Forgive my ignorance

[Newbie]

A very silly quesiton I will grant you, but I wanted to know whether the files in the RL 2 III/- series from the Bundesarchiv are the loss lists you all use to identify lost or damaged aircraft and get the wnr and codes from.

Would I be right in ordering files such as RL 2 III/184 (1/9/39 - 5/10/39) then RL 2 III/1173-1197? for the remaining years? Or is there anywhere else that these can be obtained, ie via the net?

Thanks for the advice,

A very embarrassed Newbie

[G.R.Morrison]

No embarassment in asking a question - or directions - when you're beginning a journey into the past.

The copies of the (twelve) rolls of microfilm that Jim P. and I used to begin typing our LW databases were purchased at the Imperial War Museum, London (and special thanks to Russ Fahey, too!). These cover the losses reported to the Luftwaffe's Quartermaster General's office, and contain items besides airplanes (personnel, including, for example, the Luftwaffe's great losses in May 1941 during the seizure of Crete -- the paratroopers were Luftwaffe).

1944 data is conspicuous by its absence; maybe they'll turn up some day. Information varies; some units included only Werknummer in their reports, not Kennung (codes). Of course as the war came to an ending, doing this sort of paperwork came to an end as well, so the reports do not extend into May 1945.

The entries are listed by Luftflotte, and by date. Correction inserts are frequent, and there are typos (names misspelled, numbers transposed, the usual things one might expect whenever there's a lot of data collected).

There are also microfiche sheets that cover losses at the flight-training schools, etc. in the BA.

Hope this clarifies, GRM

[Kutscha]

GRM,

On the off chance, do you have the losses of JG53 for Mar 4 1945 around Budapest?

Thanks

[Newbie]

Thank you very much for your kind words. I can now order some files

Regards

[Andreas Brekken]

There are no losses for JG 53 on March 4 1945 listed in the loss reported filed up and until April 1st 1945.

You will have to look to other sources.

Regards,
Andreas

[edNorth]

Hello, Mr. Newbie:

I found ordering Microfiche from the BA-MA simpler and cheaper than ordering film from Britain. The ´full list needed´ is given by Mr. Andreas Brekkan on his older (?) website:

http://www.stormbirds.com/eagles/

I have the ´whole set´ now (both Operational units and Schools) on Microfiche and I also bought ´a used´ reader from surplus store so I do not have to got an public Library to read them. In your original quest you ask if this is the source from most or not all researchers are working, I belive most do, but in many cases numbers and codes become garbled when the data is processed into books.

I will quit now, Hope this will help also..

ed