20/21 October 1941 Claims

[James_F]

Hello,

I'm trying to find out how to research into Luftwaffe night fighter claims. I've read a few mentions of the Nachtjagd War Diaries, would this be the ultimate resource?

The night in question is the 20th/21st October '41 where A Wellington IV (Z.1218 FU-D) was shot down.

Looking forward to reading your help

-James

[James_F]

Could I have a nudge in the right direction?

It would be greatly appreciated

[leonventer]

Originally Posted by James_F

I'm trying to find out how to research into Luftwaffe night fighter claims. I've read a few mentions of the Nachtjagd War Diaries, would this be the ultimate resource?

Theo Boiten's "Nachtjagd War Diaries Vols. 1 & 2" is the best resource for Nachtjagd claims in the West. He is currently working on additional chapters covering NJ claims in the East (900) and Med (250.)

Another resource is "Luftwaffe Night Fighter Combat Claims 1939-1945" by Foreman, Matthews and Parry - Red Kite, 2004, ISBN 0953806146, 249 pages.

The latter includes claims on the Eastern and Med fronts, but the listings are not as complete (no unit info or serial numbers for the victims, and the location info is less detailed.)

Boiten's work is far more substantial. It includes a narrative description of each day's operations, a list of all NJ pilots with at least one victory, and a complete list of sources.

It is probably worth getting both because the claims often differ in number and in details. Both resources have about the same percentage of photographic content.

The night in question is the 20th/21st October '41 where A Wellington IV (Z.1218 FU-D) was shot down.

The only claim for that date appears in the Foreman book: an Il-4 claimed over Berlin by Lt Rudolf Altendorf of 2./NJG 3. The closest candidates are a couple of Wellingtons claimed on 15-16 Oct 1941, and one more on 26-27 Oct.

Hope that helps,
Leon Venter

[brewerjerry]

Originally Posted by James_F

Could I have a nudge in the right direction?

It would be greatly appreciated

Hi
might be worth a browse here ?
cheers
Jerry

http://www.lesbutler.ip3.co.uk/tony/tonywood.htm

[James_F]

Thank you both very much

I'll look into that other book as well and try and get hold of them both.

That's disappointing, and odd, that there's no claim of a Wellington on that night. (So far anyway)

I'll have a look at those files now Jerry.

[James_F]

Well it seems that only Spitfires were claimed around that night, no Wellingtons.

It's confusing as my granddad had a piece of the turret embedded in his leg from when he was shot, so I'm almost 100% certain they were shot down.