29 may 1944, 15 AF raid to Austria - need help.

[Evgeny Velichko]

Hi gents!

Looks like a huge massacre happened.

As for my sourses say:

829 B-17 and B-24 flew to attack targets in Wollesdorf, Wiener Neustadt & Atzgersdorf, Austria, and Poderica in Yugoslavia.

USAAF lost 23 aircrafts (how many bombers & fighters from this - I dont know). Fighters (P-51 and P-38) claimed 60+ enemy aircrafts shot down (again, is direct quantity known?).

Bf 109G-6 pilots from JG 3 claimed 2 B-24.
Bf 109G-6 pilots from JG 27 claimed 10 B-24 & 3 P-51.
Bf 109G-6 pilots from JG 302 claimed 3 B-24
Bf110G-2 pilots from II./ZG 1 claimed 6 B-24 & 3 P-51.

Total: 21 B-24 & 6 P-51.

I dont know the Bf109 losses, but II./ZG1 lost 10 Bf110G-2 (most of them - crew KiA) and not less than 3 - damaged, with injured crew.

So:

What P-51 and P-38 squadrons/groups participated in this raid to escort?

How many Me-110 were claimed by fighter pilots, and how many - by B-17/B-24 gunners?

[Laurent Rizzotti]

The 1st, 31st, 52nd and 82nd FG of 15th Air Force claimed a total of 36 victories on 29 May 1944. No idea about the bomber gunners.

Known Bf 110 claims:
Capt Samuel J Brown, 307th FS/31st FG: 2 Bf 110
1st Lt Murray D McLaughlin, 309th FS/31st FG: 1 Bf 110
2nd Lt Robert B Dustrube, 309th FS/31st FG: 1 Bf 110

[Evgeny Velichko]

Thxnkl You very much!

There appears more queries:

How many fighters flew as escort?

What aircraft 31 FG flew - P-51? What actual losses they had?

Only 31FG had Me110 claims?

So, is that mean that only 4 Bf110 were s/d by fighters, and other 6 - by bomber gunners? Also, + 3 damaged aircrafts...

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Just quick answer before going to work. The four claims above are the Bf 110 claims I know but I had only details of half of the 36 claims...

Sorry for the confusion...

[Gizmo]

HI,

According to JG 301/302 book by Reschke,171 fighters made escort flights for 563 bombers (so rest of 829 bombers probably attack targets in Yugoslavia).
I/JG 302 claimed also four B-24 HSS victories and suffered one loss - Bf 109G-6 "red 25" Wk Nr 412400, Uffz Roland Bever, 2./JG 302 KIA.

According to "Air War Europa" by Eric Hammel:
Austria: 15 USAAF heavy bombers attack various targets around Wienner-Neustadt:
104 B-24 attack the Bf-109 assembly plant, totally demolishing all that survived previous attack, and 126 B-24 attack the Bf 109 components factory at Atzgersdorf. Also 300 B-17 and B-24s cause heavy damage at the Wellersdorf Airdrome, but 150 German Air Force fighters attack the bombers , downing five heavy bombers . In all, 18 heavy bombers are lost. In the very heavy fighters engagements attending the bombings attack 31st and 52nd fighter group P-51 pilots down 31 bf 109 and Bf 110, and P-38 escort pilots are credited with two Bf 110 and a Ju 87.

Also 4th FS of 52nd FG claimed 6 Bf 110, 3 Bf 109 and 2 Bf 110 probably.

[Evgeny Velichko]

THX gents!

And P-51 / P-38's losses?

Also, if possible, I'll be very pleased to got a list for Me110 claims of USAAF pilots. Name, regiment, time and area...

[Csaba B. Stenge]

Pilots of 4th FS/52nd FG claimed 8 Bf 110 as destroyed, 4 as probable and one as damaged. Claims were:
Lt. Hanes 3 kills
Lt Gross 3 kills and one shared probable (with Lt. Larson)
Capt. Tyler 1 kill and one probable
Lt. Smith 1 kill
Lt. Tribbett 1 probable
Lt McCauley 1 probable
Lt. Deckman 1 damaged

Lt. Gross was shot down and baled out near Kirchberg.

[Evgeny Velichko]

Thanks Csaba!

But what directly Kirchberg it was ?

Kirchberg am Wagram, a town in Lower Austria
Kirchberg am Wechsel, a town in Lower Austria
Kirchberg an der Raab, a town in Styria
Kirchberg bei Mattighofen, a town in the district of Braunau, Upper Austria
Kirchberg in Tirol, a town in the Kitzbühel district
Kirchberg ob der Donau, a town in Upper Austria

What Fighter and Bomber Groups flew to Austria on this day?

9 P-51 is listed as lost:

3 from 31 FG
4 from 359 FG
1 from 4 FG
1 from 52 FG

22 B-17 is listed as lost:

1 from 100 BG
2 from 301 BG
3 from 305 BG
1 from 384 BG
1 from 388 BG
2 from 390 BG
1 from 447 BG
3 from 452 BG
1 from 91 BG
2 from 92 BG
4 from 95 BG
1 from 97 BG

36 B-24 is listed as lost:

2 from 98 BG
1 from 801 BG
3 from 492 BG
2 from 487 BG
2 from 485 BG
2 from 484 BG
1 from 467 BG
1 from 466 BG
1 from 465 BG
5 from 464 BG
2 from 449 BG
1 from 445 BG
2 from 44 BG
4 from 392 BG
1 from 389 BG
2 from 376 BG
3 from 34 BG
1 from 11 BG.

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Hello here you can find some bomber group action reports for 29 May 1944:
http://www.norfield-publishing.com/4...44/29may44.htm
http://www.450thbg.com/real/s2/1944/may.shtml#Top
http://www.461st.org/Missions/May1944.htm

For the details of the fighter losses, you can go there:
http://www.geocities.com/raf_112_sqd...21943_mto.html

Despite the title, it covers losses between 1941 and 1945 for the USAAF groups based in MTO.

Regards
Laurent

[Evgeny Velichko]

Aha, thx Laurent!

31 FG, P-51:

Brooks, James L, 307FS, 31FG, Claims 1 victory
Brown, Samuel Jesse, 307FS, 31FG, Claims 3 victories (including 1 Me-110)
Daniel, William A, 307FS, 31FG, Claims 2 victories
Dorris, Henry W, 308FS, 31FG, Claims 3.25 victories
Goebel, Robert J, 308FS, 31FG, Claims 1 victory
Greene, Claude E, 308FS, 31FG, Claims 1 victory
Jacobs, James A, 308FS, 31FG, Claims 2 victories
McKean, John A, 308FS, 31FG, Claims 0.25 victory
McLaughlin, Murray D, 309FS, 31FG, Claims 2 victories (including 1 Me-110)
Dustrude, Robert B, 309FS, 31FG, Claims 1 victory (Me-110)
Thompson, Robert D, 309FS, 31FG, Claims 0.25 victory

Lost 2 P-51:
№42-106538, 307FS, Howell, Thomas H Jr - KiA, in area of Wallersdorf, Germany.
№42-103424, 308FS, Mansberger, Ralph - KiA, Plane coded WZ_I. Crashed in area of Winner Neustadt in lower Austria.
№42-106497, 309FS, Leicht, Harold J (Not confirmed), Location, Mi. So. Ille De Porquerolles

4th FS claims were listed by Csaba.

So, only 2 FG claimed victoryes?