ANR + Croatian Air Force vs 15th USAAF, 2 Apr 44

[Don Caldwell]

I am looking for details of the interception by the 1º Gruppo Caccia of the ANR and the 2./JGr Kroatien of 15th AF heavy bombers raiding Steyr, Austria on 2 Apr 1944 (base, number, type and time up, time & location of Feindberührung, claims & losses). Any information will be appreciated.

Horrido!

Don

[veltro]

According to the data available, on that day 31 Macchi C.205s of 1° Gruppo operating from Udine-Campoformido a/f effected a combat over Klagenfurth (Pl.Qu. KK) at 10.10 hrs in which 1 P-38 was claimed by M.llo Benati (not confirmed by the Germans) and a "Boeing" was claimed by Ten. Giuseppe Robetto (confirmed by the Germans).

During the combat two C.205s were lost in a collision with the death of Ten. Luigi Marchi (probably flying his "3-3" nicknamed "Paolino IV°") and Ten. Aroldo Burei bailing out wounded. Also M.llo Vittorio Pirchio was wounded in action but apparently not shot down.

On that day also a second mission is reported as effected by 21 C.205s (no place and timing available) claiming a bomber as probable and a P-38 as damaged.

Hope this helps

[Nick Beale]

The attached items might help. They come from National Archives AIR23/8312, "MAAF Weekly Air Intelligence summaries Nos. 61-75."

To upload the map, I had to crop the edges and split it into two sections but all the important information is there.

[RT]

I wonder which was the unit that supplied the Ju88 as Fühlungshalter

Remi

[veltro]

As reported in our book "Air War Italy 1944-45" (concerning operations taking place a few months later), it could have been Luftbeobachter Staffel 7, its Ju 88s operating from Villaorba (Udine).

HTH

[Don Caldwell]

Thanks Ferdinando & Nick -- I knew you'd come thru with just the ANR info I needed. Thanks for the map, Nick -- on my examination of AIR 23 during my last trip to the PRO the only maps I could find in the MAAF Intops Summaries were hand-scrawled "roughs" without enuf data to be of use. I got impatient, I guess...

I still need a little data for the Croatian unit -- loss details would be a good start. Are there any Croats out there?

Don

[Andreas Brekken]

Hi, Don

Apparently, the Croatioan unit did not sustain any losses (or at least no aircraft lost).

Closest dates in the loss returns are one aircraft on March 31st and one on April 5th, no losses reported between these dates.

Regards,
Andreas B

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by Don Caldwell

-- on my examination of AIR 23 during my last trip to the PRO the only maps I could find in the MAAF Intops Summaries were hand-scrawled "roughs" --

Don

With over 8,000 files in AIR23, I can see how you might miss one! Did you find the MASAF (Mediterranean Allied Strategic Air Force) Daily Ops Summaries in the same series?

[Don Caldwell]

Thanks, Andreas -- I'll write the Croat effort off as modest; the small force apparently filed no claims.

NIck --

I may have seen the MASAF Ops Summaries in 2000, but flipped over them. I did find some MAAF SigInt Summaries in AIR26, but on the whole found these files less helpful than the ETO SigInts in AIR22 and the Y-Intercepts in AIR40 -- of course, the intelligence efforts from England were blessed with much larger staffs and more resources. Is there Luftwaffe (or other Axis) material in the MASAF Ops Summaries? If so, can you recommend any specific (reasonably-sized) files I might order?

Don

[Larry deZeng]

Here are some notes on the Jagdstaffel during spring 1944 that come from a few sources other than from the excellent Dragan Savić/Boris Ciglić, Croatian Aces of World War 2 (Osprey Aircraft of the Aces No. 49, published in 2002):

Kroatische Jagdgruppe 1

Jan 44: The crews for 2. u. 3. Staffel were drawn from Croatian pilots who had recently completed an A/B course at a German flight school in Bohemia followed by a Bf 109 fighter school in France. They returned to Croatia in early January 1944 and were assigned to Velika Gorica where the two Staffeln were to be formed. Plans to outfit the Staffeln with Bf 109s were canceled, and at the end of January the pilots went to Italy to collect Macchi C.202s and Fiat G.50s. While undergoing conversion training in Italy, three pilots were killed in crashes and the entire group was sent back to Croatia. At the end of February the pilots returned to Italy to take delivery of the fighters. (AMWIS No. 244, 6 May 1944).

1 Mar 44: Gruppenstab, 2. u. 3. Staffel based at Velika Gorica awaiting delivery of aircraft, each Staffel with 12 to 13 pilots; 1. Staffel (a.k.a. 15.(kroat.)/JG 52) was still at Karankut/Crimea. The Gruppe had a total of 305 personnel on this date excluding 1. Staffel. By the end of March, the two Staffeln had a total of 11-12 Macchi C.202s, with Satnik Bencetić as Staka of 2. Staffel and Bojnik Helebrant as Staka of 3. Staffel. (CSDIC A.22 plus microfilm sources).

2 Apr 44: Two Macchi C.202s from 2. Staffel took off to intercept the 15th AAF B-24 raid with one of the pilots claiming a bomber but without confirmation. No losses. (Savić/Ciglić, p.63).

BENCETIĆ, Ljudevit. (DOB: 26.12.10 in Zagreb). Former Royal Yugoslav AF pilot. 05.41 joined Croatian AF. 14.06.41 AF Nadporučnik, assigned to 7th Squadron at Sarajevo-Rajlovac this date. 28.06.41 had to make a forced landing during operations in Hercegovina. 07.41 AF Nadporučnik, volunteered for the Croatian Luftwaffe Legion, trained at JFS 4 Fürth, and then departed for Ukraine on 28.09.41. c. 11.42 returned to Croatia on completion of his first tour. 12.02.43 departed Croatia to begin second tour in South Russia (Crimea). 07.43 transferred to JFS 4 Fürth as an instructor (to 09.43). 09.43 assigned to Luftwaffe Gruppe Südost/Flugzeugüberführungsgeschwader 1 at Wiener Neustadt and employed as a ferry pilot to c.12.43. 10.12.43 promoted to AF Satnik. 23.12.43 appointed CO of 3d (operational training) Squadron/Fighter Group of the Croatian Lw. Legion at Velika Gorica. 01.03.44 AF Satnik, CO of 2d Squadron/Fighter Group of the Croatian Lw. Legion at Zagreb – Velika Gorica and later at Zagreb – Lučko. 09.44 appointed CO of 14th Fighter Squadron (MS 406s) at Banja-Luka– Zalužani and shortly after that 13th Squadron at Bjelovar. 11.44 appointed CO of 2d Fighter Squadron at Zagreb-Borongaj. 07.45 handed over to the Yugoslavs by the British but granted amnesty and lived in Germany until he died in the late 1980’s. By war’s end credited with 16 confirmed victories plus 2 unconfirmed.

HELEBRANT (HELLEBRANT), Josip. (DOB: 14.10.10 in Karlovac). 06.04.41 Kapetan II klase, CO of 16th Airfield Co./Royal Yugoslav Air Force at Krusedol. 06.41 entered the CAF as a Satnik. 08.41 volunteered for the Croatian Luftwaffe Legion. 1942-43 with 15.(kroat.)/JG 52 in South Russia. c. 07.43 reassigned to German JG 104 at Fürth as an instructor. 10.12.43 promoted to Bojnik. 23.12.43 appt CO of 2. Jagdstaffel/Kroat. Luftwaffen-Legion. 01.03.44 now CO of 3. Jagdstaffel/Kroat. Luftwaffen-Legion (to 07.44). 15.07.44 appt CO of 2d Airfield Bn. (or 2d Air Gp.?) Sarajevo. 12.44 AF Bojnik, appt the last CO of the now consolidated 1. Kroat. Jagdgruppe at Zagreb-Lučko. (11 confirmed victories, 1 unconfirmed).

Based on comments in Savić/Ciglić and in question/answer correspondence I had with Bencetić in the mid-1980s through my old friend (now deceased) Mato Dukovac, the Jagdgruppe at Velika Gorica was forbidden at that time to do any more than go after damaged aircraft and stragglers because the Gruppe was still officially "in formation" and filled with "green" pilots with only a couple of Eastern Front veterans on the rolls.


Larry