Uffz Sawallisch JG 27

[Rob Romero]

Just found this old post;

For 7 August 1942, Shores & Ring comments a report by the famous “Vögl Schwarm” of a combat with Hurricanes whereby Bendert claimed to have damaged a Hurricane: “It has not been possible to find [this combat] in any British sources.” (My translation from the German edition.)

However, if you go here:

http://www.rifty.fsnet.co.uk/saaf/aircraft.htm

. . . you will see that there indeed was an Allied air unit fighting the Vögl Schwarm, namely 1 SAAF Sqn, and the Hurricane reportedly damaged by Bendert probably was the Hurricane MkII Ser no 227, piloted by Ray Connell of 1 Sqn SAAF. The source referred to is Ray Connell’s logbook.

I found this only by pure coincidence. I have never attempted to check the list of losses mentioned Shores’s book (“Fighters over North Africa”.)

If Shores couldn’t find this combat, we cannot be certain that he hasn’t missed other combats and other losses as well.

That said, I find Shores’s book absolutely fantastic. Of course no book is without even the slightest mistake, and only a fool would expect a book to be 100 % perfect. All I say is that we should not take for granted that Shores’s book contains exactly all Allied losses. Christopher Shores probably would agree with me.


All best,

Christer Bergström

Enjoy,

Rob

[Franek Grabowski]

Well, Christopher Shores is well awared of deficiencies of his book (well, there were co-authors as well), but obviously there cannot be so many omissions to completely distort the general view.
I am afraid it is another sample of proving a politically biased thesis at all cost.

[Nokose]

I've become curious about the 3 Verified claims mentioned at the first of this thread for Erwin Sawllisch. Where they in the west? Besides the two I-153's claimed over Leningrad that were possibly the ones lost from 71IAP KBF there might be another. It seems that Erwin Sawallisch shot down a MiG-3 over Kishinev on 15Jul41. St. Lt. Alexander Pokryshkin of 55IAP crashed his MiG-3 approx. 50 km west of that location in the swamp in Grozeshti (see BOOK post for Denes Bernard's "From Barbarossa to Odessa). Possible?

[Leo Etgen]

Hello Nokose

Wood's files list six victories in the west for Feldwebel Erwin Sawallisch with 4./JG 77 through 1939-1940. These were:

1. 30 October 1939 Blenheim 15:23 NE Helgoland
2. 14 December 1939 Wellington 15:28 N Wangerooge
3. 14 December 1939 Wellington 15:30 N Wangerooge
4. 30 April 1940 Wellington 20:50 SW Stavanger
5. 13 June 1940 Skua 2:10 Trondheim
6. 8 September 1940 Hudson 19:45 Bergen

I hope that this helps.

Horrido!

Leo

[Nokose]

Leo, Thanks for that information. I checked in the "Fledgling Eagles" by Christopher Shores and found the following for Fw. Erwin Sawallisch II/JG77.
30Oct39 Blenheim IV (N6234) Plt Off W.G. McCracken 139 Sqdn
14Dec39 two Wellingtons 99 Sqdn
30Apr40 Wellington 37 Sqdn
13Jun40 Skua 800 or 803 Sqdn
08Sep40 Hudson (N7268) 224 Sqdn

It also had that he had 3 victories from the Civil War in Spain.

[Leo Etgen]

Hello Nokose

Indeed, Jim Perry's Spanish Civil War victory claims list has Unteroffizier Sawallisch credited with the following victories:

1. 13 November 1936 J 88 Curtiss
2. 12 December 1936 4./J 88 SB-2
3. 4 January 1937 4./J 88 Curtiss

I hope that you find this information useful.

Horrido!

Leo

[Russell]

Christer is correct re the 1 SAAF fight. I am sure I have found from the Operational and Intelligence records, which Chris didnt have access to in 1967 or so, that 4 Staffel had an encounter with the RAF on all the days the experte schwarm made dubious claims, but beoynd damaging some aircraft I dont believe they shot anything down.

Regards

Russell

[Tundra]

Source: http://www.armyairforces.com/forum/m_134140/tm.htm


Source Kittyhawks over the Sands, Micheal Lavigne, ISBN, 2-9806879-1-x, page 80.
Not a word for word Quote, but it reveals wishful writing, but I would still like to know the serial number of his plane..

six P-40s of the 57FG and 12, 260 Sqdn. RAF ( Kittyhawks ) escorted Baltimores and 11 Bostons to bomb El Fuka airport. When the formation was attacked by ten Bf-109s, of II/JG-27 and four from III/JG-53, the P-40s turned into the attack and Lt. William O'Neil fought 5 by himself, claimed ( unfounded) to have shot down two Bf-109s before being shot down bailing out of his burning plane. He was rescued later in the sea. O'Neill was from the 65FS and flying as a wingman with section Leader Ron Cundy, RAF 260 Sqdn . The bombers were SAAF . His claims weren't allowed as the Me 109 units, lost no planes in that combat.


German claims 14 Aug 1942

14. August 1942

Fliegerführer Afrika
14.08.42 Ofw. Erwin Sawallisch: 29 4./JG 27 Curtiss P-40

2 km. N. Fûka: 2.000 m. 06.15 Film C. 2031/II Anerk: Nr.283

14.08.42 Ofw. Erwin Sawallisch: 30 4./JG 27 Curtiss P-40 südl. Ras-el-Maquiran: 20 m. 06.15 Film C. 2031/II Anerk: Nr.284

14.08.42 Oblt. Rudolf Sinner: 24 6./JG 27 Curtiss P-46 5 km. N.W. El-Alamein: 2.000 m. 06.30 Film C. 2031/II Anerk: Nr.90

14.08.42 Ofw. Herbert Krenz: 12 6./JG 27 Curtiss P-40 nördl. El-Hammam 06.25 Film C. 2036/II Anerk: Nr.64

[Ludovico Slongo]

Hello to all,

regarding the air combats of the morning of August the 14th 1942 I've had a quick look into my books (all secondary sources) and this is what I've found.

Starting with "Fighters over the desert" :
A combined action against the Axis airstrips of Fuka and Daba started at around 06.20 with the take off of a formation of twelve Baltimores escorted by twenty-two South African Kittyhawks coming from 2 SAAF and 4 SAAF aimed at LG 18. Ten minutes later (i.e. at 6.30) Twelve P40s of 260 Squadron and six P40s of 57 FG took off to cover twelve Boston attacking Fuka.

BTW from previous studies of a friend of mine on the air war in the sector it seems that there was sistematically an hour of difference in the reports of Axis and Allied during summer 1942, this means that the take off hours of those bombers and fighters were 5.20 and 5.30 in Axis time.

"Eagles Strike" a book on SAAF operations written in 1974 by James Ambrose Brown (a book that made extensive use of the pieces of info contained in FOTD) reported a slightly different version:
On 14 August Colonel Martin ordered No. 24 Squadron to make a dawn take off. The target was dispersed aircraft at LG 19. Escorts were provided by three South African fighter Squadrons Nos, 2,4 and 5. After take off from LG 99 the eleven Bostons and twelve Baltimores formed up in the familiar formidable squadron vic so well-known to the armies below, eleven Kittyhawks of 2 Squadron swarmed around the Baltimores in close escort while eleven of No 4 Squadron took position as top cover; twelve Tomahawks of No 5 Squadron gave close and medium cover to the Bostons which were briefed to attack Fuka station and the dispersed aircraft near it.(...) The formation of 57 aircraft claimed five direct hit at LG 19 and started fires at Fuka station.

"Desert Warriors" by Russel Brown (another book that used FOTD as reference) reported that (...) on 14 August, twelve aircraft of 260 Squadron with another six from the 57 FG escorted Bostons to bomb Fuka station.

"P40 Warhawk aces of the MTO" by Carl Molesworth says: On the morning of 14 August 1942, six pilots of the 57 FG were assigned to fly with No 260 Sqd RAF while providing top cover for 12 South African Boston bombers attacking Fuka station.

So it seems that there were around 23 bombers escorted by 52 P40s of 2 SAAF,4 SAAF,5 SAAF, 260 and 57FG that attacked in the early morning Fuka and Daba

And now let's see the air combats:

Fighters over the Desert: (...) 4 SAAF, flying top cover reported being attacked by seven plus Bf 109s and MC 202s. Lt Wilson and Lt. Hancock failing to return and Lt. Woodliffe belly-landed his aircraft at base with badly damaged tail unit. (...).
Shores&Ring then described the actions and concluded suggesting that four pilots of the 260/57 formation failed to return but were all reported safe later, that makes for seven P40s shot down.
One of the pilots shot down was 1st Lt William O'Neil Junior of the 65 FS 57 FG, "P40 Warhawk aces of the MTO" reads: flying on the wing of Australian ace Ron Cundy, he spotted a Bf 109 below him to the right and broke off to attack it . He soon found himself overwhelmed by five Messerschmitt fighters and after a brief but fierce dogfight was shot down and bailed out over the Mediterranean sea (...).
The other three losses of the 260/57 formation are confirmed by Russel Brown in "Desert Warriors": The formation was consistently harried by Bf 109s of II/JG 27 and III/JG 53, losing two aircraft from top cover. Ron Cundy (ET 1016 HS-D) claimed one probable Bf109 and the CO Sqd. Ldr. Devenish, force-landed.
The South Africa losses are confirmed by "Eagles Strike" :
While on the way back home over LG 104 a storm of flak holed eleven of the twelve Baltimores and nine "enemy planes attacked" the escort without penetrating to the bombers and N°4 SAAF lost Lt. W.H. Hancock, Lt. D. Woodliffe belly landed as did a pilot of the USAAF tagging along for experience (...) fighters brought down one enemy aircraft but lost four in the attacks by Maccis and Messerschmitts, nine of which tackled 34 South African fighters.
Michael Lavigne and 260 veteran James Edwards in "Kittyhawks over the sands" gave a detailed reconstruction of the confused combats and concluded that two planes of the 260 were lost to enemy action: Sqd. Ldr. Devenish and W.O. Bowerman and one, P.O. Grant Aitchinson (HS-B AK 670) was heavily damaged by axis action but finished off by an Hurricane in error, force landing close to base.
Italian sources states that in the early morning Tenente Antonio Canfora of 97 Squadriglia 9° Gruppo 4° Stormo, scrambled with six C 202s of his Squadriglia and near Daba attacked a formation of twelve Maryland escorted by 18 P40. He claimed a P40 while a bomber and another fighters were claimed as probable, shared by the whole Italian formation. In the meantime at 6.15 due groups of bombers escorted by many fighters bombed Fuka destroying on ground a C 202 and damaging nine others.

Thus, considering that -as already noted in a previous post- the fourteen Luftwaffe fighters of JG 27 and 53 claimed during this action three P40 and a P46 (perhaps the Warhawk of O'Neil) as confirmed plus one P40 unconfirmed and two Curtiss hit (quoted by Shores&Ring) while the Italians claimed at least one P40 confirmed (perhaps a SAAF machine) and one probable, we can see as most likely all the confirmed claims (five of them) could find corroboration (seven losses), but also some of the unconfirmed ones, and it seems that this time the claims of Swallisch were not unfounded.
Hope this was of some interest.

Ludovico

[Juha]

Thanks Ludovico!
I found your info very interesting.

Juha