Elba attack September 1943

[costiero]

Hi,
I'm looking about German unit, which bomb Portoferraio, on Elba Island (Tuscany) the 16th of Septmber 1943.
People remeber that the aircraft used for attack was Stukas, but I didn't find any Stukas group operating from airfield on Italy (the nearest was StG 101 St.Raphael South of France, Mediterranean Coast).
I suppose that probably they weren't Stukas, but simply people associate German bombers to Stukas.... so I search the KG in Italy in September 1943 and they were:
KG30, KG54, KG76 on Ju88..
Someone could help me about this action? Which unit was involved?
Thanks a lot
Costiero

[costiero]

Hi,
someone has the KG30, KG54, KG76 mission list for september 1943?
Did you heard something about this action?
Thanks

[RudiS]

As for KG54: only Stab & III./KG54 were in Italy in September 1943. The rest was in Germany or Austria. Stab & III./KG54 were located at Foggia. As far as I know they attacked targets in Sicily & Tunesia during that month. I have no info of III./KG54 being involved in attacks on Elba.


Regards,
Rudi.

[Larry deZeng]

There is no detailed unit history for KG 30 or KG 76. Since none of the bombers was lost on the mission, the only source that comes to mind would be the daily reports from the RAF "Y" Service wing operating in the Central Mediterranean. These would include all airborne radio chit-chat from the bombers flying the raid.

L.

[costiero]

Thanks everybody,
I suppose that probably was the KG 30 involved in the operation,because it is based in Viterbo airfield in sep.43, very close to Elba
Someone have the file of y Service?
Costiero

[costiero]

Any news about this mission? No one has a mission list of kg30? Someone have never heard something about that?

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by Larry deZeng

... the only source that comes to mind would be the daily reports from the RAF "Y" Service wing operating in the Central Mediterranean.
L.

I rarely look at material from 1943 but No. 329 Wing was the relevant RAF "Y" unit through to the end of 1944, when it returned to the UK. I am really only familiar with the records of its successor, No. 276 Wing.

I've just taken a look at the National Archives index and there is this (on microfilm) that may help: AIR 51/293 "No 329 Wing: reports and returns 01/11/1943 - 29/02/1944". The problem with these reels is that the item you find in the index may turn out to be one page or a hundred - no way to tell until you look.

On paper there is: AIR 40/2253 "R.A.F. Wireless Intelligence Service, French North Africa (Wing 329): periodical reports" (July-December 1943). The Wing's Operations Record Book for the same period is AIR 26/436 but it is doubtful if that would give much detail.

[Larry deZeng]

Supplementing Nick's information:

I have a photocopy of 329 Wing's daily "Y" reports for 30 June to 18 August 1943. It's a mixed bag in that for some days it seems to be fairly good but for some days not. IIRC, it was reasonably good for long-range recce and weather aircraft activity and unit identifications, less so for transports, bombers, fighters and ground attack. For example, the 329 Wing Daily Summary of Enemy Air Activity for Period 17/8/43 only gives the following under Para. 2. Long Range Bombers:

4 bomber units combined in a raid on Biserta in the evening. At least 23 aircraft were identified. II/KG 77 based a Piacenza, using Ciampino as an advanced landing ground, contributed 9 aircraft, the remainder coming from I and III/KG 30 and I/LG 1 based at Viterbo. There was one possible casualty of III/KG 30.

Under Para. 3. Fighters and Ground Attack, there are three paragraphs of activity description from the Rome area south to Sicily and including Sardinia. Not a single unit or Lw. airfield is identified. The narrative is very broad and general in content.

L.

[costiero]

Thanks a lot, do you know if exists a KTB of Luftflotte II with aircraft daily actions?
Thanks

[Larry deZeng]

No Luftflotte 2 KTBs or Anlagen for that time period (September 1943) survived that I have ever heard of. If they existed, we would have seen mention of them as sources by now.

I am really surprised you didn't find anything in the HW material. Luftwaffe activity in the Bastia - Elba - Grosseto area was intense during the second half of September and the Allies were very much focused on it. I know with certainty that there are ops orders, activity reports and after action reports for II. Fliegerkorps and Lufttransportführer Mittelmeer in the daily HW 5 folders for many of the days of September 1943. So I still think you should check those from 15 to 30 September. Many intercepts were not decrypted until a week or two later.

L.