Me 110 losses on 7 September 1940 - circumstances

[Franek Grabowski]

John


I am really not sure what sensitive information could be in K Reports. Certainly there was no such information in the Gestapo officer interrogation report, who no doubt was through much more thorough questioning. So it looks like bureaucratic attempt to keep the red tape, rather than anything else. Let's hope they were not dumped. One may wonder whatever else is kept in hiding - I have seen a number of loose documents, which do not appear as sets in TNA.



I assume that 110's tactics changed depending on mission. I have not seen any description on typical battle formations thoough. Getting through the combat reports it looks that I/ZG 2 aircraft patrolled between He 111s and Me 109s, and then formed a Lufberry circle over Thames Est. The formation attacked by No 303 was in vics of five and three, and no doubt there were Me 110s of II/ZG 2. Still not sure if they were masquerading as bombers to attract attention or of they were flying a close escort do Dorniers. Quite confusing.

Re NH, the RAF pilot was Sgt Proctor. There was another 310 pilot attacking it, and it seems two 303 aircraft, so at least seven different pilots took part. Of course unless they were confused as to what they were firing at and what they were seeing. The most evident case I came across was another 310 pilot, who fired at one aircraft, which went down, but then he watched another one, which also crashed.

The tactics for a pure Bf 110 fighter unit would be escort to a bomber formation. The actual formation would, I think, be down to the Staffelkapitän or Staffelführer, particularly as the Battle of Britain progressed and formations would likely be of reduced numbers, unless more than one Staffel formed up together.[/quote]