ANR + Croatian Air Force vs 15th USAAF, 2 Apr 44

[Don Caldwell]

I am looking for details of the interception by the 1º Gruppo Caccia of the ANR and the 2./JGr Kroatien of 15th AF heavy bombers raiding Steyr, Austria on 2 Apr 1944 (base, number, type and time up, time & location of Feindberührung, claims & losses). Any information will be appreciated.

Horrido!

Don

[veltro]

According to the data available, on that day 31 Macchi C.205s of 1° Gruppo operating from Udine-Campoformido a/f effected a combat over Klagenfurth (Pl.Qu. KK) at 10.10 hrs in which 1 P-38 was claimed by M.llo Benati (not confirmed by the Germans) and a "Boeing" was claimed by Ten. Giuseppe Robetto (confirmed by the Germans).

During the combat two C.205s were lost in a collision with the death of Ten. Luigi Marchi (probably flying his "3-3" nicknamed "Paolino IV°") and Ten. Aroldo Burei bailing out wounded. Also M.llo Vittorio Pirchio was wounded in action but apparently not shot down.

On that day also a second mission is reported as effected by 21 C.205s (no place and timing available) claiming a bomber as probable and a P-38 as damaged.

Hope this helps

[Nick Beale]

The attached items might help. They come from National Archives AIR23/8312, "MAAF Weekly Air Intelligence summaries Nos. 61-75."

To upload the map, I had to crop the edges and split it into two sections but all the important information is there.

[RT]

I wonder which was the unit that supplied the Ju88 as Fühlungshalter

Remi

[veltro]

As reported in our book "Air War Italy 1944-45" (concerning operations taking place a few months later), it could have been Luftbeobachter Staffel 7, its Ju 88s operating from Villaorba (Udine).

HTH

[Don Caldwell]

Thanks Ferdinando & Nick -- I knew you'd come thru with just the ANR info I needed. Thanks for the map, Nick -- on my examination of AIR 23 during my last trip to the PRO the only maps I could find in the MAAF Intops Summaries were hand-scrawled "roughs" without enuf data to be of use. I got impatient, I guess...

I still need a little data for the Croatian unit -- loss details would be a good start. Are there any Croats out there?

Don