Ghostbombers updates

[Nick Beale]

Posted today to ghostbombers.com:

• The second instalment of the Geschwader Bongart article, covering July 1944, plus a map of bases and operations. Also, a link from the section about 22 June 1944 to a French website's animated map of operations on the Vercors Plateau.
• SG 4: last battles in Italy: an additional map and consequential rearrangement of two pages.

[Marcel Hogenhuis]

Hello Nick,

As always your input and articles are most interesting and a joy to read. In your 'published sources' at the end of the article about the II./NJG 6 in Italy, you refer to the alleged 6 victories as said/written by Gebhard Aders.
For your understanding it is good to know that his famous work 'History of German nightfighting 1917-1945' contains claims of nightfighter crews, which find their origin in the Nonnenmacher/Ring lists. These are known as a cocktail of many true claims but many fictional claims as well, just added to see later who used their compilation without given permission. One notorious example are the alleged victories of Reinhold Knacke (1./NJG 1), five in one mission (!) on 16/17 September 1942. There is no single piece of documentary support for this spectacular nocturnal fight...

All the best and keep up the good work! Marcel

[GranddaughterofLuftwaffe]

Nick, Would you happen to have any information about Unit 11/NJG5 my Grandfather Otto Karl Tillack was in that unit. The plane he was on on April 11th, 1944 was shot down and i was wondering if you had any info on that crash or pictures, or if you may have any information on the Unit he was in and or any pictures of he and the other men in his unit. the Pilot on the day of the crash was Karl Kades, not my Grandfather that day.
You may reach me or my Father which is Axel Otto Tillack"Camp" the son of Otto Karl Tillack via here or via our emails. Mine is: charlotterookswrites72@hotmail.com
and my Father`s is: alexrrcamp@gmail.com
Thank you in advance,
Char and Axel

[Nick Beale]

I've just posted the following additions and updates to my website:

• The third instalment of the Geschwader Bongart article, covering August–September 1944, plus an assessment of the unit's operations, a list of known aircraft, and sources and acknowledgements. I've also made various smaller additions to the earlier instalments.
• NAG 6 and the Me 262: information about the posting of 37 men from NAG 9 to Einsatzkommando Braunegg in Lechfeld.
• Jagdruppe 200: two new pages about Uffz. Walter Lang; more detail of sorties flown on 9 June 1944; more about Uffz. Walter Cöster's demise on 7 August 1944; brief additions covering anti-partisan operations on 15 June 5 July 1944.
• Addition to the Geschwader recognition bands article of an ULTRA message on security during a move by elements of JG 3.
• Staffel Kaatsch: Werk Nummer added for an aircraft damaged on a mission on 29 August 1944 and amendments to one appendix.
• Various minor corrections and layout changes.

[ouidjat]

Hi Nick,

Thank you very much for the work you are doing.

Best regards, Franck.

[John Beaman]

Thanks for your continuing hard work, Nick. You are one of the few people who appreciate the importance of ULTRA sources in the history of WWII.

Frankly, no one should write a story about anything in the ETO, without sourcing ULTRA. You've done that!

[Nick Beale]

More material posted to Ghost Bombers today, as follows:

• Jagdgruppe 200: addition to 18 August 1944.
  
• Staffel Kaatsch: complete revision of the unit's formative days (18–25 August 1944) plus an expanded discussion of its aircraft inventory.
  
• Geschwader Bongart: extensive additions throughout the article about attacks on further locations (including Abondance, Thônes, Les Villards and Rieumes) by the unit itself and by II./KG 26 and III./KG 100; more about Westa 2's He 177s and more Bongart aircraft identified.

[Nick Beale]

I've just posted a series of updates to my web site, quite a lot of which seem to involve Bf 109s:

• A new article about aircraft lost in air raids: by III./JG 26 (Nancy, 25 May 1944); JG 27 (Angers/Soucelles, 26 June 1944); and E-Stelle Karlshagen (9 July 1944).
• Jagdgruppe 200: an addition to the events of 12 July 1944 and more about Bf 109 G-6 W.Nr. 163552.
• More about the Bf 109s of 3./NAG 13 (W.Nr. 710000 series) in Spring/Summer 1944.
• Staffel Kaatsch: more about the history of Bf 109 G-6 W.Nr. 163161.
• Geschwader Bongart: two "target flights" on 27 January 1944; a "new" Re. 2002 mission on 24 June; more about Ju 88 C-6 W.Nr. 750886 and 750952, He 111 W.Nr. 5113, Bf 109 G-5 W.Nr. 110395 and "Bf 109 G-12" WNr. 360930 (thanks to Ed North); an operation on 16 August (thanks to Philippe Cannone); another loss from 2./ZG 1 on 7 June 1944; more about III./KG 100's attack on the Forêt de Rieumes on 17 July; and a final(?) mention of the Geschwader on 15 December 1944.
• Minor corrections and editing.

[edNorth]

Nick,
I referred to Ju 88 C-6 360390 (not 360930), then Ju 88´s mentioned 06.07.1944 (8207, 2383 & 6216) certainly were Ju 88 A-5 versions, and known surviours and mentioned in other Ultra messages earlier (maintance related).
Also Ju 88 C-6 "750886" falls into blank block (blank nummerical range), and is therefore most likely corrupt (therefore “not known here.” is correct from Technical Officer 14/15.07.44) but may relate to 750686 (this number is close enough for simple typo error), but Ju 88 C-6 750952 seems valid number, known 28.06.1944 with I NJG 2 - i.e. Ju 88 C-6 4R+GH, known on unit strength (SN2, 25A, Schráge, Doedel M2, autopilot u/s, 16:00 hrs Chaeaudun) 28.06.44 (TNA HW5 CX/MSS/T.234/14)
Ju 88 C-6 705686 on 14/15.06.44 is corrupt (number did not exist), likely C-6 750686 meant.

Adding Ju 88 A-5 0880504 PB+GB 11./Gesch. Bongart for one shot down 28.06.44 [Salonen / NVM]

Finally, I have enjoyed reading the updates on this very obscure unit. Thanks! -ed

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by edNorth

Nick,
I referred to Ju 88 C-6 360390 (not 360930)

THanks Ed, I'll correct that.