Question about Bodenplatte book

[Kutscha]

I./JG26 had 32 Fw190D-9s serviceable but 46 were flown.
II./JG26 had 32 Fw190D-9s serviceable but 44 were flown.

How can more a/c be flown than were serviceable?

[Zippy1]

Which book ?

[Kutscha]

Originally Posted by Zippy1

Which book ?

There is only one, the Putz/Manrho one.

[John Manrho]

Hello Kutscha,

I assume you are referring to Appendix 2 of the book. Indeed this is probably not clearly explained.

If you take Appendix 2 in fact all details and numbers in the columns UP TO and INCLUDING the column "Pilots Not Ready" come from the strength returns of December 31st 1944. This was reported by the unit. The original source is RL2-III-734 (BAMA Freiburg). I believe these are the strength returns from early morning 31.12.1944.

However, I took the numbers in the last two columns (under mission 1.1.45) from other available sources (Ultra, KTB's, etc.) giving the exact numbers of the mission of Bodenplatte or the best I had.

Both are not very good explained in the Appendix 2. Why I. and II./JG 26 had more a/c available is due to the fact that several new a/c were flown in by ferry pilots on 31.12.44, some of them even participated in the mission. I am not sure if that was actually explained in the JG 26 chapter, I did not read the book for many years....:-)

Regards,

John

[Kutscha]

Thank you very much John. I suspected was the reason.

[Zippy1]

Originally Posted by Kutscha

There is only one, the Putz/Manrho one.

No, there is also Battle of the airfields by Frank Wooton.

[Allan125]

Hello Zippy1

My copy of The Battle of the Airfields is by Norman Franks ISBN 0-7183-0448-9 published 1982

Allan

[Zippy1]

Originally Posted by Allan125

Hello Zippy1

My copy of The Battle of the Airfields is by Norman Franks ISBN 0-7183-0448-9 published 1982

Allan

Yes my error :-)

[Jochen Prien]

Dear John,

the strength returns referred to the status at the end of the day, i.e. after the days operations were over. As for 1 January 1945 I know from several Units that the Ground Crew had to work extra shifts to get as many a/c Ready for the New Year Operation so that a number of those listed as u/s in the evening were ready the next morning. A/c ferried in during the day may not already have been officially taken on strength when the strength return was filed and therefore didn't appear on the list but were nevertheless flown on 1 January 1945, but this is only an assumption.

Best

Jochen

[John Manrho]

Dear Jochen,

Many thanks for the information. Must be at 18.00 hours, just like many Lfl.6 Strength Reports. This means that at least II./JG 26 received several a/c ferried in. Their total strength was 39 a/c and they flew the mission with 44 a/c. We know a FlüG pilot flew a 7./JG 26 a/c and was killed on 1.1.1945.

Regards,

John