Stolen Ju 88 A-1, 1/3/45

[RodM]

Hello one & all,

does anyone have any more information regarding the following interesting incident on 1st March 1945:

"1/3 From Fortress Cmdt. Gironde, Local Flak Commander. to Chief Naval Command West.
A/C type Ju 88 A-1 No 897. Markings 888302 FM 12940
shot down over Gironde North.
Crew: Frenchmen from Toulouse. Request that you establish who is responsible for leaving it behind intact."

(source: ULTRA, CX/MSS/T.476/57, TNA, Kew)

Cheers

Rod

[Granville]

Looks like a "Resistance" french air force which used several Ju88A around Toulouse-Blagnac and made actions against German Atlantic pockets ...
( group "Dor" later called GB I/31 Aunis)..
Granville

[RodM]

Hi Granville,

thank you for your reply. I'd originally assumed that this incident was a 'one-off', but, thanks to your info, now see that GB I/31 Aunis routinely used captured Luftwaffe aircraft in 1944/45.

Cheers

Rod

[edNorth]

Hi both,

None of these Ju 88 numbers given make sense (relative to each other ...), but most likely were numbers from odd parts used for spares. Pierres Dumollards ´junkers 88 et 188 Francais´ do not state any loss on that date. May relate to earlier crash but as my french is not that good someone might have better understanding if there might be a clue in that book?

cheers
ed

[Nick Beale]

In Aéro-Journal No. 24 (April–May 2002) Christian-Jacques Ehrengardt had part 2 of an article on the revival of the Armée de l'Air in liberated France. He mentions French Ju 88s shot down on 1 and 23 February 1945, over the Ile d'Oléron and Cémussac (= Semussac on the north side of the Gironde estuary?).