ULTRA

[Richard T Eger]

From 12 O'clock High!:

James Corum
Luftwaffe anti-partisan ops
Mon Oct 2 20:37:19 2024


I am doing research on airpower in anti-partisan operations. I have some information on Luftwaffe operations against partisans in Russia. I would like to any readers to
contact me if they have some information on Luftwaffe operations against partisans in France and the Balkans.
I kann Deutsch und wuerde sehr gern irgendwelch Information auf deutsch bekommen.
vielen Dank
James s. Corum, Professor
USAF School of Advanced Airpower Studies
Autor: The Luftwaffe's Way of War (1998), The Luftwaffe (Univ Press of Kansas 1997)

[This message has been edited by Richard T Eger (edited 15 October 2024).]

[Richard T Eger]

From TOH!:

Rabe Anton
Re: Anti-Partisan Operations
Tue Oct 3 01:57:51 2024


Gruß Gott Dr. Jim!

No need to get excited about your Deutsche in this case.
The best available primary source on anti-partisan ops known to me is in English, but relatively inaccessible for other reasons: ULTRA: Main Series of Signals Conveying
Intelligence to Allied Commands in the Field (Series I microfilm, 104 rolls; Series II microfilm 39 rolls, of which ca. the last half duplicate the first half). I have read ca. 60-70
percent of the available messages and can assure you that there is a vast quantity of information available on anti-partisan ops in the Balkans. I cannot speak to the
commencement of this content, but it's fully mature in the messages found in Series II of the Clearwater microfilm commencing March 1943 (i.e., rolls 104-125).

RA

[Richard T Eger]

From TOH!:

Kari Lumppio
NSGr 11 at Pskov area
Tue Oct 3 14:28:01 2024


Dear Sir!

Do the ULTRA documents hold anything about the anti-partisan missions conducted by NSGr 11 (and possibly ohters, like NSGr 1 and 3)? NSGr 11 was active against
partisan formations at Pskov area in 1943 and they also suffered one loss (groundfire) during these daylight raids.

Bundesarchiv holds nothing about NSGr 11 missions according to their reply to my query and Eesti Riigiarhiiv also has nothing. Finnish archives are of no help here. Can't
come up with any other sources than allied intelligence information. Any and all leads are welcomed.

Regards,

Kari Lumppio

[Richard T Eger]

From TOH!:

Richard T. Eger
ULTRA
Fri Oct 13 19:36:38 2024


Dear Rabe,

Where are the ULTRA messages currently housed?

Regards,
Richard

[Richard T Eger]

From TOH!:

Peter Spoden
III NJG 6 against partisans
Tue Oct 3 16:13:34 2024


III NJG 6 was involved in partisan-war over Titos country by intercepting allied supplying-aircrafts from Sowjets and Italy- ref to Wim Johnen "Duel under the stars" ISBN
0947554424 regards Peter Spoden-

[Richard T Eger]

From 12 O'clock High!:

FrankS
11.04.1944 Biscaya airbattle RAF mosquitos vs Luftwaffe ju88
Sun Dec 3 23:02:59 2024


Has anybody detailed information confirming an alleged incident on 11.04.1944:
A german submarine left St. Nazaire on 10.04.1944 but was bombed in the Biskaya?
On 11.04.1944 twelve german Ju88 aircraft of ZERSTÖRERGESCHWADER 1 took off at Vannes to look out for survivors but were tracked down by about 25 Mosquitos
(british? canadian? american?). A battle followed with about 8 aircraft lost (at least one non-german). One german loss was: the crew of pilot "GERD FRITZ" (MIA), wireless
man "JÖRG ZINK" (rescued), observer" WILLY ?"(rescued)

Any details on:
-the submarine
-the british (american?) unit involved including the lost crews
-the german losses

Thanx Frank

[Richard T Eger]

From TOH!:

Rabe Anton
Re: Bay of Biscay - 11.04.44
Mon Dec 4 02:38:26 2024


Suggest beginning by referring to Chris Goss, Bloody Biscay
(n.p.: Crecy, 1997). Additional archival information might, repeat, MIGHT, be found in ULTRA decrypts of German naval traffic held by the PRO in DEFE 3.

RA

[Richard T Eger]

From 12 O'Clock High!:

Franek Grabowski
Jagdeschwader M1944
Fri Mar 1 20:22:15 2024
217.98.20.195

Hello
Does anyone know what was the statutory strenght/number of a/c and airmen (officers & NCOs) for the Jagdgeschwader of the late Summer of 1944? I know the actuall numbers could differ significantly but what was expected from just refreshed and refitted unit?
Also, are there any reliable data on serviceability of a/c in the Normandy Campaign? Considering the conditions it must have been pretty low.
Thanks
Franek

[Richard T Eger]

From further within this thread on TOCH!:

Nick Beale
Serviceability in Normandy
Sat Mar 2 23:25:50 2024
212.159.20.206

One bit of data I have from an Ultra decrypt (I'm sure there are others):

Strength of III./JG 26, evening of 17th [August 1944]: 44 Bf 109 (fair indications that 19 serviceable), 45 pilots (19 ready for operations).

[Richard T Eger]

From 12 O'Clock High!:

Nick Beale
Crailsheim: 10.04.45
Sun Mar 10 00:40:16 2024
212.159.1.3

Further to hat was posted i nthe eariler thread, I ahve the following from Ultra:

Total ops (strong indications Fl.Div. 16 on 10th) by fighters, 68 Bf 109 and 6 Fw 190 low level attacks area Crailsheim – Königshofen – Bamberg; bombers, 23 Me 262 against road movements Königshofen – Bamberg; recce, 4 Bf 109 of 2./NAG 13 road and battle recce Crailsheim, Hall (S.45) and special P/R task Neumark (north of Stuttgart) (S.02). Two aircraft total losses; one aircraft destroyed; four missing; two damaged. Comment: no information on the Fw 190 fighters.

Other messages from a few days earlier indicate that the day fighter and bomber units assigned to Fl. Div. 16 were: Me 262s from I./KG 51; Bf 109s from Stab, II., III. and IV./JG 53; Fw 190s from JG 300.

[Richard T Eger]

From 12 O'Clock High!:

Jason Long
Continuity between EKdo 262 and Kommando Nowotny
Wed Mar 27 12:14:40 2024
216.80.74.64

I'm reading through Vol. 2 of Smith and Creek's Me 262 series and am a little confused. I'd always thought that EKdo 262 was the core around which Kommando Nowotny was formed, but Smith and Creek don't seem to agree. Is this correct?

Jason

[Richard T Eger]

From TOCH!:

Ivo Nienhaus
I also thought....
Wed Mar 27 15:32:36 2024
193.78.119.38

I also was under the impression that what remained from Ekdo 262 was used to form Kommando Nowotny in late september '44 and that Kommando Nowotny was used to form parts of JG7.

Hmm..strange

Ivo

[Richard T Eger]

From TOCH!:

Nick Beale
Re: I also thought....
Wed Mar 27 22:38:07 2024
212.159.25.15

Kdo. Nowotny was built around III./JG 6 and was even known as that for a while. The redesignation was reported by Achmer airfield on 1 November 1944 (Ultra HP 5346)

[Richard T Eger]

From TOCH!:

Larry deZeng
Yes, Nick, but......
Thu Mar 28 15:21:02 2024
152.163.206.181

see pages 40-46 in Manfred Jurleit's "Strahljäger Me 262 im Einsatz". Jurleit maintains that the official date that III./JG 6 was renamed Kommando Nowotny remains unknown due to the absence of documentary evidence, but he goes on to say that it occured somewhere between 3 Oct 44 and 14 Oct 44, the latter being the date when it was officially decided to use I./JG 5 for the "new" (second formation) of III./JG 6. ULTRA first identified III./JG 6 at Achmer with Me 262s on 3 Oct 44 (HP2187). Then, as you stated, on 1 Nov 44 Fliegerhorstkommandantur Achmer informed Kdo.Flughafenbereich 9/XI that III./JG 6 had been renamed Kommando Nowotny (HP5346). It would be interesting to discover what the actual date was for the redesignation, but it appears that we'll never know.
HTH,
(Larry)

[Richard T Eger]

From 12 O'Clock High!:

David
Ranger to Aalborg
Sat Mar 30 17:32:33 2024
195.92.67.69

On 17-5-44 Wing Commander Johnson led 5 aircraft of 65 Sqn and 2 aircraft of 122 Sqn on a ranger to Aalborg, Denmark. The North Sea was crossed at 3000ft through thick rain squalls. On reaching Aalborg, they engaged various German aircraft in aircombat and claimed 13-1-3. I am seeking details on KG30's losses on this day and any of the other units involved. I have KG100 and JG11's losses. Also, does anyone know what Y service is? This is mentioned in the operations records book for 65 Sqn.
Regards David

[Richard T Eger]

From TOCH!:

Larry deZeng
The RAF "Y" Service was.....
Sat Mar 30 20:07:54 2024
205.188.199.164

the radio intercept branch of the Air Ministry. They intercepted all Luftwaffe radio traffic and decoded/decrypted lower level signals. The higher level encryptions (Enigma (ULTRA), Geheimeschreiber, Richtverbindungs-, etc.) were forwarded to Station "X" at Bletchley Park for decryption. From a practical standpoint in the context of the raid that you described, the "Y" Service would have intercepted Luftwaffe air-to-air and air-to-ground radio chit-chat and short encoded messages in the Aalborg area and would have been in a position to provide an estimate of what Luftwaffe units were there, how many aircraft there were, what types and what they were doing. In other words, they provided the RAF with up to the minute tactical intelligence where possible. There were many intercept stations, but the two largest in the U.K. were at Cheadle and Cheltenham, I believe. Most of the intercept operators in the U.K. were Womens' Royal Air Force personnel who were fluent in German.
(Larry)

[Richard T Eger]

From 12 O'Clock High!:

David P. Williams
Stuka Losses in North Africa
Sun May 26 21:42:09 2024
195.92.168.173

Can anyone suggest books, or sources where I can access information concerning the exact dispositions and losses of the Stuka Geschwader ( St.G1,2 and 3) in the Desert campaign between February 1941 and May 1943. I would also be interested in any books available on the market that detail the histories of these particular Geschwader.

[Richard T Eger]

From further within the thread on TOCH!:

Rabe Anton
SG 2 Immelmann
Tue May 28 19:29:17 2024
198.26.120.13

For SG 2 there is Holger Nauroth's SG 2 Immelmann, now about 20 years old and more or less a Bildband with supplemental text. Unfortunately it lacks the data that Mr Williams is seeking.

To the LwGQM which Jim Perry has already mentioned should be added ULTRA: Main Series of Signals Conveying Intelligence, etc., from which some snippets might be gleaned.

RA

[Richard T Eger]

From further within the thread on TOCH!:

David P. Williams
Thank you all gentlemen
Wed May 29 10:40:30 2024
195.92.168.165