II. and III./JG54 nighttime victories Eastern Front summer 1942

[kirche]

Originally Posted by Nick Hector

Hptm. Joachim Wandel: 36 5./JG54 U-2 - 00.25
Lt. Wolfgang Kretschmer: 10 5./JG54 U-2 N Kraseja 00.26
Hptm. Joachim Wandel: 37 5./JG54 R-5 - 00.40
These three possibly from 645 LBAP, 242 NBAD, 6 VA. Pilots Nikolai Semyonovich Gorbushin, Lev Aleksandrovich Uvarov and Pavel Fedotovich Didenko plus gunners Ivan Sergeyevich Bozhevalov and Yakov Koshkin all KIA.

Hello,
25-26.06.1942
645 LBAP
"In the target area, aircraft were fired by anti-aircraft guns, small anti-aircraft artillery and anti-aircraft machine guns. During the attack on the Glebovshchina airfield, U-2 aircraft were attacked by enemy fighters of the Me-109 type. Our losses (in general for all tasks): MIA - 2 U-2 (Didenko-Koshkin; Gorbushin-Bozhevalov). Two U-2 planes were shot down by Me-109 attacks, and as a result they made emergency landings on their territory. The crews of both aircrafts are wounded, the aircrafts cannot be repaired (Uvarov-Lebedev; Ryabov-Oreshko)"
Only crews of Uvarov-Lebedev; Ryabov-Oreshko are indicated as being attacked by Me-109's. Two other crews could have disappeared on another mission (the division made 100 sorties, of which 87 were U-2 (40 were U-2s). The bombing of two airfields (Tuleblya and Glebovshchina) is no more than 1/3 sorties. Fighter aircraft is indicated only over Glebovschina.

Also losses VVS Volkhov Front - 6 U-2:
VVS 4A - 1 U-2 (MIA) - ? 689 NBAP (Onufriev-Petelin)
VVS 2A - 2 U-2 (MIA) - ? 696 НБАП (Pilots Plyusch and Kornilaev; navigators Kolosov and Khokhanov. Crew separation not known to me)
VVS 52A - 2 U-2 (MIA) - ? 662 LBAP (Koltayevskiy-Ryzhak; Revyakin-Goryachev)
VVS 59A - 1 U-2 (MIA) - ? 660 NBAP (Silayev-Lazarev)

[Theo Boiten]

Thanks Kirche for posting these additional details. Having read and digested your reply, may I ask one question; where can I find Glebovshchina airfield? The only place with this name that I can find on Google maps is in Belarus, NNE of Minsk, and that is outside the area were 5./JG54 operated on this night (in the Demyansk area).

Cheers, Theo

[Theo Boiten]

.. and one additional question: who can tell me where 8./JG54 and the Stab III./JG54 were based during the final week of June 1942?

Cheers and thanks, Theo

[kirche]

Originally Posted by Theo Boiten

may I ask one question; where can I find Glebovshchina airfield?

Hello Theo,
Glebovshchina (Gljebowschtschina) - this is the main airfield of Demyansk (3 km North-East of the city)
http://etomesto.com/map-atlas_osteur...43&y=57.662987
Kraseya (Korseja) is North of Glebovshchina

[Theo Boiten]

Thanks for explaining! Cheers, Theo