Using Ultra to research the Luftwaffe

[Nick Beale]

I've started looking at the files in the DEFE 3/ series which cover Italian naval signals and I'm turning up occasional references to German and Italian aircraft losses. Some examples are attached.

To find this series of signals, go to the UK National Archives site's advanced search option, put ZTPI in the "exact word or phrase" box and DEFE 3/ in the box "search for or within references". This returns 39 hits covering June 1941–September 1943 and each file contains around 1,000 messages.

The Bf 109 referred to in two of the attachments seems to be G-2/trop. W.Nr. 10483 of 4./JG 53, belly landed following engine trouble on "Insel Iekas" (actually Lefkada, Greece), pilot Ofw. Karl Marten.

[jim norton]

hi nick,
many thanks, interesting to read!
all the best
jim

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Thanks Nick, I am especially interested in the Italian losses.

[Andy Mitchell]

All,

Here is a file finder spreadsheet that you may find useful for the DEFE3 files.

[Marcel Hogenhuis]

WOW Andy,

What a great and immense job ! Many thanks for sharing this very useful help!

Best regards,

Marcel

[Marc-André Haldimann]

Much indebted, Andy !

Thanks for sharing so generously.
Marc

[John Manrho]

Okay, long shot, is there anyone who has complete copies of ULTRA files HW5/546 until and including HW5/639? This would cover late July 1944 till the end of December 1944. If so, please drop me a PM.

Thanks,

John

[Nick Beale]

There's some new ULTRA-related material amongst 2014's first updates to the Ghost Bombers website:

• The HW 11 file series which contains several volumes of Air and Military Official Histories written by the Government Code & Cipher School; and
• The code groups introduced into German signals late in the war to denote numbers, dates and times.

[John Manrho]

Can anyone help me with a scan of ULTRA report XL6844 of 18.8.1944?

Regards,

John.