13 April 1944 - LW losses over Hungary

[Adriano Baumgartner]

Good morning to all members.

Does the book written by Willi Rechske (Jagdgeschwader 301/302 "wilde sau") list the JG 301 losses for the 13 April 1944 over Hungary?

Could someone help me, checking and, eventually informing the total losses of JG 301 that day?

So far I do have only the following LW losses:
4./JG 301 > Oblt. Kurt Jäger
4./ZG 1 > Lt. Wilhelm Meillinger

Both air gunners and fighter pilots (14th FG, 1st FG, 325th FG) claimed some 33-40 claims that day...at least (there is an old thread here at TOCH) 2 Reggiane 2001 from the Royal Hungarian Air Force.

JG 27 and ZG 76 were in action that day over Hungary...are there losses recorded amongst their crewmembers?

A.

[Laurent Rizzotti]

From the database of summary Luftwaffe losses:
JG 27: II./JG 27 lost 3 aircraft destroyed and 1 damaged, all by gunfire from enemy fighters
JG 301: I./JG 301 lost 2 aircraft destroyed and 1 damaged and II./JG 301 lost 2 aircraft destroyed, all by gunfire from enemy fighters.
ZG 1 and ZG 76: no loss in the database

From http://www.denkmalprojekt.org/covers..._wk2_index.htm, JG 27 lost no killed that day while Oblt Kurt Jäger was the only dead of JG 301.

[tonda75]

Hi,
in the book: Willi Reschke Jagdgeschwader 301/302 there are 3 losses of
JG 301 from 13.4.44.
But only Olt.K.Jäger over Hungary
Regards Tony

[tonda75]

Hello,
Lt.Wilhelm Meilinger 4./ZG 1 was shot down on 13.4.1944 by a member of the Slovak Air Force rtk.Rudolf Božik unit: letka 13, which flew the Bf 109E-2 W.Nr.972 .
Tony

[Rottler]

Hello Adriano,

to your post #1 "…JG 27 and ZG 76 were in action that day over Hungary...are there losses recorded amongst their crewmembers?"
JFV 13/I says:
The I./JG 27 (28 Bf 109), III./JG 27 (17 Bf 109) and IV./JG 27 (18 Bf 109) were in action in the Raab area (11.45 hrs contact with a B-17 formation) without loss, the II./ZG 76 (20 Bf 110) was in action in the Budapest area (12.45 hrs contact with a B-24 formation) without loss.

Regards
Leo

[Adriano Baumgartner]

Laurent, Leo and Tony;

My gratitude for the information supplied, it helped a lot.
Can someone inform me the werknummer and pilot's name of the other II Gruppe JG 301 loss for that day?

Again, my deepest gratitude.

Adriano

[tonda75]

Hello,
13.4.44 Oblt.Jäger was the only loss of II.Gruppe JG 301.
Two injured pilots were reported by I./JG 301.
Tony

[Rottler]

Hello Adriano,

the II./JG 301 lost two aircraft on 13 April 1944. Apart from Oblt Jäger in the loss table of JFV 13/VI is listed: II./JG 301 N.N. Luftkampf, Ort unbekannt, 100% Bf 109 G-6. Unfortunately no pilot’s name and Werknummer.

Regards
Leo

[Adriano Baumgartner]

Leo,

Thank you very much for this information. The 15 AF fighter pilots (1st FG, 82nd FG and 325th FG) claimed 7 Bf 109 shot down and 1 Bf 109 damaged.

We do have indeed 7 Bf 109 shot down (JG 27 and JG 301) plus 2 damaged. However it seems that Oblt Kurt Jäger was shot down by defensive fire from the B-24 he was attacking. It seems his airplane was on fire and that he did not bailed out.

461st BG gunners claimed 3 aircraft shot down, but I do not know what they claimed. Certainly other gunners from other BG also claimed (reports do show between 33 and 40 claims between the Fighter pilots and the Air Gunners).

A.

[Peter Kassak]

II. ZG 76 had no losses, however 3 planes landed due to lack of fuel in Pressburg airport....

as for the 461.BG:
Target for 461.BG crews was Duna Tokol Aircraft Components Factory at Budapest, Hungary. On this mission a total of 58 enemy aircraft were seen by 461.BG crews. Several encounters were experienced, three enemy planes were destroyed and three more claimed as probable by board gunners. Twin-engine enemy airplanes fired rockets at the formation. Single engine enemy airplanes flew parallel with the Group at a safe distance and radioed headings, altitude, and air speed to their ground installations.

Two bombers were lost over the target. 1st Lt. Charles W. Bauman, flying the deputy lead position in “A” Flight of the second Section, had part of a wing shot off by flak. His plane fell into the plane in the number 4 position of the same flight, which was piloted by 2nd Lt. Paul S. Mowery. A third plane B-24H-15-FO 42-52409 “Hell's A Poppin”, flown by 2nd Lt. Kay B. Steele, which had come off the target with the formation, failed to return to the base. Colonel Glantzberg, who was flying as co-pilot in a plane in the second Section, led a small formation of planes in chasing attacking Ju 88s (sic. Possibly Hungarian Me 210s) away from this damaged plane. He was unable, however, to stay with the plane because of an undercast. Fifteen planes were damaged over this target.

so possibly they claimed hungarian opponents...