Luftflotte 4 losses Apr.-Jun.1943: a comparison of the different data

[Andrey Kuznetsov]

Another case

I./StG3
April 1943:
According to GQM returns, 11 losses (damages 50-100%) and 4 moderate damaged (15–20%)
According to Flugzeugbestand und Bewegungsmeldungen: 12 due to enemy and 5 without enemy action.
So 2-6 planes are absent in GQM returns.

One of them probably Ju87 crashed during combat mission 4.Apr.43. According to German army reports, one of Ju87 crashed (abgestürzt) between Krymskaja and Moldawanskaja (Taman bridgehead) after an abandoned (due to bad visibility) bombing of Soviet positions. The loss in question is absent in GQM returns.
It isn’t clear whether the plane was hit by Soviet AA fire or not.

As I./StG3 was the sole Stuka group operated on Kuban on 4.Apr.43, the crashed plane was from that group undoubtedly

May 1943:
GQM returns: 5 losses (90-100%) and 2 damaged Ju87 (15-30%)
Flugzeugbestand und Bewegungsmeldungen: 2 due to enemy and 7 without enemy action
So 2-4 planes are absent in GQM returns.

June 1943:
GQM returns: 3 losses (100%) and 3 damaged Ju87 (15-40%)
Flugzeugbestand und Bewegungsmeldungen: 1 due to enemy and 3 without enemy action
It is probably correct if 15% and 30% damages were repaired within the unit.

As in the previous case (with close recce units), maybe 10-days strength reports can help.