Luftwaffe losses 20 april 1944

[NUPPOL]

http://www.uscg.mil/history/webcutters/menges.asp

[Nick Beale]

Interesting web page, thanks.

Two ships were sunk and three damaged in Convoys CAF 31 and UGS 38 that day. German prisoners said that I. and III./KG 77, III./KG 26 and II./KG 100 were involved in the attacks.

Allied claims were a Do 217 and an He 177 shot down by No. 153 Squadron Beaufighters and a reconnaissance aircraft (a Ju 88, I'd guess) was shot down by French fighters (of GC 1/4?) near Oran. Ships' AA claimed a Ju 88.

[Laurent Rizzotti]

I guess you're interested in identifying the German bomber shot down.

The War Diary of USS Menge for April 1944 is available on fold3, but the names of the two prisoners is not given. Only info is:

20 April 1944, 2140 hrs: took aboard 2 slightly wounded German fliers who were immediately given first aid and put under guard.

21 April 1944, 0732 hrs: moored at Mole 46, Algiers, where the survivors and prisoners were landed
(note: Menges rescued 137 survivors from the sunk destroyer Lansdale)

By the way the Menges did not claim the bomber shot down, other ships did.

If you have a fold3 accound, there is a 58 pages report about this attack, in the WWII War Diaries section:
COMTASKFOR-66 › Rep of Air Attack on Convoy UGS-38, Off North African Coast, 4/20/44

By the way, here is what is written in "Sea Eagles 2: Luftwaffe Anti-Shippin Units 1942-1945", page 171:
"The attack on convoys 'Whoopee' and 'Donaghue' on the night of 20 April 1944 were more successful for the Luftwaffe: a troopship, two freighters and a destroyer were sunk and two freighters damaged, but four Ju 88s from I. and III./KG 77, one Ju 88 from III./KG 26 and two Do 217s from 6./KG 100 were shot down, one from the latter unit being commanded by the Staffel kapitän, Hptm Will Scholl. The escort from I. and III./ZG 1 also lost four aircraft, including that of the Staffel Kapitän of 7./ZG 1, Oblt Marin Reuter."

The convoy Whoope was the UGS 38, that lost the Henry Hamilton and Lansdale sunk, and 3 freighters damaged, one sinking the next day in tow. The convoy 'Donaghue' was probably a small convoy sailing from Corsica to Algiers, and probably 100% French. It seems that it was confused as their target (UGS 38) by many German crews, and the liner "El Biar" was sunk. IIRC the escort of the small convoy claimed more aircraft shot down by AA than the UGS 38 (that claimed 2 shot down and several damaged).

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Finally too curious, I read the COMTASKFOR-66 report. Page 25, the German survivors are identified as "Arndt Fedders, U.F.F.Z. and Peter Gerlick, O.O.F.W". Forum members having extensive Luftwaffe losses database may complete this case.

Best regards

[Nick Beale]

El Biar's convoy was from Oran to Gibraltar. The ship was renamed Belgian Captain after repair, according to http://www.warsailors.com/convoys/mks7.html

[Matti Salonen]

1944-04-20, 2./KG 77, Ju 88A-17, 822904, 3Z+EK, 180 km westlich Algier, Unbekannt. Bruch 100 %.
Flugzeugführer Lt Kopp, Viktor, +
Kampfbeobachter Ofw Gerlich, Peter, gefangen
Bordfunker Uffz Feddersen, Arndt, gefangen
Bordschütze Ogfr Spranger, Rolf, vermißt

Matti

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Originally Posted by Nick Beale

El Biar's convoy was from Oran to Gibraltar. The ship was renamed Belgian Captain after repair, according to http://www.warsailors.com/convoys/mks7.html

I suppose this was another "El Biar". On 20 April 1944, the small convoy CAF 31, consisting of the French ships Marrakech, Medie II and El Biar, escorted by three French warships, the destroyer Tigre and the torpedo boats Tempete and Forbin. They were sailing from Ajaccio to Algiers.

Around 2000 hrs both CAF 31 and UGS 38 convoys were warmed of the approaching German bombers. Several Allied fighter units scrambled to defend the convoys, including two Spitfires of French GC I/7 "Provence". These found a formation of 5 JU 88s and prepared to attack them, but were himself attacked by a dozen of other Ju 88s (probably of ZG 1) and evaded them, but were then unable to find again the German bombers.

The French convoy was attacked at 2034 hrs by about twenty Ju 88s and Do 217s. Heavy AA fire disrupted the attack and three German bombers were claimed shot down, but a 2037 hrs the El Biar was hit by a torpedo and was abandonned. One AA gunner was killed, 3 other men wounded but the Tempete rescued the crew and the 280 passengers. The ship sank in two hours. Other ships were only slightly damaged, especially the Tigre that suffered several near misses by glider bombs.

The attack report for UGS 38 reports no use of glider bombs, but "normal" bombs and torpedoes, so it seems that KG 100 crews only attacked the French convoy.

[Snautzer]

Arndt Fedders https://www.ebay.com/itm/1944-Press-...kAAOSwjPldrOoY