Curtiss SOC Opponents, Sicily

[JoeB]

Several SOC floatplanes from the US cruisers Brooklyn, Boise, Savannah and Philadelphia were downed, by what they identified as Bf109's, during the invasion of Sicily in July 1943. In several other cases they also evaded such attacks with low speed manuever or running back into range of shipboard AA guns. Despite limited Allied landbased fighter air cover, the ships felt no choice but to continue to send the vulnerable float biplanes on gunfire spotting missions until Boise and Savannah had lost all their planes (4? each, mostly though not all to fighters), plus losses from the other ships.

But, the only likely German claim I can find for that time and place is one for'Seeflzg by Ltn. Wilhelm Esser of Stab/JG 53 at Gela on July 10, another that day by JG 53 is for a 'Ryan'. I assume either there are other German claims and/or other attackers were Italian. Does anyone know all the axis claims against the USN floatplanes at Sicily?

Joe