1./(F)123 Losses 1943

[Melvin Brownless]

Chris,

Searching through the NVM reports of the 4./(F)123 found the loss of Willi Kunze, Horst Haertwig, Guenther Hoefs and Karl-Heinz Hartwig on the 16.02.1943 south of the Isle of Wight. Further delving and I found in my notes that Hans Arndt is MIA on the 26.06.1943, so would be great to get his loss details.

Melvin

[Larry deZeng]

Melvin -

Here are the 1943 losses that I have, but I do not pretend it to be complete:


Aufklärungsstaffel 1.(F)/123 (2d Formation)
(Unit Code 4U+)

Also as: 1.(F)/Aufklärungsgruppe 123
1.(F)/Aufkl.Gr. 123

………………

1 December 1942: Staffel reported 7 Ju 88 D-1, 2 Ju 88 D-5, 2 Ju 88 A-5, 1 Bf 110 E-3, 3 Bf 109 F-4/R2, 5 Bf 109 F-4/R3, 1 Bf 109 F-4/Z, 1 Bf 109 G-2/R2 and 2 Bf 109 G-1/R2 on strength.
16 February 1943: Ju 88 FTR - believed shot down into the sea off the Isle of Wight by a Typhoon, 100%, 4 MIA.
18 February 1943: Ju 88 D-l damaged landing at Paris-Buc, 15%.
March – mid-June 1943: the Staffel enjoyed nearly 4 months of routine operations without a single loss to enemy action and only two incidents where aircraft received minor damage in accidents.
6/43: Staffel departed Paris-Buc in mid-June for reassignment to Stab/Aufkl.Gr.122 in Italy.

Mediterranean. (June 1943 - October 1944)
17 June 1943: now at Frosinone airfield in central Italy under Stab/Aufkl.Gr. 122.
15-30 June 1943: the Staffel too delivery of 6 Ju 88 T-2, which was a new, significantly faster high altitude version of the Ju 88 that was specifically outfitted with aerial camera installations.
26 June 1943: Ju 88 D-l (4U+AH) FTR from a recce of the Algiers area, 100%, 3 MIA.
7 July 1943: Ju 88 D-l (5M+E) FTR from a recce east of Malta, 100%, 4 captured. This aircraft originally belonged to Westa 26.
8 July 1943: Ju 88 (4U+BH) shot down by a USAAF Spitfire at c.8,225 meters (27,000 feet) 80 km west of Mateur/north Tunisia while on a recce of the coastal area west of Bizerta, 100%, 3 KIA and 1 captured.
23 July 1943: Frosinone - flying recce between Sicily and Malta.
15 August 1943: Ju 88 (4U+CH) FTR from recce over Algiers, 100%, 3 MIA.
17 August 1943: Ju 88 A-4 (4U+DH) FTR from the Algiers area, 100%, Oblt. Hugo Diebold (observer) + 2 MIA.
20 August 1943: a Klemm Kl 35 belonging to the Staffel was rammed by an Italian aircraft at Pisa, 80%. The Klemm was probably used to courier spare parts, pick up mail and related chores.
22 August 1943: Ju 88 D-l (4U+GH) shot down by 4 Spitfires while flying an early morning recce around Malta in search of shipping, 100%, 3 captured.
24 August 1943: a Ju 88 T-l that had just been assigned to the Staffel was destroyed by bombs during an Allied air raid on the aircraft park/depot at Villacoublay-South near Paris, 100%. Evidently, it was about to be ferried to Italy for delivery.
27 August 1943: Ju 88 T-l (4U+JH) FTR from recce over Malta, 100%, 1 KIA and 2 MIA.
30 August 1943: Ju 88 D-2 (F6+EK) FTR - no details, 100%, 4 MIA. Aircraft originally belonged to 2.(F)/Aufkl.Gr. 122, also based at Frosinone.
3 September 1943: Frosinone – flew day recce of the Straits of Messina.
3 September 1943: Ju 88 T-l (4U+KH) FTR from recce over eastern Sicily, 100%, Hptm. Eduard Dirchner (observer) + 2 MIA.
7 September 1943: Ju 88 D-l (4U+NH) FTR from recce over Malta, 100%, 4 MIA.
9 September 1943: transferred from Frosinone to Guidonia/north-east of Rome.
7 October 1943: transferred from Guidonia to Perugia in north-central Italy and remained there through April 1944.
8 November 1943: Ju 88 D-l (4U+UH) missing in bad weather north-east of Pescara and believed shot down by two USAAF P-38s, 100%, 3 MIA (all from Stab/Aufkl.Gr. 122).
26 November 1943: Ju 88 T-l (4U+LH) FTR from recce in the Naples area, 100%, 2 KIA, 1 MIA.
26 November 1943: Ju 88 T-l (4U+BH) shot down by Spitfires during a reconnaissance of the harbor and airfields at Naples, 100%, Hptm. Hermann Ludwig (observer) + 3 captured.
1 December 1943: Staffel reported 4 Ju 88 D-1/CLi and 3 Ju 88 T-1 on strength.
22 December 1943: Ju 88 D-l (4U+UH) FTR from recce of the Corsica-Sardinia area, 100%,4 MIA.
24 December 1943: Ju 88 D-l FTR from over the Adriatic and believed shot down by a fighter, 100%,4 MIA.

Sources:
PRO London: DEFE 3 Government Code and Cypher School/Tactical Sigint forwarded to Allied Commands: Summaries 1940 – 1945 [ULTRA - currently listed in PRO catalogue under HW 20; microfilm edition published in 143 rolls by Clearwater Publishing Co., Inc., New York, c 1979], ULTRA Signal ML4595.
CSDIC Report AFHQ A.88.
CSDIC Report AFHQ A.82.
AFHRA Maxwell: Decimal 512 - British Air Ministry, 329 Wing Sigint reports.
CSDIC Report AFHQ A.204.
329 Wing reports-op cit.
ADI(K) interrogation reports-op cit.
ADI(K)-op cit; BA-MA Freiburg-RL 40/Kart; Tessin- Verbände und Truppen der Deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS 1939-1945. Teil 14: Die Luftstreitkräfte (Osnabrück, 1980).
CSDIC interrogation report AFHQ A.281.
CSDIC report AFHQ A.311.

………………………….

L.

[Melvin Brownless]

Thanks very much for the listing Larry, very useful indeed. All I need now are the Werke Nr's and crew details. Thanks for sharing!

Regards,

Melvin

[Chris Goss]

Ju 88 D-1, 430674, 4U+AH. Target Algiers. Ofw Gerhard Pieper-F, Oblt Hans Arndt-B, Ofw Walter Rein-BF all missing. Looks like the Kunze crew were a victim of Flt Sgt Frank Murphy of 486 Sqn 1850 hrs 30 miles south of St Catherine's Point

[Charles Bavarois]

Hello guys,

the attached file list the crew-names of a/c lost with 1 (F) 123 in 1943 as far as the WASt-reports have survived. You will see, that this is pretty close to Larrys list. Sometimes the codes differ, but this is due to the fact, that the WASt-reports sometimes are in a very bad shape and you have to do an educated guess.

Greetings

Carl

[Melvin Brownless]

Thanks Chris and Charles, the info very much appreciated!

Melvin

www.aircrewremembrancesociety.co.uk

[Melvin Brownless]

Originally Posted by Melvin Brownless

Chris,

Searching through the NVM reports of the 4./(F)123 found the loss of Willi Kunze, Horst Haertwig, Guenther Hoefs and Karl-Heinz Hartwig on the 16.02.1943 south of the Isle of Wight. Further delving and I found in my notes that Hans Arndt is MIA on the 26.06.1943, so would be great to get his loss details.

Melvin

Chris, Here is a pic of the crew lost off the Isle of Wight on the 16.02.43.

Regards,

Melvin

[Chris Goss]

Melvin
Photo matches well with the 1000th photo apart from surely Uffz Hart should be Hartwig?

[Melvin Brownless]

Chris, The crew picture was taken from one of the original Staffel Albums that I copied. I think some of the names were added at a later date, but as you say it should be Hartwig!

Regards,

Melvin

[edNorth]

Larry de Zeng.

"15-30 June 1943: the Staffel too delivery of 6 Ju 88 T-2, which was a new, significantly faster high altitude version of the Ju 88 that was specifically outfitted with aerial camera installations."

Well. Not Ju 88 T-2, version was Ju 88 T-1 (BMW 801 engines replacing Jumo 211 J). These were conversions from Ju 88 D-1 Recce. Ju 88 D-1 already was Photo recce airplane, and major production version since summer 1941, so statement is false (pointless), only BMW 801 versions were faster at altitude. Yet were relatively easily caught by RAF Spitfires. In my opinion these were too late, and relatively few were converted.

For example. 430614 mentioned in list in previous post (really 0880430614) was the 7th conversion - the "T/7", not A-4, that is false.
(Source: Modification lists)

17 August 1943: Ju 88 A-4 (4U+DH) FTR from the Algiers area, 100%, Oblt. Hugo Diebold (observer) + 2 MIA.

430614 Ju 88 T-1´ [4U+DH] 1.(F)/123 (Luftflotte 2)
OPS (F) missing (100%) unk location (Algier) 17.08.1943 (F Uffz. Wolfgang Hüter, B Oblt. Hugo Diebold and BF Uffz. Hans-Dietrich Kaminski mis)
[as A4 430614 in GQM losses, Salonen NVM]

Regards
Ed