Luftwaffe GQM loss list experiences

[Boris Ciglic]

"Perhaps I should have asked if you have converted the lists to a data format. If you have not, then your probability of "losing" a particular a/c and date are greatly increased. I have spent many hour decipering some of the really poor quality images for some of the lists, it is really easy to miss things. Note that Jim P and I both came up with some of your missing a/c very quickly. My spread sheet is only for certain types, primarily Ju 88 (with a lot of help from Jim P and others), Jim P has a real data base with everything. It take a lot of effort to do it, but in the end, it really helps."

No I didn't do it for the whole butch. Actually I was looking only for aircraft lost over Yugoslavia or with Croat Legion aircrews and I have it in Excel. I didn't have the microfiche reader at home and had to go to local archive. Theirs didnt work so I had to cut every row of these beautifull microfiche into small long strip and read it through ordinary Microfilm reader! I can only say that it was very very painful experience!!! Transfering it all would take months if not years and anyway, I have limited my WW 2 aviation interests long ago (when I realized that I cannot follow it all).

"Do 17Z, 2575, Hertel, Uffz. Georg, , 8., KG 3, , 5K+GS, , , 06-Apr-41, WIA due to enemy fire., , Yugoslavia, Gen.Qu.6.Abt. (mfm #3)-Vol.4, , Belgrad, b, F"

Well, I thought this could be "my" Do 17Z, but Mr. Ulf Balke informed me that this aircraft returned to base and that Georg Hartel went to Wiener Neustadt hospital for treatment.

"I checked none of these losses are with the "schulen" list
sure of the dates ??, maybe we could try with wn..."

Absolutely positive about the dates, but have no wn's. Its not the question about these particular aircraft, these are only examples. I have many more of them from secondary German sources but not included in major lists. There is another very good example:
On 31.12.41. Do 17Z of 15.(Kroat.)/KG 53 crash landed in middle of nowhere on Moscow Front after being hit by flak. Kriegsberichter Gerhard Rauchwetter was in the crew and took several photos of the event, he even published a story about it. Croat pilot gave his story to the journalists back home. After finding a cottage few kilometers away, they went in western direction the following morning and later came upon Wehrmacht. What happened with their aircraft I dont know, but both said that they had a very rough landing and that it filled with snow as the front windshield broke on impact with the ground. So again no chance of less than 10% damage (and keeping in mind the weather in this part of the world in January 1941, I believe it was never recovered as it was abandoned in the part of the front which was overrun by Soviet troops in February).
PS I just hope I wont be embarrased again with somebodys find of this plane in the list