Airfield Strafing Victims

[Don Caldwell]

Hello all --

I’m trying to help the author of a book on 8AF "strafing aces". He's trying to identify Luftwaffe victims. I know that this is a very tough job, and have told him so. But can any of you can identify by type and unit any aircraft that were destroyed in strafing attacks on these airfields on these dates?

Giebelstadt ---------- 6 Jan 45
Giebelstadt ---------- 13 Jan 45
Hopsten -------------- 21 Mar 45
Brunnthal ------------ 9 Apr 45
Brunnthal ------------ 16 Apr 45
Bad Aibling ---------- 16 Apr 45
Riesa Canitz --------- 17 Apr 45

Any help will be appreciated.

-- Don

[Larry deZeng]

Giebelstadt:
6 Jan 45: low-level attack by VIII Fighter Command P-51s – claimed 9 x Ju 88s, 2 x Do 217s and 3 x unidentified aircraft destroyed.
13 Jan 45: low-level attack by VIII Fighter Command P-51s – claimed 1 x Me 262, 1 x Ju 88 and 1 x Do 217 destroyed, plus 1 x Ju 88 damaged.

Above are Allied CLAIMS. Actual Luftwaffe figures are far and few between. What exist are in the BNA/PRO HW collections. Here's an example of a German one:

Steinamanger (Szombathely):
21 Oct 44: bombed and strafed by 15th AAF B-24s, P-38s and P-51s – 1 x Fw 190 destroyed, 3 x He 111 Bs, 2 x Bf 109s, 2 x Ju 88s and 1 x Hs 129 damaged, telephone lines and electric cables destroyed, buildings damaged, landing area cratered and airfield unserviceable, 4 KIA. (German sources)

L.

[Andrew Arthy]

Hi Don,

For 16 April 1945 at Bad Aibling: "(14.58-15.32). 14 Mustangs made a low-level attack destroying 18 aircraft and damaging 9." (source: Luftwaffe situation reports)

Cheers,
Andrew A.
Air War Publications - www.airwarpublications.com

[Don Caldwell]

Larry, Andrew --

Thanks for the good start. Details of the 8AF strafing claims are readily available. Everyone knows they are excessive. What I'm after are the actual Luftwaffe losses for these specific airfields and dates, identified by their unit if possible. Andrew, does your LW situation report for Bad Aibling give any details?

-- Don

[Andrew Arthy]

Hi Don,

Sadly not. I checked for the other airfields and dates as well, without luck.

Cheers,
Andrew A.
Air War Publications - www.airwarpublications.com

[Larry deZeng]

Don -

The Steinamanger one above that I used as an example IS from 3 Luftwaffe reports filed by the Fliegerhorstkommandantur, each about 8 hours apart and each updating the previous one. Each was a Fernschreiben, the first Blitz ZZZZ, the second ZZZ and the third ZZ.

I have seen perhaps 50 of these Luftwaffe-generated reports out of the thousands that must have been made over the course of the war and none included the identify of the units the destroyed and damaged aircraft belonged. Each unit was supposed to report that themselves and of course when they did they only included their own aircraft. There are a few exceptions to this, but not many. Sorting out the ownership of the burned out wrecks on the landing area and in the dispersals was apparently not the responsibility of the Horst Kommandant.

So Andrew's statement is absolutely correct and probably true for the entire wartime period.

Larry

[Don Caldwell]

Larry, Andrew --

OK, this all makes sense. Thanks to both of you. I'll wait a day to see if anyone has any other thoughts and then put the sad story together for the 8AF author.

-- Don

[RodM]

Hi Don,

regarding:

Hopsten -------------- 21 Mar 45


The relevant Reich Luftlagemeldung for 21 March 1945 doesn't record any strafing attack, only a bombing attack -

Hopsten: 09.30 Uhr 700 Sprb. Schwere Rollfeldschaeden. Werft und Startbahn zerstoert. 2 Me 262 und 3 Bf 109 zerstoert. 20 Gefallene, 20 Verwundete.

An amendment later in the day records -

Hopsten: Startbahn 1 unbrauchbar. Startbahn 2 zur Zeit unbrauchbar. Startbahn 3 zerstoert. Bisher 27 Gefallene, 15 Verwundete.

Regards

Rod

[Don Caldwell]

Hi Rod --

Interesting discrepancy. The 55th FG followed the 1st BD B-17s with 500# frag clusters and strafing. They were credited with 4 Bf 109s and 2 s/e u/i destroyed and 1 Ju 88 damaged. I can see how the Luftwaffe recorded this as one large attack, but the misidentified types can't be explained -- Me 262s were certainly distinctive targets, and P-51 pilots were eager to claim them. So it goes....

-- Don

[drgondog]

Don - you have a conundrum here. The designation of victory credits on the ground toward ace status was entirely in the hands of the 8th AF Victory Credits Board. The sole source for those credits are from that domain.

While it would be interesting to have All the Luftwaffe records for all the locations and all the days available for comparison - assigning a German aircraft actually destroyed to a specific pilot as an 'adjusted credit' - there is no possibility of that.

If the author is developing a book on strafing aces he has to rely on 8th AF VCB as his sole source. Accuracy is not as important as the actual Credit given by the VCB.

I know you know this and were just fishing for some reliable sources wherever they may be...

Regards,

Bill