Help with Tunisian grid reference please

[Andy Fletcher]

Originally Posted by Nokose

Hs129 Panzerjaeger by Martin Pegg has the loss on the 27Dec42 with that W.nr with that grid but has the 4 staffel. The text has the unit as 5./Sch.G 1 for Oswald. It changed to 8.(Pz)/Sch.G 2 in Jan43. The Hs-129b-2's were from the Henschel factory that the unit picked up in Oct42 before going to Africa.

According to the Flugzeugbestand und Bewegungsmeldungen for 8.(Pz)/Sch.G. 2 it was formed in Dec42, maybe the official re-designation didn't "catch" up with the unit until Jan43.

http://www.ww2.dk/oob/bestand/schlacht/b8schg2.html

http://www.ww2.dk/oob/bestand/schlacht/biischg1.html

Either way be it 5./Sch.G. 1 or 8.(Pz)/Sch.G. 2 it certainly wasn't 4.(Pz)/Sch.G. 1 as this unit was definitely on the southern sector of the Eastern Front at this time.

Best Regards

Andy Fletcher

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by Ben...

Hi

did the ground forces use a seperate code and could the Hs 129's be using this code because of their ground attack role?

Quite possibly. The grid used by NSG 9 in Italy was different from that used by the fighters and I think somewhere I have seen an Allied reference to a "bomber grid."

It would make sense to use the same grid as the ground forces if you were supporting them - not that things always make sense, of course.

[Andreas Brekken]

Hi.

Time to conclude I feel. Have gone through the 20 odd losses sustained by Schl.G.1 during December 1942, I cannot find any evidence that the unit lost aircraft in the Mediterrenean during this month. All losses (except a couple of Ju 87's that are erronously registered as being Schl.G.1 and later corrected to St.G.3) are filed under the command structure of Luftflotte 4 and Luftwaffenkommando Don, both commanding units on the eastern front. Also, all the aircraft losses that are connected to a named location are eastern front.

So, I do not believe until other information can prove this to be wrong that the original question asked by Ben has anything to do with the North African area of operations, and in that context the Pl.Qu. is valid, and as mentioned earlier in the thread located in the area the unit operated on the eastern front at the time.

If this Oswald was the pilot of the aircraft mentioned for Dec 27th 1942, he went down in the east and not in Africa.

Regards,
Andreas B

[Andrew Arthy]

Hi,

On 27 December 1942 5./S.G. 1 flew an armed reconnaissance mission with eight Hs 129s to the area 25 km south-west of Pont du Fahs in Tunisia. Five vehicles were destroyed by the Hs 129s, and many more were damaged.

The Staffelkapitaen, Oblt. Oswald, was shot down on a Stausee (resorvoir) 20 km south-west of Pont du Fahs.

Search missions were sent out on the 27th for Oblt. Oswald, but had no luck that day.

Oblt. Oswald returned to his unit with friendly troops on 28 December 1942.

5./S.G. 1 was soon to become 8./S.G. 2, but in December 1942 the Staffel was still being referred to as 5./S.G. 1.

Source: BA-MA RL 7/31, pp.97 & 105

Cheers,
Andrew A.