Interesting Footnote documents.

[cheesey]

Below listed links are to series of documents available on Footnote.

This is a listing of monthly Allied aircraft losses as recorded by the Germans and translated into English. Title pages to each month during 1944 only entitled " Air crashes by date (month)". Click each link and browse through each month.

Jan 1st - Feb 29th 1944 http://www.footnote.com/viewer.php?image=38654062&query=cherbourg%20sea&wo rds=cherbourg|sea#38647750

March 1944 http://www.footnote.com/viewer.php?image=38654062&query=cherbourg%20sea&wo rds=cherbourg|sea#38649570

April 1944 http://www.footnote.com/viewer.php?image=38654062&query=cherbourg%20sea&wo rds=cherbourg|sea#38650937

May 1944 http://www.footnote.com/viewer.php?image=38654062&query=cherbourg%20sea&wo rds=cherbourg|sea#38652594

June 1944 http://www.footnote.com/viewer.php?image=38654062&query=cherbourg%20sea&wo rds=cherbourg|sea#38655132

July 1944 http://www.footnote.com/viewer.php?image=38654062&query=cherbourg%20sea&wo rds=cherbourg|sea#38657093

August 1944 http://www.footnote.com/viewer.php?image=38654062&query=cherbourg%20sea&wo rds=cherbourg|sea#38659033

Sept 1944 http://www.footnote.com/viewer.php?image=38654062&query=cherbourg%20sea&wo rds=cherbourg|sea#38660188

Oct 1944 http://www.footnote.com/viewer.php?image=38654062&query=cherbourg%20sea&wo rds=cherbourg|sea#38661546

Nov 1944 http://www.footnote.com/viewer.php?image=38654062&query=cherbourg%20sea&wo rds=cherbourg|sea#38662596

Dec 1944 http://www.footnote.com/viewer.php?image=38654062&query=cherbourg%20sea&wo rds=cherbourg|sea#38663892

I have no idea how accurate or complete these listings are but they make interesting reading. If you have more info on these documents please let me know ! The other war years are present if you have the time to search within the MACR listings on Footnote.

By the way, could someone please explain to a novice the meanings of the letters/figures at the end of each entry. For example KUJ 1223 or J- 123 etc.

Cheers, Steve.

[Horst Weber]

Good evening Steve !

These are the good, old U. S. National Archives catalogues of air crashes, arranged day-by-day. Their origin were the German reports of Allied air crashes, which were collected and filed by the Interrogation Center West of the Luftwaffe in Oberursel, Germany, called Durchgangslager West (DuLag Luft West).

Each case there received a file-number:
- KE: Kampfflugzeg, englisch (British Bomber)
- KU: Kampfflugzeug, USA (U.S. Bomber)
- J : Jäger (Fighter, obviously no difference between U.S. or UK)
- ME: most likely Mittelländischer Einsatzraum (Mediteranian)
- AV: Amerikaner, Vorgänge (a case, where U.S. KIA were involved)

Those files were stored at the DuLag Luft West at the end of the war. Since Oberursel was in the American Zone, the Americans had the first grip to those files. They shipped them to the USA for evaluation purposes, to find KIA and MIA crew members. Here, a catalogue of the existing and found files with the finding numbers was compiled and printed.

After the de-classification of the files, the catalogue was microfilmed and offered to the public. The files itself are stored in the U.S. National Archives and are available, if you know the number of your case.

This finding aid RG 242 is available in micrfiche form as well as in printed form. In my possession is a printed form, which has much more "footnotes" on the paper to several cases like MACR-numbers, serial-numbers eg.

For more infos, send me a PN, please.

All the best !

Horst Weber

[FrankieS]

Great Job, thanx !
FrankieS

[cheesey]

Thanks Horst for that very quick and interesting reply. I will PM you with a few entries that I am interested in later today. If you can help that would be great!

More documents to view:

4th Sept 1939 - 31st Dec 1942 http://www.footnote.com/viewer.php?i...=1942#38598526

Ist Jan - 31st Dec 1943 http://www.footnote.com/viewer.php?image=38635555&query=dec%2043&words=43| dec#38633256

Jan - April (incomplete) 1945 http://www.footnote.com/viewer.php?image=38614489&query=jersey&words=jerse y|jerseys#38614339

Steve.

PS:Bit busy today - putting up the xmas tree with the kids !

[Icare9]

Can I ask for some help with these?
On 4th December 1943 Halifax HR732 was lost and no trace of aircraft or crew graves has been recorded, but as the pilots wedding ring was returned 3 years after the War ended, the relatives believe it was hit by flak and exploded hence no large identifiable wreckage.
On pages 94/5 for Jan to Dec 1943 a number of losses are recorded (I believe 25 bombers were lost or failed to attack) so I can eliminate some with known night fighter claims, hopefully leaving what might be HR732 crash site. The MACR references seem to be given in the far right column, but how does one progress from the MACR number to the Report itself?
There is a belief that the ring was sent back from America, which might be the case if a US team was involved.

Any hints would be appreciated. Thanks in advance

[Horst Weber]

Good Morning icare2

Can you provide a MACR report # to your particular case ?.

Thank you

Horst Weber

[Icare9]

Well, with the 25 losses that night, there is a whole series, some of which are tied to known aircraft, but here is the range:
116861 to '863;
116791; '599; '875 - '862; '624; '867-'874; '895 - '898; '900 - '913; '883 - '893 (this is typed as 11683 - 116893).
Sorry, don't have a specific one to home in to...
Appreciate any help

[CJE]

Do I have to try harder or no French airplanes were ever lost over Germany in 1939-40?

Chris