a strange nighttime claim

[ClinA-78]

Gent's,

On the 19-20th February 1944, a 418 Sqn Mosquito claimed an unknown single-engined aircraft in Saint-Hubert area (Southern Belgium).

The bogey was chased from Florennes, heading to South at high speed with its lights on. After a 20 miles chase, it orbited a beacon and after an hectic manoeuvre crashed into the ground at 03h17.

No matching to this point. However, thanks to Flupke, we found a Me 410 from I./NJG 102 said lost at Vivy on the 19/2/44 (lack of fuel, crew safe).

is this Vivy in Belgium? The small village of Vivy is about 10 km North of Bouillon, matching roughly the Saint-Hubert area (Ardennes), SE of Florennes.
Moreover, in the Bouillon sector, there is radar station 'Bulle' so a beacon may be expected in that area.

BUT: the Mosquito crew stated a single-engined aircraft... Misidentification may be still possible.
To my knowledge, I./JG 26 (at that moment in Florennes) never fly by night (as a Wilde Sau).
So can we imagine a Me 410 from Kitzingen lost during a training flight, passing by Florennes and Bouillon area?

Any comment is welcome.

ClinA-78

[Norbert Schuchbauer]

It should be a Bf 110 C-2 WNr. 3206 not a Me 410. Reported incorrectly.

[Denniss]

http://www.ww2.dk/oob/bestand/njagd/binjg102.html
Most likely one of the 31 unnamed Bf 110 variants marked as "school aircraft" of which 3 were lost to non-combat causes.
No Me 410 there and no Me 410 C-4 ever existed. If 3206 was built as C-2 it may have been upgraded to C-4 during its service life, unless that part of the message is wrong too.

[John Vasco]

In Petrick/Mankau, W. Nr. 3206 was part of a production batch of 'C-2' sub-variants.

Quite a few in the W. Nr. batches issued to factories appeared in the loss lists as 'C-4' sub-variants.

As Petrick/Mankau points out, during production a C-2 batch of Bf 110s were upgraded to C-4. The upgrade was the fitment of the new 20 mm. MG-FF/M cannons (as opposed to the MG-FF). There was no external difference.

So I believe 3206 was one of those C-2s upgraded to C-4.

W. Nr. 3208 was another upgraded Bf 110 from C-2 to C-4. This was lost during the Battle of Britain.

So, what I believe we have is the allocation to the factories of W. Nr. blocks, which Petrick/Mankau used for their W. Nr. appendix, BUT the paperwork that left the factory with the aircraft showed the new designation with the upgrade. Ergo, C-2 in Petrick/Mankau; C-4 in loss list submitted by the unit up the line from paperwork held at unit elvel.

[Alain57]

Hello Clin ,

You will have this , but anyway : F/L Scherf Charles Curnow 413671 17/05/1941 Emmaville NSW , died 13/07/1949 DFC DSO Bar 4 victories - F/O RJ Curnett 418 sqdn

Alain57

[ClinA-78]

Many thanks for your info's gents.
So the crashplace at Vivy should be in Belgium, isn't it?

ClinA-78