III./KG 3 losses 16th June 1944

[Marcel Hogenhuis]

Hello Nick and Martin,

Your most helpful tips are most helpful, thank you !

Marcel

[edwest2]

Noball, the Allied code word for V-1 related intelligence. I suggest checking for Noball files.

[Monaco]

Marcel,
Hans-Ulrich Gaserow (TO of III./KG 3) reported in his personal diary, that the Gruppe transferred from Allnsteyn (Masuren) in a formaton 36 He-111H-16 for Plantlünne only on 20 June 1944 and apparently suffered in the strafing attack the same day. The first attack against Southampton and Portsmouth took place only on 8 July 1944. I don´t think that the attack of 16 June caught III./KG 3 in France.
BTW does someone know which P-47 group strafed Plantlünne on 20 June?

[Laurent Rizzotti]

I remember (maybe falsely) reading that launching V-1 from He 111 in the North Sea allowed to bypass the heavy AA defences set in southern England.

If this was the plan, sending III./KG 3 to France was not logical, while keeping it in Germany was.

On the other hand, I am not sur that Germans were aware, so early of the campaign, that most V-1 were shot down before reaching London. Actually the reinforcement of AA defences in England has not yet reached its peak either, IIRC.

[Monaco]

They took off from bases in the Netherlands and loaded the FzG76 at interim bases in France (Amy & Rosieres) then proceeding to the Le Havre (thereby avoiding the landing area) and attacked the targets from the south:
First mission on 8 July 1944 from 7. & 8. Staffel Venlo and 9. Staffel from Gilze-Rijn against Southhampton and Portsmouth with Amy and Rosieres A/D as interim airfields where they loaded the FzG76 (V-1). Single take-off after midnight with 5 minute intervalls. Then low-level flight beneath 100 altitude passing Rouen until beacon „Absprungpunkt Funk- und Leuchtfeuer nördlich Le Havre“. Then passing the Channel to launch position low-level beneath 50m, zooming up for lauching the rocket and then turning towards base Venlo or Gilze-Rijn flying there low-level again. altitude No combat losses. Only 9. Staffel had a collision between two He.111s with dead and wounded.

[Marcel Hogenhuis]

Hello Monaco,

What a nice surprise that Hans-Ulrich Gaserow has kept a diary ! When we exchanged letters several years ago I was astonished by his good memory but it never occurred to me that he had a 'back-up' of his diary

His info about the leading personel of the III./KG 3 was most helpful to me. Perhaps we could get into contact off board ? My mail address is marcelhogenhuis@gmail.com

Best regards, Marcel

[Chris Goss]

I have now dug out my files. I have little on III./KG 3 until Sep 44. I do have a note (from where?) of 14 ac flying first mission from Gilze on 2 Jul 44 with 22 on 3 July and 8 on 7 Jul 44 (by which time they were at Rosieres). I do have an account from Uffz Helmut Ostrominski of 9./KG 3 colliding with Uffz Nolte on 8 Jul 44 at Amy. I have at least 9 wounded at Plantlünne on 20 Jun 44; an ac from 8./KG 3 crashing at Doudeville on the way back. All pretty confusing but email me if you are after anything specific. No casualties personnel-wise between 29 May and 19 Jun 44

[KM1957]

Squadrons of the 353rd Fighter Group strafed Plantlunne during the course of two missions on June 20. On the first one, pilots were awarded five He 111's as destroyed as well as a Ju 88 and an unidentified aircraft as damaged. On the second mission, two He 111's were destroyed plus one damaged, while two Me 110's and one Ju 88 were destroyed, and two unidentified planes and two Hs 129's were damaged. The 353rd was the only Eighth Air Force unit to attack Plantlunne and no Ninth Air Force fighter units did so.

Kent

[Nick Beale]

TNA AIR 20/7703: Translations from Captured Enemy Documents: Vol. IV. (1948)

Night 7– 8 July 1944: Ten aircraft of III./KG 3 launched 8 flying bombs over London.

That's the first such operation listed in those reports.

[Monaco]

Hello Kent,
thank you, 353rd Fighter Group make sense, since the unit equipped to P-51 only in October and Gaserow reported the attack in which he nearly stumbled on a transfer flight from Esslingen was carried out by P-47s. Marcel I´ll write you a PM.