Luftwaffe aerial recon prior to D-Day

[Brian Bines]

Notes from a PRO file made some years ago on Enemy Air Avitivity Over the UK show 5th April Luftwaffe recon over the N.Sea and S/W Approaches, 6-4 evening recon over the English Channel , 19-4 single aircraft over IOW, 21-4 afternoon recon to Poole area. The E-Boot attack off Slapton Sands on 28th April has been reported as being the result of a Luftwaffe recon.
Between 3-9th May daily recon activity was reported and on May 20th there was recon to the Swanage and Dover areas.
Additionally on 7th march a Fw190 of Stab/NAG13 crashed in Guernsey following a recon to the S/W coast and on 28th. March a Bf109G of 5(F)/123 was shot down over France returning from a mission to London and the Thames Estuary.
No details of how well these missions went, there were also missions to Scotland.
Roman Gastager in the book Easter Bunnies refers to a couple of missions to Ireland and Southern England in a Ju88H1 in mid May.

[cheesey]

Hello.
Just to add something to Brian's post. On March 7th, 1944 two pilots of 610 Sqn. engaged three Fw190s approx 35 miles SE of Start Point at about 17.45hrs. Enemy aircraft broke and one was seen to be hit around the wing root area, panels flew off port mainplane. Enemy took little evasive action and aircraft was not seen to strike the ground/sea.
This puts the engagement very near to NW part of Guernsey. I believe 190 crashed at La Ponchez area of island.
RAF pilots were:P/O Hussey & F/Sgt Harding flying Spitfire Mk XIVs. Gun camera was used and e/a was dark grey/light in colour.
Hope this helps, Steve.

[Brian Bines]

Steve,

According to an enquiry to the Dienstelle the German pilot was Oblt. Gottfried Bitterlich b. 27-12-1915, they gave ths crash site as north of Flugplatzes Guernsey. I take it you have a copy of the 610 Sqd. combat report,

Regards

Brian Bines

[cheesey]

Hello Brian.
Yes I do have a copy of the report but I didn't have the Luftwaffe pilots details so thanks for that! North of Guernsey aerodrome sounds about right.
Thanks, Steve.

Edit:Just looked up Bitterlich on the Volksbund graves site and an Oberleutnant Heinrich Bitterlich (b:27/12/1915) is noted for the date 7/3/44! He is the only Bitterlich which corresponds for that date.

[edwest]

Thank you all for the additional information. I have read two accounts from the German side regarding delays after the invasion had begun. Apparently, some German ground units did not receive orders for days after it all started. I recall at least one other account from the German side complaining that "traitors" were not allowing some aircraft to fly.

I find it hard it hard to believe that the Germans were unaware that so many Yanks were now on shore in England.



Regards,
Ed

[Bruce Dennis]

Ed,
Have you seen 'Hitler’s Spies' by David Kahn? There is a very useful section on Luftwaffe recce groups history/structure. Nothing specific about individual flights, but the message is clear that the high-level operations were nearly impossible by that time. Then in other sections of the book, concerning the intelligence reaching Germany from her agents in the UK (all turned and controlled by the British), he make sit plain that the agents were the only method remaining for the Germans to know what was going on in the UK: this reinforces the viewpoint that the Luftwaffe was not supplying any information. The book is impeccably researched, with many interviews from participating German intelligence personnel, and I haven’t found a slip-up yet.

The files I have seen at The National Archives and those quoted in ‘British Intelligence in the Second World War vol3 pt1 & 2’ show that the Allies knew of many overflights which were potentially PRU (mainly Fw190), but the distracting possibility also existed that there were high-altitude flights of which they were unaware. Prof. RV Jones said some years after the war that he almost laughed when he found out that the elaborate deception operations carried out in the south of England were wasted because there was so little German PRU in 1944: he said there was 'effectively none' carried out, so he stops short of saying 'totally none'. (He was not prone to overstating his case, and he met many of his German counterparts after the war to tidy up loose ends, so I believe he was quoting 'direct from the horse’s mouth).

Still nothing specific I am afraid, but a body of evidence that there was little or no German recce over England that threatened to expose the true disposition of troops and armour.

Bruce

[odybvig]

According to Feindnachrichtensblatt 5/44 AOK Norwegen following are known to the germans

The movement of troops has more or less stopped, since they probably are in their positions before an attack (over the channel)
They are concentrated in south england and middle england.
Several messages are given to prepare for attack
Several messages (orders) of big exercises
Movement of HQ to assembly areas
High radio traffic between english and american units
production of a big moveable harbour

Forces
50 Inf Div
8 Airborne div
14 pz Brig
15 pz Div

Air rec was not flown in the first half of april so accurate position of units are not known (end of april)
Big concentration of landing boats in south england ( Poole - Portsmouth and Harwich - Great Yarmouth) Possible also in english channels (fjords).
American armor landing boats are mounted in english harbours.
Allied air forces show signs of preparing for invasion shortly

Troops:
South england: about 750.000
Middle england: about 650.000

In a report from the Kriegsmarine, the invasion are expected in june - july in france

Best from Norway
Olve