Mantes bridgehead - crossing the Seine, 22 August 1944

[FalkeEins]

hi all,

just posted a small piece on my blog on Luftwaffe actions around Mantes on the Seine as Patton's Inf Divs. attempted to cross the river and reach Paris..

http://falkeeins.blogspot.com/2011/0...gust-1944.html

I'm interested in other specific actions where the BR 21 launchers were used against ground targets ..aside from those dealt with by Mr Caldwell in his JG 26 War diary.....were there any ?

I've also posted a translation of Georg-Peter Eder's Abschussmeldung for 17 August - surely the most improbable Luftwaffe combat report ever !

[Andrew Arthy]

Hi Neil,

Very interesting article!

Cheers,
Andrew A.

[Nick Beale]

Good article (as usual with your blog).

In answer to your question ...

Mortars were tried by III./JG 53 against Anzio in February 1944: 16 shells expended during the month (Ultra VL 8016).

I've seen Ultras — but don't ask me to find an example — from the tail end of the Normandy campaign and on in to the fighting in Alsace-Lorraine where orders for the coming day would include this or that Gruppe being at readiness with mortars to engage ground targets.

In my Jagdgruppe 200 article you'll find four or five instances of them using mortars against Resistance targets in Southern France during July and August 1944.

[Andreas Brekken]

Hi.

Read the article with great interest, excellent work.

With regards to the combat losses sustained in the Luftwaffe units I can add the following information:

I./JG 11:

No losses reported

I./JG 26:

1 aircraft destroyed by anti-aircraft artillery on operational sortie (category 2)

II./JG 53:

7 aircraft destroyed by gunfire from enemy aircraft, observed by the enemy (category 4)

III./JG 76:

7 aircraft missing due to enemy action (category 1)
3 aircraft destroyed by anti-aircraft artillery on operational sortie (category 2)
6 aircraft destroyed by gunfire from enemy aircraft, observed by the enemy (category 4)
2 aircraft damaged by gunfire from enemy aircraft, not observed by the enemy (category 7)

Regards,
Andreas B

[jeanba]

Interesting article, thank you