Seeking Night-Fighters losses on 14/15 April 1943 - Stuttgart Raid

[Adriano Baumgartner]

Good afternoon/night for all!
I am seeking details and information about Luftwaffe night-fighter losses during the RAF Bomber Command attack on Stuttgart, during the night of 14 to 15 April 1943. I am checking some LW claims as well as RAF losses and read about a tail gunner shooting down on of the attackers. I am aware that III/NJG 4 as well as NJG 2 were very active that night.
ANY data about the LW losses that night would be great.
Thanks in advance
Adriano Baumgartner

[Jérémie Tarpon]

Hello Adriano,

I will check this evening, but it seems that only one Bf 110 from III./NJG 4 was shot down in combat during this night. Some other night-fighters were destroyed or damaged by accident. By the way, the bombers were engaged by the four Gruppen from NJG 4 and by NJG 101 (not by NJG 2).

Best regards,

Jérémie

[Adriano Baumgartner]

( MERCI ) Thanks a lot JÉREMIE,
I will wait for your help this night ( am also working ), but I found 2 claims over Wellingtons in the name of Fw. Lüddecke from NJG 2. I was trying to match those two claims, as one Wellington attacked by a Ju 88 ( identified by the crew ) headed for Switzerland where the crew bailed out. Two other bombers ( a Wellington and a Halifax ) were severely damaged by night-fighters, but returned home. Altogether, 8 Wellingtons did not return. I found NO claim submitted by NJG 101 that night. Were they flying Do 217 that night?
Thanks a lot for your help.
Adriano

[Stig Jarlevik]

Well Adriano

I really think you should get Theo Boiten and Rod Mackenzie's two volume books about the German night fighter forces agains the West. They don't include the East or the Meds but are very valuable pieces of history!

In the West only NJG 4 made confirmed claims against the RAF bombers, although almost all the Geschwadern in the west sent up at least some night fighters (NJG 1, 2, 4, 5 and 101).
One claim made by the commander of III./NJG 101 has vanished or is not possible to locate today or was perhaps possibly never confirmed.

II./NJG 2 were based at Comiso in Italy at the time and had nothing to do with the Wellingtons from British bases. Fw Lubenkas claims were over North Africa and at least one was from 40 Sq. Not sure where Fw Lüddecke name comes from, but no such name is listed in my sources

Cheers
Stig

[Jérémie Tarpon]

Good evening Adriano,

Actually, there are two German losses associated with the Stuttgart operation:
a Bf 110 from 7./NJG 4 hit by a bomber near Juvincourt: aircraft undamaged, Uffz Erwin Hof (Bf) wounded;
Bf 110 F-4 WNr 4744 from 11./NJG 4 that crash-landed near Mainz-Finthen airfield after having been damaged in combat, crew Hptm Karl Floitgraf / Fw Kessel both wounded.
The other losses were either non operational or due to accidents, in particular the Bf 110 G-4 of Lt Wolfgang Kuthe (killed) from 11./NJG 1.

Regarding the Luftwaffe claims, Stig is right about NJG 2. For NJG 101, some German documents (Anerkannte Abschüsse des XII. Fliegerkorps[BA-MA(RL 8/90)] and KTB Jagdfliegerführer Süddeutschland Jan – May 43[BA-MA(RL 8/211)]) mention two victories by Maj Helmut Peters and Lt Kohrt flying a Bf 110 of Stab III./NJG 101:
the first one is a Stirling shot down at 0043 near Großbottwar (it is most probably Stirling 7/G BK769);
as far as the second is concerned (a Wellington attacked between 0134 and 0139), Jagdfliegerführer Süddeutschland was convinced it was 428/F HE176 that finally crashed at 0212 near Plattenhof (having read the reports made by the survivors, I am not so convinced!).

Finally, according to the statements of the crew that bailed out over Switzerland, it seems probable that their Wellington 431/X was attacked in the IV./NJG 4 area, possibly by Hptm Floitgraf, but several bombers have reported damaged night-fighters and it is difficult to conclude.

Best wishes,

Jérémie

[Adriano Baumgartner]

Jéremie and Stig,
Many thanks for the new information ( for me ) about the actvities of NJG 101 during the Stuttgart raid in 14/15 April 1943.
I am aware of the books of Theo Boiten and they are on the top of my list of "Wanted"; however they are very expensive for our standards down here...
The information I do have come from Tony Wood´s list ( known to everyone down here ), but allas, as a lot has commented, it is not 100% complete ( there are many mysteries ( claims ) unsolved yet ).
What I found is down below, from which I started to check with the RAF lossses for the Stuttgart raid, some claims were easily matched; however a lot is unmatched yet. I will put down here what I think matches and what I had trouble tonight. Here only the claims from Wood´s list:
Night: 14-15. April 143
R.A.F. Bomber Command: STUTTGART
15.04.43 Ltn. Heinz-Martin Hadeball 12./NJG 4 Wellington �� Mutterscheid: 5.400 m. 00.20 Film C. 2027/I Anerk: Nr.2
15.04.43 Hptm. Floitgraf 11./NJG 4 Stirling �� Bibles bei Worms: 4.000 m. 00.21 Film C. 2027/I Anerk: Nr.1
15.04.43 Hptm. Heinrich Wöhlers Stab IV./NJG 4 Halifax II �� Niederlüstat: 5.000 m. 00.23 Film C. 2027/I Anerk: Nr.93
15.04.43 Fw. Robert Lüddecke 5./NJG 2 Wellington �� 2637 / 07 Ost: no height 01.24 Film C. 2027/I Anerk: Nr.94
15.04.43 Fw. Robert Lüddecke 5./NJG 2 Wellington �� 10 km. S.W. Korba: no height 01.43 Film C. 2027/I Anerk: Nr.47
15.04.43 Ltn. Diaude 4./NJG 4 Wellington �� bei Yainville: 2.900 m. 01.46 Film C. 2027/I Anerk: Nr.48
15.04.43 Hptm. Materne 4./NJG 4 Stirling �� 4 km. S.S.E. Sommerous: 2.000 m. 01.48 Film C. 2027/I Anerk: Nr.20
15.04.43 Oblt. Rudolf Altendorf 2./NJG 4 Stirling �� 1 km. W. Fl.Pl. bei Charleville: 2.900 m. 01.50 Film C. 2027/I Anerk: Nr.42
15.04.43 Oblt. Kurt Fladrich 9./NJG 4 Stirling �� 12 km. E. Reims: 3.300 m. 01.59 Film C. 2027/I Anerk: Nr. -
15.04.43 Ofw. Reinhard Kollak 7./NJG 4 Lancaster �� 27 km. E. Reims: 3.000 m. 02.11 Film C. 2027/I Anerk: Nr.35
15.04.43 Oblt. Rudolf Altendorf 2./NJG 4 Halifax �� 2 km. S.W. Eppe-Taurage: 5.100 m. 02.18 Film C. 2027/I Anerk: Nr.21
15.04.43 Ltn. Fritz Gräff Stab I./NJG 4 Stirling �� 5 km. S.S.E. Namur: 3.400 m. 02.23 Film C. 2027/I Anerk: Nr.35
15.04.43 Maj. Kurt Holler Stab III./NJG 4 Stirling �� 20 km. N.E. St. Quentin: 3.700 m. 02.30 Film C. 2027/I Anerk: Nr.26
15.04.43 Hptm. Hans-Karl Kamp 7./NJG 4 Wellington �� 5 km. E. St. Quentin: 3.800 m. 02.50 Film C. 2027/I Anerk: Nr.36
15.04.43 Ltn. Helmut Bergmann Stab III./NJG 4 Wellington �� 5 km. S.W. St. Quentin: 3.800 m. 02.55 Film C. 2027/I Anerk: Nr.27
15.04.43 Hptm. Hans-Karl Kamp 7./NJG 4 Halifax �� 1 km. N. Reims: 3.800 m. 02.57 Film C. 2027/I Anerk: Nr.37
15.04.43 Maj. Kurt Holler Stab III./NJG 4 Wellington �� 2 km. N. Rocquiguer: 3.900 m. 02.58 Film C. 2027/I Anerk: Nr.28
15.04.43 Hptm. Materne 4./NJG 4 Stirling �� 25 km. N.N.W. Châlons-sur-Marne: 400 m. 03.04 Film C. 2027/I Anerk: Nr.LG
15.04.43 Ltn. Helmut Bergmann Stab III./NJG 4 Halifax �� 15 km. S.W. St. Quentin: 3.100 m. 03.22 Film C. 2027/I Anerk: Nr.29

We can see the claims of Fw Robert Lüddecke. I tried but got no joy in identifying the places, but as Stig wrote, maybe KORBA is on the Mediterrenean!

Many thanks for both of you for enhancing my knowledge about this particular raid. May I ask you, STIG, could you give me the name of the Flieger of 7./NJG 4 machine? Do you have the codes of both machines of NJG 4 ( 7. Staffel and 11. Staffel )?

Thanks a lot
Adriano

[Stig Jarlevik]

Sorry Adriano

As is so often the case the pilot of the almost undamaged Bf 110 from 7./NJG 4 is not mentioned in the records, No codes either listed in my sources

Cheers
Stig