K. Buhlingen Abschuss List

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Apparently RAF Spitfires suffered no loss and made no claim on 14 Feb 1943 over Tunisia, and probably did not engage the enemy.

As for 31st FG, they flew ten missions during the day but suffered only one loss, in the morning. 4./JG 2 claimed 3 Spitfires at 0821-0825 hrs, 1 by Bühligen and 2 by Lt Lothar Werner. They probably shot down 1 Spitfire and 1 P-39.

According to Shroes MAW 3, 4./JG 2 engaged in late morning 5 French P-40 of GC II/5 and 10 US Spitfires of 31st FG escorting A-20s. German pilots claimed 6 Spitfires (2 by Bühligen) but actually only one P-40 was hit and damaged, but managed to return to base safely.

The last two Spitfires claims of the day, at 1618-1621 hrs (1 by Bühligen) can only be linked to the loss of a P-39 about this time, but his loss was attributed to Flak.

The book "Fw 190 in North Africa" has roughly the same, except the hour loss of the Spitfire was apparently not yet known, and an additional comment that both late claims of JG 2 were far away from where the P-39 was lost.

So 11 claims for 1 or 2 victories for JG 2 this day. It is still better than the next day when JG 2 pilots claimed 10 P-38 and 3 Spitfire and apparenly shot down nothing.

I don't know if there is a link, but also on 15 February Kairouan airfield was heavily bombed and the PC of II./JG 2 here was destroyed by a bomb. I wonder if this did not create an administrative problem and contributed to the overclaims by the pilots of the unit.