LW losses (100 Group claims) - night of 27th/28th June 1944

[Adriano Baumgartner]

Good morning to all.

Since I do not have the NVM and the "Nachtjagd losses book", I would like to ask some help to the members of this Forum, if possible, to try to match the 100 Group claims on the night of 27th to 28th June 1944.

This is the information I do have (from various sources and books):
141 Squadron claims
a) S/L Rice (flying HJ 911, code TW*A) claimed 1 Ju 88 down 01:22hs – on the Cambrai area
LW loss match ???

b) W/O Welham (fying DZ 240, code TW*H) claimed 1 Ju 88 down at 01:05hs, 6 miles S of Tilburg at 14,000 feet.
A 4./NJG 3 Ju 88 G-1 (werknummer 710455) was shot down near Arendonk (from information of OSPREY book), but I do not have the crew names though. This loss do match the claim of W/O Welham from 141 Squadron.

239 Squadron claims:
W/C Evans (239 Squadron) > 1 Fw 190 destroyed
LW loss match?

F/L Welfare (239 Squadron) > 1 Me 410 destroyed – Paris area
LW loss match?

F/O Howard (239 Squadron) > 1 Ju 88 near Brussels – Belgium
The Junkers JU 88 G-1, werknummer 710880, codes D5+AP from the Gruppenkommandeur of IV/NJG 3, Major Franz Buschmann, was shot down at 02:01hs near Bunsbeek, 4 km to the North of Tirlemont, Belgium (some 25km east of Brussels). This matches the claim of F/O Howard (239 Squadron

169 Squadron claim:
? (pilot 169 Squadron aboard Mosquito NT150) > 1 Bf 110 down (unknown area)
LW loss match?

515 Squadron claim:
It seems (not sure if on the night of 27/28 or 26/27th June) a 515 Squadron Mosquito flown by Petty Officer Chow and Sgt. Veilch claimed a victory (do not remember the source I read about that) that night too, a Junkers Ju 88 near Eindhoven airfield.
LW loss match?

RAF losses:
There were 2 RAF Mosquito losses that night, both from 141 Squadron.

Oberleutnant Heinz Ferger, from 3./NJG 3, claimed a Mosquito, 7km south-east of Roulers or Roeselare ??), at 3.500 metros; however we do have 2 Mosquito losses that night (both 141 machines). Mosquito DD787 flown by F/L Engelbach was claimed near Vrakken (Holland). I did not find this town or city on Google maps though (
http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=50327)

Could the Me 410 claim be a friendly-fire, or do we have a Luftwaffe match for that night claim for F/L Welfare (239 Squadron)?

ANY information regarding the LW losses that night, will be of help to figure out who claimed who and match the losses to the claims.

Thank you for all who will kindly help on this process.
Adriano

[Chris Goss]

No losses for II/KG 51 or I/SKG 10 from what I can see

[Adriano Baumgartner]

Hello Chris
Thanks for your help again. The book from S/L Michael Allen, DFC** (Pursuit Through Darkened Skies) do give small information, but a relevant detail that SOME Mosquitos pursued other Mosquitos from time to time (scaring them quite a lot indeed)...

There were 2 Mosquito losses that night and only 1 Luftwaffe claim (by a He 219 pilot, which is Oblt. Ferger). It intrigued me that perhaps we do have a friendly fire case here...I am not sure, but it just may be a possibility...this is why it would be nice to have more information to rule that possibility out...

We do know that some Mosquitos (PR) were claimed as Me 410...prompting 680 Squadron to paint their tails, etc....by night one can easily misjudge, although they did have IFF, etc...

Thanks Chris and may you and yours have a nice 2015...if you ever come to those lands, I do owe you a beer and a visit to some nice beaches around...Promiss!!

Adriano

[DDT]

Hello Adriano,

I do have the 2 books about the Deutsche Nachtjagd Personalverluste. I found the following:
- Hptm. Frans Buschmann was shot down by a 'feindlichen Fernnachtjäger' and crashed at Bunsbeek 4 km north of Tienen (Belgium), together with his crew Uffz. Heinrich Schmalfeldt-gef. / Uffz. Heinrich Bode-verw, abgesprungen - Ju 88G-1, D5+AF, 710880.
- The one in the "Cambrai area" could be the 110G-4, 730226 of 3./NJG 3:
Uffz. Heinz Krause-verw, abgesprungen / Ofw. Kurt Ulrich-abgesprungen + 31/08/44 / Ogefr. Bernhard Koch-verw,abgesprungen -- Absturz nach Luftkampf westl. Lille.
- The one S of Tilburg is probably this one:
Uffz. Eugen Wilfert (+), Ogefr. Karl Martin (+), Gefr. Rudolf Scherbaum-verw.abgesprungen in a Ju 88G-1, 710445 of 4./NJG 3, 'Absturz nach Luftkampf, Arendonk (Belgium).
- the Fw loss could be the Me 109G-6, 441114 of
Fw. Paul Hengel of 2./JG 301, 'Absturz nach Luftkampf mit feindlichen Bomber, Lallaing (Frankreich) this loss is also mentioned in the book of W.Reschke.

This is what I found, hope this could be of Some help.
Kind regards and a happy new year.
Dirk

[Alain57]

Hello ,

Here something that you perhaps can use :

28/06/1944
Arendonk Belgium
Ju-88 G-1
Mosquito 141Sq F/O Welham / Hollis
WNr-710455
4./NJG 3
D5+
Uffz Wilfert Eugen (KIA) pilot 09/04/1920 Unterweischlitz , buried Lommel Belgium 51/537
Obgfr Martin Karl ( KIA ) radio 26/08/1922 Langenstadt/Kulmbach, buried Ijsselstein Holland Z/4/86
Gefr Scherbaum Rudolf ( WIA ) gunner



28/06/1944
Bunsbeek Belgium at 0210 hrs local time
Ju-88 G-1
WNr-710880
Stab .IV./NJG3 D5+AF
Maj Buschmann Franz ( KIA ) pilot 10/09/1913 Buschhausen , first buried Le Culot cemetery Belgium in Grave nr 55 , later Lommel Belgium 49/104
Uffz Schmalfeldt Heinrich ( KIA ) radio Armstadt/Thuringen 11/09/1920 , buried Lommel Belgium 48/585
Uffz Bode Heinrich ( WIA ) gunner , bailed out

28/06/1944
Izegem Belgium 10 km north-east of Roeselare
Mosquito II
Oblt Ferger Heinz
3./NJG3 0030 hrs
18th victory
HJ-941
141Sqn TW-X
West Raynham
F/L Hampshire Herbert R (KIA) 114329 pilot
W/O Melrose Andrew Alan W (KIA) navigator-radar 1344712 Buried at Wevelgem on Thursday june 29 1944

According to the following link Mosquito DD787 crashed near the municipality of Wrakken part of the town Weert in the province Limburg Holland. F/O Mallett Ronald Spencer is buried at Eindhoven cemetery some 25 km north west of Weert. In the book Nachtjagd War Diaries by Dr Theo Boiten and Roderick Mackenzie there is no claim that night by a nightfighter on a Mosquito.

http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=50327

Best wishes for 2015
Alain57

[Alain57]

Hello ,

F/Lt Hampshire joined 141 sqdn on may 18th 1944 , it was his 1st ops when he was lost.
F/O Mallett flew 2 missions with F/O Engelbach , the first on june 16 1944 to Sterkrade in Holland and his last on june 27/1944.Mallett flew several missions with the Belgian pilot F/Lt Lucien Leboutte , may 11 1944 they shot down Ju-88 Wnr 710575 from 6./NJG2 on may 23 1944 they both got their DFC.

Regards
Alain57

[Marcel Hogenhuis]

Hello

Sterkrade was and is a place in Germany.

Marcel

[Adriano Baumgartner]

Dear Chris, Dirk, Alain and Marcel,

Sorry for the long delay in answering you back. You have helped me (with your info) to solve out some of my puzzle matches, however we still do have only 1 Mosquito claim by the Nachtjagd and 2 Mosquito (100 Group) losses.

I do remember reading the ORB for 141 Squadron that one of the pilots involved, W/O Whelam after claiming a Ju 88 that night, disengaged the pursue of another "contact", after discovering he was chasing another "friendly aircraft"...some 10 miles to the West of Ghent (after 01:43hs).

I still do have doubts if the Me 410 claimed by 239 Squadron may have been one of the 2 Mosquitos from 141 Squadron that did not return home that night...

I do thank you again, for all your kindness in answering and the very useful informations/details.

Yours, must gratefully,
Adriano B.