Attack on Eger/Cheb April 1945

[pdame141]

All:

I found an interesting newspaper clipping in a scrapbook on my Great Uncle's WWII service in which he gave an interview describing an attack on the airfield at Eger, Czechoslovakia during his second combat tour. He and his comrades shot up seven silver Do217s that appeared to be preparing some sort of special attack with missiles/flying bombs.

I think this field was Eger-Oberschon (Cheb) based on my Great Uncle's statement that the Do217s "were the only planes on the airdrome standing on wheels--more than a hundred burning planes of all kinds were around the field." This seems to fit given the description of prior aerial attacks on Eger-Oberschon in Henry deZeng's Luftwaffe Airfields 1935-45 Czechoslovakia (bombed by B-24s on 25 Mar 45, strafed by 8th AF fighters on 16 and 17 Apr 45) and Tim Grace's book on the 368th Fighter Group (see below).

I believe this attack happened on 21 April 1945 as my Great Uncle mentioned attacking the same field a few days prior to the mission in question and the 397th and 396th Fighter Squadrons claimed 22 a/c destroyed and 35 damaged on Czech airfields on 16 April 1945.

Given the proximity to the end of the war, are there any Luftwaffe records surviving regarding the loss of the Do217s?

Thanks as always for any help.

Paul Dame