1./(F)123 Losses 1943

[Melvin Brownless]

Hi Guys,

As some of you will know I have been researching this recon unit for many years and have compiled all the losses from 1939 - 1942. I managed to get all the NVM reports from WASt in Berlin before they became no longer available. I am hoping that some of our members can help with losses for the 1 Staffel for the year 1943. Any details would be greatly appreciated by myself.

Thank you

Melvin

www.aircrewremembrancesociety.co.uk

[Chris Goss]

Unfortunately cannot help you but do you know who flew 1/123's 1000th operational flight on 18 Jul 42 as I have a commemorative plate made in Quimper to that event

[Melvin Brownless]

Chris,

I have the details and photos for that event, will try and locate and report back later.

Melvin

[Melvin Brownless]

The aircraft that completed the 1000th mission was the 4U+KH crewed by Lt. Arndt, Fw. Kunze, Fw. Hoefs and Uffz. Hartwig.

[Chris Goss]

Thanks Melvin-here is the plate!

[Melvin Brownless]

Ah Chris, I have seen a similar plate to yours when I visited Fritz Schlichting in Detmold in 2004, he had the same plate hanging on his wall! Have attached a couple of images of the two plates he had and the original showing the two plates in the Staffel Album. He also had a carved model of a Ju 88 diving on England on his desk. Sadly Fritz is no longer with us, he was around 90 years of age when I visited. Hope you like the pictures.

Melvin

[edNorth]

Larry de Zeng.

"15-30 June 1943: the Staffel too delivery of 6 Ju 88 T-2, which was a new, significantly faster high altitude version of the Ju 88 that was specifically outfitted with aerial camera installations."

Well. Not Ju 88 T-2, version was Ju 88 T-1 (BMW 801 engines replacing Jumo 211 J). These were conversions from Ju 88 D-1 Recce. Ju 88 D-1 already was Photo recce airplane, and major production version since summer 1941, so statement is false (pointless), only BMW 801 versions were faster at altitude. Yet were relatively easily caught by RAF Spitfires. In my opinion these were too late, and relatively few were converted.

For example. 430614 mentioned in list in previous post (really 0880430614) was the 7th conversion - the "T/7", not A-4, that is false.
(Source: Modification lists)

17 August 1943: Ju 88 A-4 (4U+DH) FTR from the Algiers area, 100%, Oblt. Hugo Diebold (observer) + 2 MIA.

430614 Ju 88 T-1´ [4U+DH] 1.(F)/123 (Luftflotte 2)
OPS (F) missing (100%) unk location (Algier) 17.08.1943 (F Uffz. Wolfgang Hüter, B Oblt. Hugo Diebold and BF Uffz. Hans-Dietrich Kaminski mis)
[as A4 430614 in GQM losses, Salonen NVM]

Regards
Ed

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Some victors of the above losses:

26 June 1943: 1st Lt. John A. Urban, 346th FS, 350th FG claimed a Ju 88 in Algiers area

8 July 1943: 1st Lt. Robert E. Armstrong, Jr., 4th FS, 52nd FG claimed a photo-recon Ju 88 west of Bizerte. Hit b yreturn fire, bailed out and ended in the same hospital than a German survivor, Lt Hermann "Schmick" (noted Lt Henry Schmidt in Charles' post above)
(description in the book "Spitfires and Yellow Tail Mustangs", p 52)

22 August 1943: 4U+DH was shot down by Flt Lt Ken Debenham of 249 Sqn
(book "Spitfires over Sicily", pages 196-197)

27 August 1943: 4U+1H was shot down by Flg Off Ken MacBain RCAF of 249 Sqn
(book "Spitfires over Sicily", pages 200)

8 November 1943: I have no claim by P-38 units, the only USAAF claim in MTO this day was by 1st Lt. Clarence F Musgrave of 65th FS, 57th FG who claimed a Ju 88 shot down off Pescara, Italy between 14h35 and 15h35. This unit was flying P-40s and preparing to convert to P-47.

26 November 1943: Sqn Ldr Peter Lawrence Parrott, CO of 43 Sqn RAF claimed a shared Ju 88 shot down off Capua.
(Osprey Aviation Elite Units 9)

22 December 1943: two French Spitfires of GC II/7 "Nice", flown by Lt Prunget and adjudant Haberkorn shot down around noon a Ju 88 in the sea, 50 km WSW of Ajaccio, Corsica.
(book "Pilotes français sur l'Afrique du Nord et la Corse", pages 344-345)

[RT]

Re: 1./(F)123 Losses 1943

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Ju 88 D-1, 430674, 4U+AH. Target Algiers. Ofw Gerhard Pieper-F, Oblt Hans Arndt-B, Ofw Walter Rein-BF all missing. Looks like the Kunze crew were a victim of Flt Sgt Frank Murphy of 486 Sqn 1850 hrs 30 miles south of St Catherine's Point
Goss

You mean the 16.Febr. loss probably ??

Rémi

[edNorth]

Here is good overview of Ju 88 T-1´s assigned to this unit.

http://www.ww2.dk/oob/bestand/aufkl/b1ag123.html