K. Buhlingen Abschuss List

[Johannes]

Hi Micheal

Fesselballon were counted as "Kills", I guess they are a type of aircraft, but as unable to manoeuvre I did not include them in their lists. In 1945 tanks were counted as "kills", and obviously they don't even just float. I think Miethig and Beisswenger had Fesselballon claims.

Kind Regards

Johannes

[knusel]

...Oesau, too (15Aug1940).

Cheers,

Michael

[Mark R.]

There were a total of one USAAF Spitfire loss, one A-20B loss, and three P-39 losses on 14 Feb 43. One of the Airacobras crashed at home base while landing with battle damage following an aerial engagement with German fighters. The other P-39s were lost to flak. See below:

2/14/1943 10 mi SW of Fondouk 0730 - 0850 309 FS/31st FG Spit Vc Capt Richard L. Bisgard (s/d and returned)

Source(s): Kucera, p. 57 and 31st FG Msn Rpt 140950Z Feb 43. Box 2270, RG 18. Likely victors are Oblt Kurt Buhligen or one of three other pilots.

2/14/1943 vic Thelepte 0750 - 0830 81st FG/91st FS P-39D Lt Charles E. Schanck (KIA while crashlanding damaged a/c)

Source(s): War Diary and History, 81st FG, p. 31. Pilot died when aircraft crash landed at home airfield. Likely victors are Oblt Kurt Buhligen or one of three other FW-190 pilots. Misidentified as Spitfire. See Tony Wood.


2/14/1943 NW of El Hamma 0840 - 0930 81st FG/91st FS P-39D Capt James H. Hillin (POW)

Source(s): Hit by flak. See 12th AF Daily Intell Rpt No. 97, 15 Feb 43, AIR 23/6609; History and War Diary, 81st FG, p. 31 and http://raf-112-squadron.org/81stfghonor_roll.html. Bellylanded.


2/14/1943 vic Thelepte 1545 - 1600 85th BS/47th BG A-20B Lt Averette A. Hinson (KIA) + 3 KIA

Source(s): 85th BS Outline History, Part 2, p. 3. Aircraft exploded over Thelepte as it attempted to land. It had been damaged by flak while bombing enemy tanks near Sidi Bou Zid.


2/14/1943 S. of Faid 1510 -1600 81st FG/91st FS P-39D 2Lt Wesley G. Bedrick (POW)

Source(s): Hit by flak during strafing run. War Diary and History of 81st FG, p. 31, Kucera, p. 56, and http://raf-112-squadron.org/81stfghonor_roll.html. Flew with Col Klocko and two other pilots from 91st FS. Originally assigned to 93d FS.

[knusel]

Hello Mark,

OK, but Bühligen claimed for Spitfires on that day didn't he?

Cheers,

Michael

[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.

[knusel]

Yes, that's a rather poor percentage.

43 confirmed (though not verified) kills in the Fw 190 make him the top scorer of that aircraft in the MTO by some margin, correct?

[Mark R.]

Regards 14 Feb 43 claims. Here are the USAAF fighter losses (and causes) for that date:

2/14/1943 10 mi SW of Fondouk 0730 - 0850 309 FS/31st FG Spit Vc Capt Richard L. Bisgard (s/d and returned - picked up by CCB, 1AD) VICTOR: 4/JG 2 SOURCE: Kucera, p. 57 and 31st FG Msn Rpt 140950Z Feb 43. Box 2270, RG 18. Likely victors are Oblt Kurt Buhligen or Ltn Lothar Werner. Germans claimed 3 kills. See Tony Wood. See also Arthey, p. 161.

2/14/1943 vic Thelepte 0750 - 0830 81st FG/91st FS P-39D Lt Charles E. Schanck (KIA while crashlanding damaged a/c) 4/JG 2 War Diary and History, 81st FG, p. 31. Pilot died when aircraft crash landed at home airfield. Likely victors are Oblt Kurt Buhligen or Ltn Lothar Werner. Misidentified as Spitfire. See Tony Wood.

2/14/1943 NW of El Hamma 0840 - 0930 81st FG/91st FS P-39D Capt James H. Hillin (POW) flak 12th AF Daily Intell Rpt No. 97, 15 Feb 43, AIR 23/6609; History and War Diary, 81st FG, p. 31 and http://raf-112-squadron.org/81stfghonor_roll.html. Bellylanded.

2/14/1943 S. of Faid 1510 -1600 81st FG/91st FS P-39D 2Lt Wesley G. Bedrick (POW) flak FOT, p. 204; War Diary and History of 81st FG, p. 31, and Kucera, p. 56 and http://raf-112-squadron.org/81stfghonor_roll.html. Flew with Col Klocko and two other pilots from 91st FS. Originally assigned to 93d FS.

[knusel]

These are claims over Africa.
Kurt Bühligen was credited with more kills in the Fw 190 over Africa than any other ace, wasn't he ?