Luftwaffe operation at this time/area?

[Pathfinder]

Currently working on a commission of 463rd BG B-17s over their target at Moosbierbaun, Austria on Jan 31, 1945.

Can anyone tell me what Luftwaffe aircraft types were operational in this area (Moosbierbaun, Austria) and at this time-frame (Jan 31, 1945)?

If there are details of the actual units, it would be a bonus, but not critical.

Thanks very much.

[Pathfinder]

Any ideas on this would at all would be most appreciated

Merci.

[John Beaman]

Have you tried researching on this site?

http://www.ww2.dk/

[Pathfinder]

Cheers John, I'll give it another look.

[Larry deZeng]

Originally Posted by Pathfinder

Currently working on a commission of 463rd BG B-17s over their target at Moosbierbaun, Austria on Jan 31, 1945.
Can anyone tell me what Luftwaffe aircraft types were operational in this area (Moosbierbaun, Austria) and at this time-frame (Jan 31, 1945)?
If there are details of the actual units, it would be a bonus, but not critical.
Thanks very much.

Fighter operations over Wien were controlled by 8. Jagddivision. After October 1944, 8. Jagddiv. no longer subordinated any of its own day fighter units. Instead, any fighters present to intercept the 15th AAF mission on 31 January 1945 would have been vectored into the area and then handed off to 8. JD for tactical control purposes. No sources that I have seem to say much about this mission, other than it was bombed by 670+ B-24s and B-17s with 300+ P-38s and P-51s flying escort, so it was possibly unopposed, although I cannot confirm that. None of these accounts mention any fighter opposition, whereas they normally do. Furthermore, the KTB/OKW entry for 31 January 1945 makes no mention of the raid at all. Usually, these large daily raids are treated with a 2 or 3 sentence summary that gives the target and German fighter claims and losses. But for the Moosbierbaum mission of 31 January there is zilch, nada, zip.

Perhaps you have some information on the mission that I don’t?

[Pathfinder]

Larry, thanks for this insight into the mission that day. I don't have any information regarding enemy contact during this mission at all.

All I know is the client's (client for my commission) father led the B-17s to the target this day, when other bombadiers had been unable to get the target in the cross-hairs due to cloud cover. The strike he led was so successful that film taken of the bomb-run was used to train bombadiers Stateside, and considered a great example of accurate bombing.

[Brian Bines]

Looking on the 463rd.BG site on http://www.463rd.org/1945missions.htm it shows no losses and no claims for many missions which looks like the Moosbierbaun raid was probaly unopposed. The results are also shown as not observed which suggests poor weather over the target which seems comfirmed by other bombadiers having problems. In these circumstances it is likely that if the Luftwaffe had any fighters available their operations might have been curtailed. Looks like the clients father done really well with his bombing.

[Larry deZeng]

Using "Wien Moosbierbaum Luftangriff Januar 1945" to search Google with language preference GERMAN, I turned up 371 hits. The best is this one: http://www.geheimprojekte.at/t_dora.html .

According to these sites, the 31 January raids (2 of them) caused very little damage. It was the raid the next day, 1 February, that clobbered the synthetic refinery, with 1,200 to 1,500 bombs on target. Production at the plant was disasterously reduced. Again, no mention what so ever of fighter interception and it appears no claims were made by the Flakartillerie either. The plant was heavily defended by Flakuntergruppe Moosbierbaum, which consisted largely of RAD batteries.

Further reading on the air attacks on Moosbierbaum here:

Quellen und weiterführende Literatur
- Das Werden der Donau Chemie AG; R. Richter.
- Decknamenverzeichnis deutscher unterirdischer Bauten; H.W. Wichert
- Rüstung in Österreich;, N. Schausberger
- Der Luftkrieg über Österreich 1939-1945; J. Ulrich
- Der Einsatz der Flak-Batterien im Wiener Raum 1940-1945; G. Holzmann

Larry

[Pathfinder]

Whoops, missed this latest reply. Excellent info, Larry! Thanks.