

You see, the actual events are still shrouded in a rather dense mist.

As for German losses - there is neither an indication that these attacks met with any fighter opposition nor that there were any losses; the only loss known on this day was an a/c of 4./JG 52 which was shot down in combat with fighters off Kabardinka, the pilot becoming a POW. There is no hint that this combat had anything to do with the low level attacks on the Russian warships we're discussing here.

Over to you - any input is welcome.

Regards

Jochen Prien

[Andrey Kuznetsov]

Dear Jochen,

Thank you for detailed answer.

I look at details. Really, Demin (25.IAP) shot down a Bf109 on 14:30 MSC (13:30 German Summer Time), i.e. after German low level attacks. Soviet SKA pick up from sea the pilot (Uffz Franke) which bailed out. The time of claims for 2 damaged Bf109 is unclear but it seems it was after the event in question also.

Best regards,
Andrey