KGr 100 losses or damaged aircraft/WIA personnel - night of March 1941

[Adriano Baumgartner]

Good night to all,

I am looking for any damage report or loss reported by Kampfgruppe 100 on the night of 15-16th March 1941.

Both 82 and 21 Squadrons bombed and machine gunned the airfield at low level, claiming some fires on aircraft and buildings on the ground.

Is there ANY confirmed Damage Report (e.g.: a Heinkel 111 40% damaged), or LW personnel loss reported THAT NIGHT?

IT is probable that KGr 100's Commanding Officer may have sent a signal (ULTRA) on the 16th or 17th March 1941, reporting his losses or damages suffered.

ANY information regarding this particular attack will be most welcomed.

Adriano B.

[Chris Goss]

Adriano-I can see nothing but what airfield are you talking about to be sure?

[Adriano Baumgartner]

Dear Chris,

Matti, who have helped quite a number of us here on the Forum passed me the loss list for that night. Indeed there was NO loss recorded at VANNES-MEUCON that night, although some RAF aircrew reported setting fire on the Dispersal area and bombing the runway with 250 lb G.P. bombs. At least one machine was hit by German Flak and lost hidraulic fluid. It belly-landed back home.
There seems to be reports of one aircraft set on fire on the ground....this is why I tried to find the relative KGr 100 loss or damage that particular night.

Most humbly yours,
Adriano B.

[Adriano Baumgartner]

Since I am not familiar with ULTRA, I have not managed to find if KGr 100 reported personnel wounded on the ground or the results of this night attack, via Enigma to the Luftflotte, etc....
The RAF airmen reported hitting something at VANNES-MEUCON and setting something on fire...."where there is smoke, there is therefore fire"...so my track is not lost...something was indeed hit....WHAT, this what I am looking for....

Adriano B.

[Adriano Baumgartner]

By the way, Vannes-Meucon was a relatively small airfield. Of course, by March 1941 it was improved, from what the Germans found in 1940...but if memory does not fail me, there were not too much dispersals.
I do not know the Meteorological Conditions (ceiling and visibility) for that particular night, but the attacks ocurred from 3,000 up to 1,000 feet...so not too high (very low indeed for my personal point of view). Just one crew did not find the target, all the ohter six bombed and reported the results.
IF there were Luftwaffe personnel losses that night, do you happen to know WHERE I could find? Perhaps at Vannes-Meucon Cemitery?? Is there a German similar site to the CGWC?
Thanks for any help in tracking down the LW losses or damages that night

Adriano B.

[Andrew Arthy]

Hi Adriano,

Here's a German report on the results of this attack:

"Auf dem Flugplatz Vannes durch Bombentreffer in einer Baracke 10 Soldaten getötet, sowie 7 schwer verletzt. Lebhafte Flakabwehr blieb ohne erkennbaren Erfolg. Eine S-Anlage wurde mit mehreren Sprengbomben angegriffen."

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

[Merlin]

The "S-Anlage" means Scheinanlage, a dummy airfield with decoys.

[Adriano Baumgartner]

Dear ANDREW,

DO HAVE NO WORDS to express my gratitude! This is what I was looking for. Would it be possible, to obtain the Reference for that piece of information? I mean, was it sent via ULTRA, or passed to the High Command (Luftflotte); or was just a Whermacht Communiqué?

Gerhard Stemmer, although my Family came from Switzerland (mid 1870), I do not speak German...only do recognize some words and small sentences (very very basic). I managed to translate almost all the message, but could you help me with that one:

Lebhafte Flakabwehr blieb ohne erkennbaren Erfolg.

In English: Lively flak defense remained unrecognizable.

I understood that although the Flak batteries around Vannes were active and may have fired a lot, they probably achieved nothing....(although we do know from the RAF side, that one Blenheim IV was severly hit and had to make a belly landing, after loosing the hidraulics).

Do some of you happen to know if there is a German site like the CGWC, where I can find BY DATE, the recorded losses (Whermacht, Luftwaffe, etc)? IF this site exist, this could help me identifying the 10 Luftwaffe airmen killed that night.

Thank you so muc Andrew and Gerhard, for the precise help and information I was looking for.

Adriano B.

[Chris Goss]

Adriano: This is the German equivalent of the CWGC:

http://www.volksbund.de/graebersuche/

However, I have always searched by name

[Andrew Arthy]

Hi Adriano,

The source is the Luftwaffe Lagebericht for 15 March and the night of 15/16 March 1941. I checked ULTRA and could find nothing there about the attack. As for the translation, the anti-aircraft guns put up lively fire, but there was no recognizable success.

A little more on the attack, also from the Lagebericht: "00.50-01.30 Vannes, 35 Sprb., Abwurf auf den Platzrand des Flugplatzes. 10 Soldaten (Infanteristen) tot, 7 schwer verletzt. 1 Baracke in Brand geraten. Ausserdem wurde 1 S.-Anlage mit mehreren Sprengbomben angegriffen."

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