LW losses night 19/20th September 1944 - attack to Eindhoven?

[Nick Beale]

The German-language of the Luftflotte 3 diary for September 1944 is available on the Canadiana Héritage website as reel T-2417, starting at frame 300. The section I quoted is at frame 439.

[Adriano Baumgartner]

NICK, my gratitude for sharing the link of this INCREDIBLE document with me and probably others who did not know it.

It is a "helluva" of a document. Am really astonished and happy to read it.

Again, my most sincere GRATITUDE for sharing this.

[John Manrho]

A better copy (scan direct from original) is available at Freiburg through Invenio. Signatur RL 7-3/580

[Adriano Baumgartner]

John, thank you. Am still learning how to use INVENIO. Am a slow and low student yet...but so far I have found it rather not too friendly, but efficient though. I shall have a careful look at what you suggest. My gratitude for that.

[Nick Beale]

Yes, thanks John, even if finally having a copy that’s easy to read almost feels like cheating!

[Marcel van Heijkop]

Originally Posted by Adriano Baumgartner

Good morning for all.

Am just reading "The Road to Arnhem" by Donald R. Burgett, who mentions that on the night of 19th/20th September 1944, the LW launched an attack on Eindhoven with some 100+ machines, which the author mentions as being JKu 87 and Ju 88.

Between pgs.82-83, the author do mention that a FLARE stuck to the bomb-bay of one of the bombers, who was pursued by Allied anti-aircraft fire and searchlights, but the bomber managed to escape.

I am aware of the units invovled thanks to this previous post at Toch down here:

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showth...ndhoven&page=2

My question, therefore is to know IF, there is the record for a DAMAGED machine that matches this report or remembrance of Donald R. Burgett?

It may have been a "Pathfinder" unit, so probably KG 66.

Is there the record of a damaged Ju 88 S or T that returned back with the ignited Flare on the belly or whose crew had to bail out due to the fire on their belly? This surely would be the machine described by the Parachute (Screaming Eagle) veteran on his memories.

According to Burgett, the LW achieved a real victory that night, bombing several British vehicles on the town.

Adriano

Hi Adriano,

This must be your lucky day Yes there is a record, the story is completely true! As told to me by the pilot in question himself and recorded in his Flugbuch: Having taken off from Fliegerhorst Dedelstorf at 19:20 hrs, Fw. Harry Wende (FF) , Uffz. Paul Trunt (BO) and Uffz. Heinz Lunow (BF) were flying in Ju 88 S-3 Z6+HL of 3./KG66 above Eindhoven when their aircraft was hit in the bomb bay by FLAK (i.e. Allied AAA). One of the LC50 Leuchtbomben (sky marker flares) ignited, but because it was stuck, the crew was not able to jettison it and the LC50 started to burn through the fuselage structure. "Burning like a comet" (quote Harry Wende) they barely made it to Münster-Handorf, where the inevitable crash landing followed at 21:25 hrs. According to Fw. Wende, when one of the groundcrews at Münster-Handorf later inspected the airframe, he almost fainted: The fire had almost completely consumed the frames..

Hope this helps,

Marcel

PS The Besatzung Wende survived the war

[Adriano Baumgartner]

Marcel,

I was 100% sure that YOU would match this one....since from what I had read, the Ju 88 could only be from KG 66.

Do you want me to send you the full relevant passage? There are more on the text of the 101st Airborne Division memories that is interesting. I quoted only 2-3 sentences...

Maybe this will be useful for you. THANK YOU immensely Marcel, for matching 100% the story I read onto this book. Just finished it last weekend. So now, thanks to you, we do know what really happened and how lucky the Feldwebel Wende's crew were!!!!! Since ALL the AAA in town was trying to hit and shot him down!

I shall send you the full text, ok?

Adriano

[Marcel van Heijkop]

Originally Posted by Adriano Baumgartner

Marcel,

I was 100% sure that YOU would match this one....since from what I had read, the Ju 88 could only be from KG 66.

Do you want me to send you the full relevant passage? There are more on the text of the 101st Airborne Division memories that is interesting. I quoted only 2-3 sentences...

Maybe this will be useful for you. THANK YOU immensely Marcel, for matching 100% the story I read onto this book. Just finished it last weekend. So now, thanks to you, we do know what really happened and how lucky the Feldwebel Wende's crew were!!!!! Since ALL the AAA in town was trying to hit and shot him down!

I shall send you the full text, ok?

Adriano

Hi Adriano,

Yes, please do! It would be wonderful to show both sides of the conflict.

Thanks in advance,

Marcel

[Marcel van Heijkop]

Addition:

I./KG66 had a second close shave on the Eindhoven raid that night: Ju 88 S-3 Z6+CL of the Besatzung Lieske also barely made a crash landing at Dedelstorf after suffering from an engine fire in flight. (Don't know yet how far they got into the mission.)

A few weeks ago a photo series showing the recovery ("Bergung") of this aircraft was sold at Ebay: https://www.ebay.nl/itm/125490362528...&segname=11010

PS If anybody bought this set (or knows who bought it), please send me a PM.

Regards,

Marcel

[Adriano Baumgartner]

Hello Marcel.

I shall do that Marcel + the full image when scanned, be sure of that.

At 756 Euros for the set, the new owner must be a millionaire amongst us....I thought of you when I saw those "Polka Dots Ju 88 S" images selling...Maybe the new owner give you a hand and help in the futur.

Is it know if the fire in the engine was due to enemy AAA fire or malfunction of the engine, poor-handling, etc.? They were very lucky indeed as well as the first crew you mentioned, who got a flare hunging up on the bomb-bay, litting all the sky up and being chased by ALL the AAA fire on town....

I shall return to you very soon. Thank you again for matching those facts and wish you all the luck and success you deserve onto KG66's History. We are surely awaiting the release of this work.

Adriano