Details of three JG76 Bf 109s that were lost during Market Garden

[John Manrho]

Losses of I./JG 76 during Market Garden are not recorded on NVM's or they are lost. This means that we must reconstruct the losses from several different sources. Luckily there are some Überfälligkeitsmeldungen that help us with some of the Werknummer.

For 27/9/44 we know that I./JG 76 reported personnel losses (5 MIA and 1 WIA) and material losses (1x totalverlust 100%, 5x MIA and 1x damaged). This means, if none of the MIA returned to the unit we have at least 6 total losses. However, I found only three names of KIA/MIA pilots; Uffz. Emil Frech, Ofw. Franz-Josef Bernauer (fate finally resolved in 1997) and Hptm. Heinz Dziarnowski (MIA). So the two other "MIA" pilots may have returned to the unit in the days after 27/9/44. Only the a/c of Bernauer/Dziarnowski are known by werknummer.

Now my questions; who recovered the Bf 109? ARGA? An why do you think this is a Bf 109 from JG 76???

Cheers,

John