Seeking Night-Fighters losses on 14/15 April 1943 - Stuttgart Raid

[Jérémie Tarpon]

Good evening Adriano,

Actually, there are two German losses associated with the Stuttgart operation:
a Bf 110 from 7./NJG 4 hit by a bomber near Juvincourt: aircraft undamaged, Uffz Erwin Hof (Bf) wounded;
Bf 110 F-4 WNr 4744 from 11./NJG 4 that crash-landed near Mainz-Finthen airfield after having been damaged in combat, crew Hptm Karl Floitgraf / Fw Kessel both wounded.
The other losses were either non operational or due to accidents, in particular the Bf 110 G-4 of Lt Wolfgang Kuthe (killed) from 11./NJG 1.

Regarding the Luftwaffe claims, Stig is right about NJG 2. For NJG 101, some German documents (Anerkannte Abschüsse des XII. Fliegerkorps[BA-MA(RL 8/90)] and KTB Jagdfliegerführer Süddeutschland Jan – May 43[BA-MA(RL 8/211)]) mention two victories by Maj Helmut Peters and Lt Kohrt flying a Bf 110 of Stab III./NJG 101:
the first one is a Stirling shot down at 0043 near Großbottwar (it is most probably Stirling 7/G BK769);
as far as the second is concerned (a Wellington attacked between 0134 and 0139), Jagdfliegerführer Süddeutschland was convinced it was 428/F HE176 that finally crashed at 0212 near Plattenhof (having read the reports made by the survivors, I am not so convinced!).

Finally, according to the statements of the crew that bailed out over Switzerland, it seems probable that their Wellington 431/X was attacked in the IV./NJG 4 area, possibly by Hptm Floitgraf, but several bombers have reported damaged night-fighters and it is difficult to conclude.

Best wishes,

Jérémie