Battle of Leros Island, November 14, 1943

[sergey]

Colleagues.
I found information on the website that on November 14, 1943, near Leros Island in the Aegean Sea, German fighters intercepted a group of nine Beaufighters from the 46th and 227th Squadrons and shot down two of them.
https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/239149
Help me find out how many German fighters participated in the battle, whether they suffered losses, and whether the British shot down any He-111s.

sergey

[Chris Goss]

From my book:


At 1135 hrs on 14 November 1943, four Beaufighters of 46 Squadron, Flight Lieutenant David Crerar and Pilot Officer L. Charles in JL913, Flying Officer B.F. Wild and Flight Sergeant R.W. Gibbon in JL898, Flying Officer Joe Horsfall and Flight Sergeant Jim Colley in JM248 and Warrant Officer Ron Lindsey and Flight Sergeant Alfred Gardner in JL894 lifted off from Laketamia together with four aircraft from 227 Squadron to carry out a strike against the island of Leros. When they were 10 miles east of the island, they spotted a Heinkel 111 four miles away and flying at 50 feet. This was a Heinkel He 111 H-11, Werk Nummer 8011 coded 6N+EP of Einsatzstaffel/Kampfgeschwader 100 flown by Unteroffizier Walter Pink. David Crerar gave chase, closed to 100 yds and opened fire scoring hits after which Flying Officer Wild fired a five second burst and three second later the He 111 ditched. Pink, his observer Feldwebel Kurt Bruder and radio operator Feldwebel Johann Sunnenschein were rescued suffering varying degrees of injury but Gefreiter Helmut Grundke, the flight engineer, was killed. Bombing attacks were in progress on the island after which the Beaufighters were instructed to return to base. It was then that six Messerschmitt 109s were spotted approaching from Leros. The Beaufighters dropped their bombs and tried to escape. However, the Beaufighter flown by Ron Lindsey was attacked by former Battle of Britain fighter pilot Hauptmann Ernst Düllberg of Stab III/Jagdgeschwader 27 after which the Beaufighter made a vertical climb, half rolled and at 1335 hrs it dived steeply into the sea exploding on impact-it was Düllberg's 22nd kill of the war, his first having been a Blenheim of 114 Squadron on 1 August 1940. All that was seen afterwards of the Beaufighter and its crew were fuel tanks on the sea. The Beaufighters now scattered and headed for Turkey but the German fighters gave chase. Joe Horsfall was not seen and was called up but nothing was heard as he had already been shot down by Oberfähnrich Alexander Ottnad of 8 Staffel/Jagdgeschwader 27 at 1336 hrs, Ottnad's third kill of the war. The surviving 46 Squadron aircraft landed at 1700 hrs. Düllberg would survive the war having been awarded the Knights Cross in July 1944 and having shot down a total of 45 aircraft. Ottnad would be taken prisoner over Normandy on 18 August 1944 by which time he had shot down 14 aircraft.


I have a photo of the He 111 being attacked and no Bf 109s were lost

[sergey]

Thank you.

[AndyMa]

Not completely relevant, but for info the two 46 Sqn Beaufighters lost were:
JL894 (Lindsey)
JM248 (Horsfall)

[Jim Oxley]

What book would that be Chris?

[Chris Goss]

Combat over the Mediterranean