1943 NJG call signs

[Dennis Peschier]

In AIR22/499 I found a few intercepted Luftwaffe D/F fixes.
One aircraft with call sign CFB received 3;
19.59 N5245 E0520 EL-9 (converted to LW grid with the LUMA exell file)
20.07 N5320 E0540 CM-5
20.12 N5230 E0510 KL-8
The last one is the most interesting because on 20.15 Hptm Meurer of St.I./NJG.1 claimed Halifax JB321 in Grid KL-5.
I was wondering if CFB is Meurders He219 especially because FB could be the last part of the fuselage code of a St.I./NJG.1 aircraft. G9+FB.

Is there anyone who knows what the fuselage code of Meurders aircraft was that night?

Who knows more?

Dennis

[RodM]

Hi Dennis,

although I can't comment on the callsign, by my reckoning:

52 45 N, 05 20 E = approx EL 8-9/FL 2-3
52 30 N, 05 10 E = approx FL 7/GL 1

Therefore, the last fix is some 95-100 kms from KL 5.

Also, if the fixes are for one aircraft and are to be taken at face value, then between 20.07 - 20.12 (5 minutes), the aircraft in question covered a distance of 98.5 km (i.e. a ground speed of 1,182 kmph!). Obviously this doesn't account for varying delays in working out and transmitting fixes.

Cheers

Rod

[Nick Beale]

There are many examples of three-letter call signs in National Archives AIR26/380 – /382. These are the operations Record Books of No. 276 Wing, monitoring signals traffic in the MTO.

These call signs do not seem to relate to the tactical markings of the aircraft, or not in any way that's obvious to me.

[Dennis Peschier]

Hello Rod,
Has anyone ever asked former nagdjagd aircrew if these codes were completely random or that they had some relation to the user?

Hello Nick,
This file also contained 4-letter codes; 5CFH & SNQJ, do 4-letter codes appear in other files as well? Or are the 5C+FH and SN+QJ?

I've included a map with the plots. Time = BST
Air activity summary for 24 hours ending 0600 hrs BST 4/11/43

Thank you both

[RodM]

Originally Posted by Dennis Peschier

Hello Rod,
Has anyone ever asked former nagdjagd aircrew if these codes were completely random or that they had some relation to the user?

Hi Dennis,

I'm not so familar with the codes used prior to 1944, by which time a Gruppe callsign and tactical number were used after the introduction of Zahme Sau (i.e. ADLER 10, DROMEDAR 59, etc).

Another aspect of identifying the codes used is confirming what the communications relate to, as different callsigns could be used for different types of communications. For example, there would be a callsign used for the tactical control of a night fighter, but, to the best of my knowledge, the same night fighter would use a different callsign (a four-letter code, i.e. the Stammkennzeichen) when asking for homing from the D/F stations thoughout Germany.

In the case of close control of aircraft within a Stellung, my understanding is that the callsigns were specific to the Stellung and not the aircraft. If a night fighter was assigned to work under the control of a specific Stellung/"box", the aircraft assumed one of several callsigns used by the Stellung/"box".

Cheers

Rod

[Marcel Hogenhuis]

Hello Dennis,

Knowing a bit about Venlo airfield, the I./NJG 1, Manfred Meurer and He219's, it still does not make sense that 1 aircraft is 19.59 northeast of Enkhuizen, then going north to be at 20.07 south of Ameland and then turning south to appear only 5 minutes later near... Volendam. I agree with Rod that this would be the most unknown and spectacular fast freelance nightfighting mission ever.

There is a small chance that Meurer flew that night with a He219 callsign G9+FB because the I./NJG 1 had only a limited number of He219's available that time.

All the best, Marcel