Raid damage (page 4)

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Meimberg’s signal had been timed at 08.10 GMT; five minutes later Allied fighters strafed airfield 70 C, Soucelles, destroying two Bf 109s of III./JG 27 and damaging six more. Nevertheless, operations resumed at 09.00 when 32 Bf 109s from I., III. and IV./JG 27 and II./JG 53 set off for a freie Jagd and anti-fighter bomber mission southeast of Bayeux.

A second Allied attack came at 16.30 when 20 or 30 Mustangs shot up the base for half an hour, opposed by no more than small arms and machine guns. Allied top cover ensured that no aircraft from neighbouring units could get off the ground to intervene.

Communications at 70 C were still out 40 minutes after the attack, so details were lacking but already JG 27’s Obltn. Stahl could conclude that “it is impossible to occupy these airfields any longer.” It was late in the day before the damage could be itemised, Stahl reporting 10 aircraft of the III. Gruppe as total losses while “all the technical flying equipment” of the 7. and 9. Staffeln had been shot up. Although there were no personnel casualties, the Gruppe was without serviceable aircraft.

NOTE: Pierre Babin has learned that no civilian lives were lost and the only damage to property was one outbuilding used for storing logs. Local residents understood that some Flak gunners were casualties along with trucks and caches of fuel but no French people were allowed on to the airfield to see for themselves.

Various messages were intercepted (with gaps) by the British and among the Bf 109s wrecked or damaged in the two attacks were:

W.Nr. 163395	white 1	burnt out
W.Nr. 41_412	white 2
W.Nr. 412545	white [?]
W.Nr. 165257	red 11	being repaired locally
W.Nr. 441412	red 12
W.Nr. 441546	red 13
W.Nr. 440647	yellow 9	back to factory
W.Nr. 163955	yellow 3
W.Nr. 412598	—	burnt out
W.Nr. 412566	—	back to factory
W.Nr. 165253	—	[details not intercepted]
W.Nr. 165425	—
W.Nr. 412584	—	being repaired locally

Obltn. Stahl’s final report on the day’s operations shows one sortie by Stab JG 27; another 28 by the I. Gruppe; 14 by the III. and 34 by the IV. Successes were two Mustangs claimed by Fw. Heinrich Bartels and a Thunderbolt by Obltn. Gerhard Suwelak. On the debit side, Ltn. Bekker had bailed out after combat and Obltn. Buschbeck was missing. According to Pierre Babin, Gefr. Karl Kotska of 15./JG 27 was injured in an emergency landing close to Angers at around 22.00 hrs. that evening. This information came from a civilian who had pulled him from the wreckage.

These attacks were swiftly followed by moves eastward. The 25th saw Obltn. Stahl communicating about transferring back to “the new station”, leaving Obltn. Gruber and the servicing echelon to follow on by lorry. At 07.30 hrs. he advised that the flying elements would move as soon as the weather permitted but that currently there was ground mist. Gruber, Fw. Knorr and seven pilots — those whose aircraft had been wrecked? — eventually left at 16.00 hrs. on 26 June.

On 26 June, II./JG 53 operated from Champfleury (Flugplatz 138); Stab JG 27 from 181 (not identified); I./JG 27 from 168 (thought to be Vertus) and III./JG 27 from 139 (thought to be Connantre). Air Movement Control at Amiens sent a report to “III./JG 27, 13. Staffel” at Champfleury that Bf 109 W.Nr. 15864, red 3 had experienced engine failure and crashed with 35% damage, 1.5 km south of Amiens.

NOTE: Bf 109 G-6, W.Nr. 15864 was later found burnt out at Antwerp-Deurne aerodrome. Its engine was DB 601 A-1, W.Nr. 007101044. It may have been sent for repair at the Erla factory there.

The next day, Stab JG 27 was operating from Flugplatz 181; I./JG 27 from 168 (Vertus); II./JG 53 and IV./JG 37 from 138 (Champfleury); and III./JG 27 from 139 (Connantre). Between them they were able to manage just 34 sorties, one of which aborted early with engine trouble.

NOTE: The British gave all these airfield identities as “fair indications.” All are in the Marne Département, east of Paris and south of Reims.

Although Jean-Bernard Frappé (for example) places III./JG 27 at Connantre on 24 June, when the raid took place, Allied intelligence had deduced that it — along with the Geschwader’s I. and IV. Gruppen was briefly based around Angers at the time. They were able to identify airfields either because they were named outright or through deductions from the German numbering system. For example, if Angers was known to be Flugplatz 70, then 70 C must be one of its satellites. A message about an attack on Soucelles on 24 June was matched with another about losses in attacks on 70 C to conclude that these were one and the same.

Airfields 70 A, B and C had recently been surveyed as possible bases for III./SG 4, an Obltn. Kölmer reporting on 14 June that: A had too few dispersal facilities and could not be further developed; B was occupied; and C was not developed and had too few dispersal facilities but could be developed with 8–10 days’ work.

As late as 3 July, II./JG 53 was reporting on aircraft that were under repair in Angers:

I./JG 27	white 18	ready [some words missing]
[missing]	black 7	ready, pilot Uffz. Schreiwer
III./JG 27	red 8	ready, no pilot
IV./JG 27	black 13	probable completion 6 July, no pilot
	white 3	probable completion 5 July, no pilot
Stab JG 27	<2	probable completion 5 July, no pilot

Since no Werk Nummern were given, it is not clear if any of these was a victim of the attacks on 24 June.

On the other hand, II./JG 53 had taken on one new Bf 109 G-6, W.Nr. 412451.

continued on next page ...

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PART FOUR