LAST DO 17 TO BE SHOT DOWN

[Chris Goss]

Apart from Matti, can anyone tell me if any Do 17s were lost in air-to-air combat after 10 October 1944 when a Do 17 Z of Nahaufklärunggruppe Kroatien was shot down by 39 Sqn

[Juha]

FiAF Do-17 Zs didn't suffer any combat losses after that day.

BTW the last combat sortie of FiAF's Do 17 Zs was flown on 4.4.1945 (DN-55, photo recon)

Juha

[Chris Goss]

Thanks Juha. I should have been specific by saying German or Croat but it is useful to know

[Boris Ciglic]

Hello Chris,

On 30 March 1945 F/O Norman Pearce of 73 Squadron shot down Croat AF Do 17Z '0401' near Perušić village. You have the details in my Do 17 book, which I sent you many years ago

Cheers,
Boris

[Chris Goss]

Boris: I have it and have been using it and it will get mentioned in the bibliography. This is useful as my next book will be Luftwaffe only and what you have said will be used in the next one....................!

[Hans Mcilveen]

Chris,
Not sure if they suffered any air-to-air losses but the Do 17's of Schleppstaffel z.v.V. Reich (after Hptm. Klaus-Dieter Reich) were in action until the end as glider tugs. Perhaps it is worth investigating this unit.
Hans

[Chris Goss]

Hans: I am aware of this unit but apart from a few accidents as opposed to combat losses, nothing. This unit became 4./Schleppgruppe 1 in Feb 45 from what I can see

[Nick Beale]

Not quite the last but I also have a Do 17 of Luftdienstkommando Italien shot down near Ovada (Province of Alessandria) on 15 May 1944. Source for this is BA-MA RL 20/311, KTB Nr. 7 of Flughafenbereichskommando 18/XI.

Matti Salonen was able to add the following in a post back in July 2011:

1944-05-15, Ld.Kdo. Italien, Do 17E, 3077, Südöstlich Ovada, 30 km nordwestlich Genua, Jägerbeschuß. Bruch 100 %.
F Ofw Ludwig, Gerhard, tot
B Uffz Neumann, Erwin, tot
Bf Uffz Bachhuber, Josef, verletzt

[Chris Goss]

Thanks Nick. By whom is now the question

[Stig Jarlevik]

WNr 3077 sounds very high for an E version.
Can someone confirm that subtype E was still in production in the midst of large numbers of Do 17 Z?

Cheers
Stig