Air battle on 20 February 1944 near Rhodes

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Hello,

I have the following description of an air battle in Rhodes area on 20 February 1944:

On 20 February 1944 a long-range reconnaissance of Rhodes harbor by two Baltimores of 15 Sqn SAAF, piloted by Lts L. G. van Renen and P. C. de B. Otto, met intense anti-aircraft fire. As they turned away four Ju 88s came out of a cloud from astern. With one to port of the Baltimores and one at 800 m on either beam, the fourth German attacked from astern at 300 m. Van Renen’s gunner, Wt Off Hammond, put a short burst into the Ju 88, which flared up in flame and disintegrated when it hit the water, over which the two 88s from either beam then flew in circles while four Bf 109s came in from Calato. Jettisoning its long-range tanks, one enemy fighter attacked, and Van Renen turned into it as Hammond's fire hit it in the nose and sent it spinning into the sea.

With the two remaining Bf 109s on the starboard quarter, the Baltimore sighted a fifth on the starboard bow at about 600 m. Hammond scored hits on its fuselage as it broke away, and not long afterwards the Germans gave up. It had been a most successful encounter for Lt Van Renen and his crew of Flg Off Lowe, Flt Sgt Mills and Wt Off Hammond, but Lt P. C. de B. Otto’s Baltimore IV FA554 was lost in the engagement. Lts P. C. de B. Otto and C. du Toit and WOI P. B. McNeil lost their lives, but 2/Lt GR Cook survived as a prisoner of war.

Depending of sources, this Baltimore is shown as being shot down by AA fire or by an enemy fighter. On the German side, Uffz. Günter Striebel of 7./JG 27 claimed a Baltimore shot down 20 km southeast of Rhodes just over the sea at 0910 hrs this day.

Source:
"Eagles victorious: The operations of the South African forces over the Mediterranean and Europe, in Italy, the Balkans and the Aegean, and from Gibraltar and West Africa", by Henry James Martin and Neil D. Orpen. ISBN: 0868430080
Luftwaffe claim lists by Tony Wood and Jim Perry (http://lesbutler.co.uk/claims/tonywood.htm)
http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1941_4.html
http://www.avcom.co.za/phpBB3/viewto...72460&start=90

I would like to know if the Luftwaffe suffered during this battle the losses claimed by the SAAF gunner.

Thanks in advance

Laurent

[kaki3152]

From Prien III/IV/JG-27: For a Bf-109G-6

20.2.44 III/JG27 N.N. Feindflug, ohne Feindeinwirkung,Ort unbekkant,100%

In my limited German, this means it was a total loss, but not due to enemy action.N.N. means name of pilot unknown