Combat Western France 13 Feb 44

[Chris Goss]

2 Ju 88C-6s of 1./ZG 1 flown by Lt Knud Gmelin and Fw Heinz Hommel got airborne from Lorient at 1625hrs on this date to carry out an invasion reconnaissance. They reported having an inconclusive combat with "4 x Mustangs" and landed without incident back at Lorient at 1848hrs. Any ideas as to who they met?

[Buckeye30]

Chris. If they were P-51s must have been 357th as the other 4 Groups operating were P-47s (they made the claims); 43 Mustangs swept the Dieppe-Abbeville area but don't seem to have reported any e/a. This was FO 242 and 1 P-51 came down in the sea.



Nick

[Chris Goss]

Thanks Nick but they were operating west of Brittany which doesn't match. Also aircraft identification was never 100%

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Prime suspects for me will be RAF Mustang I flying recon over Britanny, but I found no proof for that. No RAF claim and nothing in the book "Raids aériens sur la Bretagne". Also nothing in the ORB of RAF Mustang squadrons. Most reported for this day that all flying was cancelled due to bad weather, and the only squadron reporting ops (400 or 414 Sqn) flew recon to Amiens and Sancerre, not over Britanny.

[Chris Goss]

Thanks Laurent. I know that Typhoons were active and four aircraft might support this?