" Italian weather report "

[Jochen Prien]

Dear Michele,

many thanks for your kind response and please excuse my late answer - I have been to Rome for a most enjoyable long weekend so that I only found your posting upon my return.

Your remarks concerning the amount and duration of snow covering the ground around Reggio match with some of my sources whereas others state the contrary - snow throughout most of December. The only photos showing snow that I have with reliable information as to the dates they were taken all come from the end of January to mid-February 1944, which of course would support what you have to say.

Anyway. The loss you are referring to over Reggio in the winter 1943/44 is difficult to allocate to a specific loss report; the most likely candidate - if this was an a/c of III./JG 53 - would seem to be Lt. Alfred Thoms of Stab III./JG 53, who crashed to his death at the a/f perimeter at Reggio Emilia on December 8th, 1943, while performing a circuit after take off for a weather recconnaissance flight. However, the WASt.-report does not mention a futile attempt to bale out.

The information concerning the May-44-loss seem a bit vague; probably you can come up with a little more specific data.

Again, many thanks for your kind assistance.

Regards

Jochen Prien