Uffz. and pilot loss in Sardinia Feb.26 1943

[cbe2009]

Hello!
I just purchased a death card of an Uffz. Hans Pfluger in a JG, who fell on the above date. I have not been able to find any information on him.
In "Gräbersuche" he is said to have been killed in Villarios, Sardinia, but i have not been able to find him in the GQM list or any of my books,
Hope anyone can help.
Thanks in advance

Christian

[Andrew Arthy]

Hello Christian,

Below is an extract from the manuscript of a book I am working on about the II. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 51, which I hope will answer your question:

--- START

Friday 26 February 1943
At 14:35 there was an attack by four-engined bombers on Cagliari and Elmas. The Sardinian Freya radar picked up the approaching enemy aircraft at 14:28 at a distance of six kilometres. Warning was given to II./J.G. 51 fighters and the anti-aircraft defences at 14:31, and a minute later two Rotten of Bf 109s scrambled. A Boeing Fortress was shot down 50 km west of the island from an altitude of 5,000 m by Ofw. Otto Schultz of 4./J.G. 51 (53rd victory). This was II./J.G. 51’s 1,299th victory. Two other B-17s were claimed damaged by the II./J.G. 51 pilots. Two Bf 109s landed at 15:20, and another landed at 15:28. The other Bf 109 made a forced landing at Cagliari after being shot up, and the pilot, Uffz. Hans Pflüger of 4./J.G. 51, was killed during the landing. Uffz. Pflüger had been flying Bf 109 G-4 W.Nr 10 895, one of the unit’s new aircraft. He had two aerial victories to his name. Some Italian fighters scrambled, but failed to make contact with the enemy.[1]


[1] NA HW 1/1406; Summarische Verluste – Flugzeuge; Aders & Held, Jagdgeschwader 51 Mölders; Shores, Ring & Hess, FOT, p.224

--- END


Cheers,
Andrew A.

Air War Publications - www.airwarpublications.com

[Guy JULIEN]

Hi,
Are you sure about the day and location. Four engined US bombers were active over Sicily on this particuliar day and not over sardinia. There is no mention of an allied attack on this last island.
Cheers
Guy

[cbe2009]

Hello Andrew!

Thank you very much for Your valuable help. If You want a better scan of him, please let me know.

Best wishes from Denmark

Christian

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Here is what is written in "Fighters over Tunisia":
"Around this date Oblt. Schiess of III/JG 53 had also apparently attacked and claimed a B-17, which was not confirmed, though he had to wait some time to find out whether confirmation was likely to be forthcoming. On this date 24 B-17s had attacked a convoy off the Lipari Islands, just to the north of Sicily; one B-17 was very badly damaged during this attack, and subsequently crash-landed at its base. It is possible that this was the aircraft claimed by Schiess, but details to confirm this are not available."

At this date, it seems to me that all B-17 units in MTO were based in Algeria. So to attack a target north of Sicily they may well have flown close by Cagliari, even if they did not attack it. And the above mentionned B-17 may have been attacked by Schulz rather than by Schiess.

Note: the 301st BG website (www.301bg.com) reports that the mission this day was "off Palermo", so consistent with an attack on shipping north of Sicily, but has no more details.

[kaki3152]

There's some confusion on the dates, I think. From the USAAF Combat Chronology for February 26,1943:
" B-17s, with P-38 escort attacked docks and shipping at Bizerte after Wellingtons hit same target the previous night."
For Feb 27,1943:
"B-17s attacked Cagliari area and ships N of Cape D'Orlando"

[Guy JULIEN]

There's some confusion on the dates, I think. From the USAAF Combat Chronology for February 26,1943:
" B-17s, with P-38 escort attacked docks and shipping at Bizerte after Wellingtons hit same target the previous night."
For Feb 27,1943:
"B-17s attacked Cagliari area and ships N of Cape D'Orlando"

You re probably right. But if Sardinia was under attack by four engined US Bombers on the 6th, the 16th, the 27th and the 28th of February,
-There is no MACR concerning a B-17 on this area during this period
-There is no claims by US fighters on the 26th
-There is no victory credited to the Luftwaffe in Sardinia (according Tony woods list)
In Fébruary 1943 II./JG 51 was based in Trapani (Sicily) before transfered (once more) in Tunisia. This unit was based in Sardinia only in May (to july)
Slutchz claimed only one B-17 but late in 1943.
Cheers
Guy

[Andrew Arthy]

Hi,

A detachment of II./J.G. 51 was indeed based on Sardinia in February 1943. The first aircraft transferred there on 8 and 9 February, and there were still three aircraft and pilots on the island on 6 March 1943.

There seems to be confirmation from the German side for the combat occurring on 26 February 1943, but no confirmation from the Allied side.

The Genst.Gen.Qu.6.Abt. loss list says that Uffz. Hans Pfluger of 4./J.G. 51 was killed at Cagliari in Bf 109 G-4 W.Nr 10895 in a crash due to enemy fire on 26 February 1943.

Aders & Held state that Uffz. Hans Pflüger of 4./J.G. 51 was killed in action on 26 February 1943 at Sardinia in combat.

NA HW 1 contains a report from the evening of 26 February 1943 which stated that eighteen four-engined aircraft bombed Cagliari and Elmas. Freya picked up the approaching aircraft at 14:28 at a distance of six kilometres, and four BF 109s subsequently scrambled at 14:32. Two Bf 109s landed at 15:20 and another at 15:28, while one made a forced landing after being shot up. One Boeing Fortress was shot down 50 km west of the island from an altitude of 5,000 m by Ofw. Schultz (53rd victory) (NB – This victory does not appear in the Tony Wood list). Two other Fortresses were claimed damaged. The Italian fighters made no contact.

The British official history by Molony et al. notes that Cagliari was bombed on two occasions in the last week of February. However, the USAAF official history doesn’t mention the late-February raids on Sardinia at all.

There is no mention of fighters involved in Pflüger’s loss, so perhaps he was hit by return fire from bombers. However, I think this combat requires a little more research before I can make any firm conclusions!


Sources
NA HW 1

NA HW 5

Genst.Gen.Qu.6.Abt.

Gebhard Aders & Werner Held, Jagdgeschwader 51 ‘Mölders’: eine Chronik: Berichte, Erlebnisse, Dokumente, Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart, 1985.

Wesley Frank Craven & James Lea Cate (eds), Army Air Forces in World War II, Volume II: Europe: TORCH to POINTBLANK, August 1942 to December 1943, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1949.

C.J.C. Molony, F.C. Flynn, H.L. Davies & T.P. Gleave, The Mediterranean and Middle East, Volume IV: The Destruction of the Axis Forces in Africa, Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, London, 1966.

Günther Rübell, Kreuze im Himmel – wie auf Erden: Fronterleben in Jagdgeschwader Mölders, Orion Heimreiter Verlag, Heusenstamm, 1980.


Cheers,
Andrew A.

[ouidjat]

Hi all,

may be another source to check: WNr.10895, GH+ZQ, a G-4/Trop of 4./JG51, is cited in JG77 vol. by Prien. (Ref. LEMB StKz data).

Regards, Franck.

[thenelm]

Bf 109G-4, 10895, Pfluger, Uffz. Hans, , , 4., JG 51, , , GH+ZQ, , 26-Feb-43, Killed in crash during Notlandung due to Luftkampf with 19 Viermots., , Lfl.2/Mittelmeer, Gen.Qu.6.Abt. (mfm #9)-Vol.15; Ring, JG 51 loss list, p.49; Menke, SKZ list, , Cagliari, nördlich Villarios/Sardinien, 80%, F, , ,