Most One Sided Luftwaffe Victory over the 8th Air Force

[Rob Romero]

On 29 Apr 44, of 751 ‘Mighty 8th’ bombers taking off for Berlin on Mission 279 (?), 669 were credited with a combat sortie (Could someone provide a compreshensive breakdown of losses –this is what I have:

-64 Bombers Fail to Return (38 B-17s & 26 B-24s)
–apparently 47 were lost to Lufwaffe fighters
–at least 9 were lost to Flak
–8 lost to ???

-355 Bombers Damaged (325 to Flak –apparently 30 to Fighters/Fighters & Flak)
? Category E Damage
? Category D Damage
? Category C Damage
? Category B Damage
? Category A Damage

-14 Fighters Fail to Return (10 P-51s, 3 P-38s, and 1 P-47)
? Category E Damage
? Category D Damage
? Category C Damage
? Category B Damage
? Category A Damage

78 U.S. Aircraft Failed to Return

28 Luftwaffe Aircraft are Lost
-Breakdown?

I quickly counted 128 Luftwaffe claims from my 25 Dec 04 version of Tony Woods Claims List including (201 and 202 from Heinz Bär and –surprise, surprise- No. 274 from my old acquaintance Günther Rall who had just returned from the Ostfront (The controversial Gottfried Dulias & I had breakfast with him the morning after a NASM syposium in 2002).
Though I’m fairly familiar with the major air battles with bombers –Ploesti, the two Schweinfurt battles, Berlin- I haven’t heard much about this raid. Why haven’t their been any in Depth Studies on this almost unknown but remarkeable action? Can anyone elaborate on this fight? What went so wrong for the Allies at this late stage in the war? What did the Jagdwaffe do right?

Thanks,

Rob Romero