Luftwaffe losses 24 September 1943

[keith A]

On this date two French Spitfires claimed to have brought down two Fw190 near Bastellica-Ajaccio. Did the Luftwaffe lose any radial engined fighters on this date. Both were described as jabos, one was attacking the destroyer "La Fantasque" off Ajaccio, it crashed inland at Bastellica in Corsica. The second crash-landed. If the Fw190 crash-landed there's an intimation that the pilot survived.

I am assuming they were Fw190 from a LW unit because of some unusual coincidences in MAW's account. SGC Planchard was lost to a Fw190 at sea south of Corsica at 0745, while Hptm Doernbrack of SG4 (actually II/SchlG.2) claimed a Spitfire NE Campo at 1745 but this could also be a pilot of 93 squadron lost North of Salerno (no time).

JG77 lost an aircraft near Ajaccio but to Flak.

The French pilots reported formations of 3 and 4 Fw190 therefore probably not reconnaissance aircraft.

[Nick Beale]

You can download the loss reports for the period free from the Bundesarchiv. File RL 2-III/1193 should be the one you want.

I’ll check if I have any details of the day’s events but I wouldn’t expect the Schlacht units to be active around Corsica. They were primarily committed over the battlefronts in the South, especially Salerno as you mentioned.

[FrankieS]

examples from RL 2-III/1193:

Luftflotte 2 24.09.1943 2./N.A.Gr.14 F Muro (Corsica) Luftkampf (Feindbeobachtet) Bf 109 G6 15834 100 (schwarze 4) Oblt. Nabe, Günther F

Luftflotte 2 24.09.1943 III./J.G.77 F Unbekannt Absturz, Aufschlagbrand Bf 109 G6 18505 100 (weisse 2) Uffz. Lewin, Richard F

[keith A]

Thanks chaps. I suppose it is possible the French fliers mistook fuel tanks for bombs, and Bf109s for Fw190s - and that one of these pilots shot down Planchard.

best regards

Keith