new research - readiness state, losses and logistics

[RodM]

Hi Andreas,

even ULTRA provides a clue to the wealth of detailed information that was lost. Many detailed daily returns can be found in HW 5 relating to various units whereby the strength and operational serviceability/readiness in aircraft and aircrews is given. These returns also list, by WN, new aircraft taken on-strength, aircraft off-strength, and aircraft unserviceable.

For I. and III./NJG4, for example, it is possible to build up a daily picture of operational serviceability, and this indicates, among other things, that many instances of damage to aircraft that could be repaired on-base were simply never reported in the surviving Gen.Qu. returns. Also indicative are the vaious causes of unserviceability due to various mechnical faults or problems with electronic/radio equipment, which at times could lead to an aircraft being unserviceable for a long period of time.

Although I don't have the specific details in front of me, I clearly remember a signal from the likes of a JD to a JG unit in 1945 complaining that the last return was not accepted because of numerical discrepancies and the lack of detail provided by the JG on unserviceable aircraft.

Cheers

Rod