Eastern Front nightfighter claims vs Soviet losses

[Nick Hector]

I thought it might be interesting to share and swap info on this very under-documented and rarely discussed aspect of WWII aviation...

22.4.42 Lt. Horst Hannig of 5/JG 54 claimed an R-5. Was this actually Yakov Shutov Ageenko of 699 ThAP (NBAP?) KIA, date of death given as the previous day?
24.4.42 Max-Hellmuth Ostermann claimed an R-Z. Was this the aircraft of 662 NBAP shot down by Bf109s this date? Piotr Dmitrievich Severov KIA
19.8.42/0429 Ofw. Fritz Gammel of 3/JG 53 claimed an R-5, believe this was likely from 765 NBAP. Crew of Ml.Lt. Alexey Ivanovich Bushin and Ml.Lt. Alexey Evdokimovich Sergienko failed to return
16.10.42. Ofw. Teige of 6/KG 53 claimed two U-2s. 662 NBAP. Appear to be legitimate victories. Vasily Nikolaevich Borodushkin of 168 SUP said to have been KIA by fighters this night
17.4.43/2154 Fw. Melschert of 10(NJ)/ZG 1 claimed a DB-3F. Was this from 8 GAPDD? Crew of Gen. Mikhail Nikolayevich Urutin Navigator-Colonel Hevesi Akos Akoshevich and shooter-guard radio operator Sergeant Aleksandr K Garankin were shot down by a fighter this night.
19.4.43/2102 Oblt. Erwin Mangold of 10(NJ)/ZG 1 claimed a PS-84. Believe this was from 102 APDD, navigator Nikolay Yakovlevich Tsidilin failed to return this night. Does anyone have any further details?
15.5.43 Ofw. Josef Kociock of 10(NJ)/ZG 1 claimed 3 PS-84s and an "SB-2." Did he actually damage the TB-3 flown by Nikolai Alexeyevich Bobin (HSU), which crashed back at its home airfield?
12.6.43 Oblt. Erwin Mangold claimed a "TB-4" and a DB-3F. Could this pertain to a loss dated 13.6.43, which is of a Li-2 from 3 APDD, crew of Kapitan Aleksandr Ivanovich Sukonkin (WIA) hit by flak, then nightfighter 45km from Karachev, all POW after 8 day's trekking through German territory
19.7.43. Puetzkuehl and Weiss of IV/NJG 5 claimed PS-84s. 102 APDD is listed as having lost at least one crew (that of Fedor V. Spitsin) the night before (date in error?)
12.8.43/0140 Hptm. Alois Lechner of 1/NJG 100 claimed a PS-84. Believe this was from 102 APDD, Crew of Lt V. P. Tsigenko
9.5.44 Oblt. Guenther Bertram claimed 2 x PS-84s. Night's Li-2 losses include 102 APDD, Boris Varfolomeevich Burkanenko WIA and rest of crew KIA on raid to Tapa Railway Station, Estonia

[Theo Boiten]

Hello Nick,

It would indeed be interesting to share and swap information re. the German Nachtjagd claims versus actual Soviet losses. I am currently working on a separate chapter in the 2nd edition of the Nachtjagd War Diaries (due out in 5 volumes in 2015) that is devoted to the German night fighting effort on the Eastern Front between 1941 and 1945. Although I've already gathered lots of primary source material on German Nachtjagd claims, photo material, and first person accounts from Nachtjagd veterans who served on the Ostfront, the matching of claims to Red Air Force losses still has lots of gaps and it would be most interesting to see if we could exchange info on this. And other Eastern Front researchers are also most welcome to help in this effort!

You can contact me on my private email:

theoboitenATversatel.nl

AT = @

Cheers, Theo

[mars]

Theo, I bought your 2 volume Nachtjagd war Diaries years before, excellent work. Now your 2nd edition will be 5 volumnes, more than double the size of the edition 1, That is very interesting, would you be kind enough to tell us what kind of new information will be include in the new edition?

[Theo Boiten]

Hello Mars,

I'll be happy to give a detailed update on the 2nd edition of the NJWD at a later stage, but in brief some points of interest:

-The narratives for each and every night will be much more detailed (on average twice as long as in the 1st edition).

-Many new primary sources have been used, incl. an est. 200 Nachtjagd Flugbücher and Leistungsbücher, largely stemming from private collections.

-Most of the falsified Nonnenmacher listings claims have been identified and sieved out from the listings that were presented in the 1st edition.

-New details on hundreds of German Nachtjagd Abschüsse will be presented.

-The matching of NJ Abschüsse versus actual losses will be presented in much more detail.

-We've been able to include a few hundred new first-person accounts, diary extracts, combat reports etc from former German Nachtjäger in the manuscript of the NJWD 2nd ed.

-We will make much more use of statistics/graphs in the 2nd ed.

-Photo content will be an estimated 1000 photos, many of which will be published for the first time.

-Two new chapters will be included, one on Nachtjagd on the Eastern Front, and one on the Nachtjagd in SE Europe/Mediterranean and North Africa.

I could go on, will be continued at a later stage. Lots of work still to be done on the new book!

Cheers, Theo

[mars]

Thank you Theo, very interesting information, especially the part of "The matching of NJ Abschüsse versus actual losses will be presented in much more detail", I will defintely buy the 2nd edition of your book, in your first edition, there is very detail list of Nachtjagd daily claims, would the list of Nachtjagd daily losses be also included in the 2nd edition?

[Monaco]

Hi Nick & Theo, interesting thread!

About the loss on 17.04.43 (17.4.43/2154 Fw. Melschert of 10(NJ)/ZG 1 claimed a DB-3F. Was this from 8 GAPDD? Crew of Gen. Mikhail Nikolayevich Urutin Navigator-Colonel Hevesi Akos Akoshevich and shooter-guard radio operator Sergeant Aleksandr K Garankin were shot down by a fighter this night)
I assume that the DB-3 maybe was a victim of the Prinz Sayn-Wittgenstein of IV./NJG.5, who claimed 2 DB-3 on 17.04.43. His unit was based at Insterburg quite near to Danzig at that time, whilst Melschert with 10.(N)/ZG.1 operated within LF.4 from Bagerovo over Kertsch peninsula.

I assume, that Melschert maybe was responsable for the loss of 3 DC-2 crews of 102 AP.

The loss of three DC-2 crews:
On the night of 18.04.43, the second day after arrival of 102 AP DD (1 BAD ADD) in the Kuban area, the crews of the regiment delivered a raid on the airfield near Zh.d.Stantsii of Kerch'- II. Three crews did not return to their airfield near the cossack village Labinskaya. Two DC-2 collided with enemy balloons, one was s/d after fulfillment of it´s assignments.
The crews of St. Lieutenants A.F.Kostyuchenko, A.N.Sidoryak and M.A.Petukhov perished. Together with them perished AE navigator Major A.S.Artemev, navigator Ml. Lieutenant N.Ya.Tsidilin, chief of AE communications St. Lieutenant R.A.Mezhlumov, flight mechanic St. Lieutenant of tech. services A.N.Zhuravlev, St. technician of the squadron M.D.Dedyurin, copilot Ml. Lieutenant A.V.Tyupaylov, radio operator-gunners Sergeants D.N.Balabanov, A.E.Gryaznov and P.P.Evseev.

Probably one or all 3 DC-2 crews from 102 AP fell victim to Fw. Heinz Melchert of 10./ZG.1. Melchert gained 6 victories, before being KIA in air combat on 28.05.43.
17.04.43 Fw. Melschert 10.(Nachtjagd)/ZG 1 Boston 66 612: no height 21.50 Film C. 2032/II Anerk: Nr.
17.04.43 Fw. Melschert 10.(Nachtjagd)/ZG 1 Boston 66 532: at 3.400 m. 21.54 Film C. 2032/II Anerk: Nr.
17.04.43 Fw. Melschert 10.(Nachtjagd)/ZG 1 DB-3F 66 124: at 2.000 m. 22.22 Film C. 2032/II Anerk: Nr.

What do think about it?

[Theo Boiten]

Hi Monaco,

Thanks for your interesting posting. Based upon my (still limited) knowledge, I agree with your findings/matching of these Nachtjagd claims. I've sent you a PM re. this matter.

Cheers, Theo

[Theo Boiten]

.. and a little question re. the circumstances of death of Fw. Melchart -can you supply me with the details of his death (i.e. where was he shot down and killed, and was this during a Nachtjagd sortie?).

Cheers, Theo

[Bubek]

Originally Posted by Monaco

Hi Nick & Theo, interesting thread!

About the loss on 17.04.43 (17.4.43/2154 Fw. Melschert of 10(NJ)/ZG 1 claimed a DB-3F. Was this from 8 GAPDD? Crew of Gen. Mikhail Nikolayevich Urutin Navigator-Colonel Hevesi Akos Akoshevich and shooter-guard radio operator Sergeant Aleksandr K Garankin were shot down by a fighter this night)
I assume that the DB-3 maybe was a victim of the Prinz Sayn-Wittgenstein of IV./NJG.5, who claimed 2 DB-3 on 17.04.43. His unit was based at Insterburg quite near to Danzig at that time, whilst Melschert with 10.(N)/ZG.1 operated within LF.4 from Bagerovo over Kertsch peninsula.

I assume, that Melschert maybe was responsable for the loss of 3 DC-2 crews of 102 AP.

The loss of three DC-2 crews:
On the night of 18.04.43, the second day after arrival of 102 AP DD (1 BAD ADD) in the Kuban area, the crews of the regiment delivered a raid on the airfield near Zh.d.Stantsii of Kerch'- II. Three crews did not return to their airfield near the cossack village Labinskaya. Two DC-2 collided with enemy balloons, one was s/d after fulfillment of it´s assignments.
The crews of St. Lieutenants A.F.Kostyuchenko, A.N.Sidoryak and M.A.Petukhov perished. Together with them perished AE navigator Major A.S.Artemev, navigator Ml. Lieutenant N.Ya.Tsidilin, chief of AE communications St. Lieutenant R.A.Mezhlumov, flight mechanic St. Lieutenant of tech. services A.N.Zhuravlev, St. technician of the squadron M.D.Dedyurin, copilot Ml. Lieutenant A.V.Tyupaylov, radio operator-gunners Sergeants D.N.Balabanov, A.E.Gryaznov and P.P.Evseev.

Probably one or all 3 DC-2 crews from 102 AP fell victim to Fw. Heinz Melchert of 10./ZG.1. Melchert gained 6 victories, before being KIA in air combat on 28.05.43.
17.04.43 Fw. Melschert 10.(Nachtjagd)/ZG 1 Boston 66 612: no height 21.50 Film C. 2032/II Anerk: Nr.
17.04.43 Fw. Melschert 10.(Nachtjagd)/ZG 1 Boston 66 532: at 3.400 m. 21.54 Film C. 2032/II Anerk: Nr.
17.04.43 Fw. Melschert 10.(Nachtjagd)/ZG 1 DB-3F 66 124: at 2.000 m. 22.22 Film C. 2032/II Anerk: Nr.

What do think about it?

Hi, guys.
One of them was Li-2 from 3 APDD with all st.ltn. A.L. Chmielnicky' crew of 6 perished somewhere NW of Kersch...

[Theo Boiten]

Hi Bubek,

Cheers and thanks for this interesting addition!

Theo