Is there any evidence the 1944 losses were ever captured?

[Steve Coates]

Pretty much what it says on the tin.

Whilst the absence of this documentation is well known, I've never seen a single piece of firm evidence which convinced me that this material was ever originally captured and subsequently mislaid, just rumour and counter-rumour. As so little research time has been allocated to trying to provide a degree of clarity around this issue, I've spent some time looking into this myself and certainly have not been able to come up with anything to the contrary as very little seems to exist in the form of a documentary trail. As matters stand, there is no clear evidence that the 1944 losses were ever captured.

It might help to summarise my findings.

American Technical Intelligence Report E-3 quotes: 'Catalogue of OKL documents held at Berchtesgaden (Found there and in vicinity) 23 to 25 May 45 inclusive' records under Section K – 6th Abteilung:

Taken from salt mines 25/5/45


K-1 A very large number of reports on G.A.F. losses (Verlustmeldungen) many of which were extremely wet and in danger of becoming illegible. Most of the Verlustmeldungen are in good order, with the exception of some on top of the box.


K2 A very large number of reports on G.A.F. losses (Verlustmeldungen)

I have also worked through several hundred pages of ADI(K) Captured German Document lists in AIR 40/1180 - 1183 and have found nothing to confirm that the 1944 losses were ever originally captured. These lists do contain references to losses material being captured, however, these references lack precision and therefore provide no firm evidence one way or the other.

It would seem that these records were largely held by the AHB (Air Historical Branch) during the post-war period to support the various Historical Studies being undertaken. I recently turned up a letter in CAB 106/282 which also supports the non-capture of the 1944 material. A file note d/d 12/4/47 letter references data extracted from these files and states: it is thus possible to obtain accurate figures for any given day from the beginning of the War until the end of 1943, the period covered by the documents at present available. Again this seems to confirm the absence of the 1944 data.

The loss records were microfilmed by the IWM (excluding 1944) in the mid-1970s following loan from the AHB prior to restitution of the originals to the BA-MA by AHB in 1977.

If anyone has anything to add, then I'd be delighted to read it, particularly if it can help advance understanding. The intention in posting this thread is to to try and draw out any fact based evidence which might exist out there to confirm whether this material was ever originally captured. I should also add that I have no issue in being proven wrong.

One final request. Could responses please concentrate on the point at hand as I do not wish the thread to become derailed as to the various ways in which the 1944 data can be partially reconstructed as that is in itself an entirely separate issue.