JG 301 mission on 17 Dec 44

[Don Caldwell]

Willi Reschke has written extensively of a successful intercept mission flown by JG 301 on 17 Dec 44, sretching from Hannover to Kassel & resulting in claims for 2 B-24, 1 P-51, and 1 P-47, with few losses known (to Reschke). Can anyone identify the Allied opponents? The 8th Air Force was not up (ref: Foreman), and Middlebrook mentions no RAF BC day mission.

Horrido!

Don

[FalkeEins]

IIRC 15th AF B-24s - 49th bomb Wing was over Silesia ..although there were other 15 AF penetrations over Salzburg & Wels..

[Don Caldwell]

Thanks, Falke. The 15th AF was intercepted by JG 300. This combat is well-documented by Lorant & Goyat. If Reschke is correct, the JG 301 mission on this date was in the opposite direction -- with combat over Hannover and Kassel. It's the JG 301 mission that's the mystery.

Don

[Peter Kassak]

Fifteenth Air Force attacked this day by 191 "Fortresses" from 5.BW Oil refinery at Blechhammer-Nordh, Blechhammer-Süd attacked 105 B-24 "Liberator" from 55. BW and Odertal visited 231 B-24 "Liberator" from 49. and 304. BW. So total power of 527 four engine bombers. Naturally fighter cover was made by 93 P-38 "Lightning" from 305. FW and 207 P-51 "Mustang" from 306. FW.
Over Reich area was that day bad weather. That was one thing, which played for 15.AF. But HQ of 15.AF didn't know, that defence of Reich area was hold by JG 300 and JG 301 (other units were in Ardennes as support forces for ground offensive), which were also known as "Schlechtwettergeschwadern" (bad weather units). Their pilots had special training from times, when they flew in nights only by gear.
So when radiolocators Freya detected bombers, forming into big formation, German fighters were alarmed. At 10.45 took off from Jüteborg airfield Stab and III. Gruppe, from Borkheide airfield took off I. Gruppe, from Löbnitz started II. Sturmgruppe and from Reinzdorf was alerted IV. Gruppe JG 300. Stab and II. Gruppe flew FW 190 A-7 and A-8, other three units were as cover on Bf 109 G-10 and G-14. Together took off about 100 aircrafts.
German fighters, covered by clouds, approach the bombers. American fighters were delayed, so Germans attacked. At 11.50 began combat. It was over Czech in area of Olomouc and Přerov. First victims were "Liberators" from 49. BW. Germans dropped their additional fuel tanks. As first opened fire pilots of Sturmgruppe. These pilots claimed between 11.53 and 12.03 22 "Liberators". Some of them scored twice. Those were Fw. Zwesken and Maj. Lindenberger. It the case of second named, it was great success, because he was veteran from WWI with 12 victories. On this day he claimed 2 US bombers but ended WWII with 4 victories. Pilots of III./ JG 300 were also successfull. Between 11.53 and 12.20 claimed ten bombers. Hptm. Peter Jenne shot down two of them.
Lt. Kraft, pilot of a messerschmitt from III./ JG 300 shot down "Liberator" B-24J 42-51835 "red 38", from 825.squadron, 484. BG. But Krafts messerschmitt was also hit and had to leave is plan by parachute. After landing German citizens took him off their shoulders and take him to village as hero.
Uffz. Maier from IV./ JG 300 claimed one B-17 in area East of village Kozlí. That was sole success for IV. Gruppe in the battle with bombers. Together claimed JG 300 pilots 33 bombers. But American losses were made by "only" 25 machines.
This massacra was stoped by fighters, which came to help their "Big friends". They shown, who was in that time boss in the air over Europe. American fighters claimed 23-3-6. German losses were higher. JG 300 lost 43 aircraft. 36 of them by fighters and 7 by technical failures.
Stab lost one, I./ JG 300 also one, II./ JG 300 and IV. / JG 300 lost every 14 machines and III./ JG 300 lost 13 fighter planes.
But also American fighters had losses. Three Focke Wulfs chased and shot down P-38J 42-68073 (black 20) "Coon Dog III" of 2/Lt. David R. Miles. Right engine caught fire, and pilot bailed out. It was over village Vinary, CZ. Most probably it was pilot of II./ JG 300, Fw. Dohms, who shot him down. Second lost "Lightning" over Czech was P-38L 44-24666 "Melancholy Babe". Its pilot 2/Lt. Ernest V. Rountree probably fall victim to Lt. Pipke from IV./ JG 300, who claimed P-38 shot down in area of Nisa. Together fighter cover lost in this battle 4 P-38 and 2 Mustangs. One P-51 claimed Lt. Köhler and another Obgefr. Golja, but "their" "Mustangs" didn't crash in area of Czech. Other American losses caused Flak.
Also JG 301 joined action against "viermots". "Alarmstart" for their Gruppen came at 10.55. All planes took course toward Soutwest heading to the area of Hannover. In this area they met small box of "Liberators" and their figter cover made by P-47(!). I. and II. Gruppe attacked fighters, III. Gruppe, which flew lower than other two, attacked bombers. For the III. Gruppe scored Fw. Willi Reschke (9.staffel), who claimed one B-24 and one P-51 in area of Göttingen, and Ofw. Hans Todt (8.staffel) who shot down one P-47 in that same area. Also Uffz. Helmut Brenner from 6.staffel II. Gruppe shot down one B-24 in area between Hannover and Kassel.
Also losses were on German side. Lt. Walter Tauscher from 11. staffel was wounded in combat. He flew Fw 190 A/8 "yellow 10" (W.Nr.682001). Also Uffz. Walter Döbele from 8. staffel was lost. But we don't know cause. Probably due hits in combat he crashed in area of Sachau.
Opponents of JG 301 are unknown. 15.AF probably didn't fly so far (but it is possible), and cover of P-47 could come from 9.AF, which made over 1000 starts that day.

Maybe with some mystakes..it is an old text

[Don Caldwell]

Hi Peter --

I'm no European, and my knowledge of your geography is not that good, but I can read a map, and in a quick SWAG Hannover and Kassel are roughly 600km from Blechhammer and Odertal. Are you saying that some of the B-24s (& P-51s) were that far off course, in the direction opposite their bases in Italy, which were already at maximum range from the Silesian targets? I'm sorry, I don't buy it. Some (American) navigator would have screamed. Also, a screw-up that big would have found its way into the American records, and I can find no trace of it in any of my 15th AF stuff. Do you have anything on the JG 301 mission that isn't found in Reschke's book?

Horrido!

Don

[Harold Lake]

W. Reschke must be mistaken because on 17 December 1944, the weather was so foul that bomber ops with the 9th and 12 AAFs were canceled. As FalkeEins correctly says, only the 15th AAF was able to fly missions. These were directed toward oil refineries at Blechhammer North and South, and Moravska-Ostrava. Marshaling yards at Gross Strehiltz, Villach, Saak, Salzburg and Wels were also hit. Escorts were P-38s and P-51s. Luftwaffe opposition was the hevaiest since the previous August. But American claims list 55 victories shared between bombers and fighters.

Hal

[drgondog]

Don - the 354th FG got its first P-47 score (an Me 410 at Kitzingen) by Dahlglish) on the 17th and lost Tyler (Macr 10991) about 20 miles south of Aachen - presumably in very bad weather. They were nowhere near Hannover. The 354th was engaged in ground support generally from Eupen to Trier.

8th AF was standing down but I doubt that a 9th AF P-47 group was assigned to escort the 2nd BD B-24s.

I would think that the JG 301 Mustang claim had to be from one of the Recce groups.

[Don Caldwell]

Hi Hal --

Thanks for the useful confirmation of the foul weather over western Europe. I'm inclining to your conclusion that Reschke is mistaken. But in which sense? Was the 17 Dec 44 mission flown against the 15th AF, which means that all of his details WRT direction after takeoff, location of combats & crashes, etc. are incorrect? Or does he simply have his date wrong, and he is in fact describing a combat (on another date) against a small formation of 8th AF B-24s and their escorts of P-51s (and P-47s?). I'm having a hard time finding a suitable 8th AF combat match, but I'm hampered by the fact that Reschke is the primary source of data for many of the missions he describes, so there's no independent source to match him up against.

Horrido!

Don

[Erich]

Greetings Don

hate to say it but Reschkes book is incorrect on the date it should read December 23rd not the 17th. have done a number of years research on JG 301, going on about 20 now.

fun research

Erich ~

[drgondog]

Originally Posted by Don Caldwell

Hi Hal --

Thanks for the useful confirmation of the foul weather over western Europe. I'm inclining to your conclusion that Reschke is mistaken. But in which sense? Was the 17 Dec 44 mission flown against the 15th AF, which means that all of his details WRT direction after takeoff, location of combats & crashes, etc. are incorrect? Or does he simply have his date wrong, and he is in fact describing a combat (on another date) against a small formation of 8th AF B-24s and their escorts of P-51s (and P-47s?). I'm having a hard time finding a suitable 8th AF combat match, but I'm hampered by the fact that Reschke is the primary source of data for many of the missions he describes, so there's no independent source to match him up against.

Horrido!

Don

Don - Erich answered your basic question - but the 9th AF was engaged in air combat up and down the Bulge front lines per Pioneer Mustang Group by Blake on pages 270-272