ORIGINAL: Demosthenes
ORIGINAL: Hipper
quote]Anyone know how the Bf 109s and earlier Fw 190s performed against the US planes around the torch landings and Tunisia battles?
Well they had to stop providing P 38s for the pacific as the losses were so high in north africa, plus the USAAF did some reverse lend lease and used lots of spitfire squadrons in for some reason [:D]
The 109s and 190s quickly lost any local air superiority over north Africa.
The Luftwaffe warned it's pilots not to "Dogfight" with P-40s(an ironic turn of events), and P-38 Lightnings did just fine - too good, because North Africa/Europe came first on the priority list, and they started sending P-38s there at the expense of the Pacific (It was only overcold N.Europe that the P-38 wasn't loved...because it was too cold to fly it at 25,000')
Demo
When Operation Torch started there wasn´t a single FW 190 in Africa. Jagdgeschwader (fighter wing) 27 to that time the only fighter wing in Africa was equipped with Me 109F/G.
(Here an OOB of 20 Oct 42
Luftflotte 2: Mediterranean and North Africa
20. October 1942
Fliegerführer Afrika
Close-Reconnaissance 4.(H) /12 Me 109 11 (10) Bir-el-Abd Koluft Pz. Armee Afrika
Long-Range Reconnaissance 1.(F) /122 Ju 88 5 (3) Fûka-Nord Fliegerführer Afrika
Day-Fighter Stab/JG 27 Me 109F 4 (3) Tûrbiya Fliegerführer Afrika
II./JG 27 Me 109F 18 (10) Quotaifiya Fliegerführer Afrika
III./JG 27 Me 109F 22 (13) Bir-el-Abd & Tûrbiya Fliegerführer Afrika
Jagd. Kdo. Berca Me 109F 3 (1) Berca Fliegerführer Afrika
Jagd. Kdo. Tobrûk Me 109F 5 (4) Tobrûk Fliegerführer Afrika
III./JG 53 Me 109F 26 (10) Quotaifiya Fliegerführer Afrika
T.E. Fighter (Zerstörer) 8./ZG 26 Me 110 12 (7) Berca & Derna Fliegerführer Afrika
Ground-Attack (Schlacht) I./Schl.G 2 ex-III./ZG 1 Me 109 55 (27) Bir-el-Abd Fliegerführer Afrika
Dive-Bomber (Stuka) Stab/St.G 3 Ju 87 7 (5) Haggag-el-Qasaba Fliegerführer Afrika
I./St.G 3 Ju 87 38 (18) Haggag-el-Qasaba Fliegerführer Afrika
III./St.G 3 Ju 87 35 (18) Haggag-el-Qasaba Fliegerführer Afrika
II. Fliegerkorps
Long-Range Reconnaissance 1.(F) /122 Ju 88, Me 109 15 (11) Comiso II. Fliegerkorps
Day-Fighter I./JG 27 Me 109F 26 (17) Pachino II. Fliegerkorps
Stab/JG 53 Me 109F 5 (4) Comiso II. Fliegerkorps
I./JG 53 Me 109F 22 (15) San Pietro II. Fliegerkorps
II./JG 53 Me 109F 25 (17) Comiso II. Fliegerkorps
I./JG 77 Me 109G 23 (23) Comiso II. Fliegerkorps
Bombers Stab/KG 54 Ju 88 1 (1) Catania II. Fliegerkorps
I./KG 54 Ju 88 22 (12) Catania II. Fliegerkorps
III./KG 54 Ju 88 27 (17) Catania II. Fliegerkorps
Stab/KG 77 Ju 88 1 (1) Gerbini II. Fliegerkorps
I./KG 77 Ju 88 21 (14) Gerbini II. Fliegerkorps
II./KG 77 Ju 88 19 (10) Gerbini II. Fliegerkorps
III./KG 77 Ju 88 20 (8) Gerbini II. Fliegerkorps
Dive-Bomber (Stuka) II./St.G 3 Ju 87 32 (24) Comiso II. Fliegerkorps
X. Fliegerkorps
Long-Range Reconnaissance 2.(F) /123 Ju 88, Ju 86R 16 (14) Kastelli X. Fliegerkorps
Day-Fighter Jagd. Kdo. /JG 27 Me 109F 11 (6) Kastelli X. Fliegerkorps
T.E. Fighter (Zerstörer) III./ZG 26 - 8./ZG 26 Me 110 44 (16) Kastelli X. Fliegerkorps
10./ZG 26 Ju 88, Do 17 13 (5) Kastelli X. Fliegerkorps
Communications Korps Kette X. Flkps He 111, Fi 156 4 (3) Kastelli X. Fliegerkorps
Bombers Stab/LG 1 Ju 88 2 (2) Iraklion X. Fliegerkorps
I./LG 1 Ju 88 31 (21) Iraklion X. Fliegerkorps
II./LG 1 Ju 88 22 (7) Iraklion X. Fliegerkorps
6./KG 26 He 111 9 (7) Iraklion X. Fliegerkorps
II./KG 100 He 111 23 (11) Kalamaki X. Fliegerkorps
7./KG 100 He 111 24 (15) Eleusis X. Fliegerkorps
Coastal-Reconnaissance 2./SAGr. 125 Ar 196 11 (8) Suda X. Fliegerkorps
Oberbefehlshaber Süd
Long-Range Reconnaissance Stab (F) /122 Ju 88 3 (3) Trapani Oberbefehlshaber Süd
Unfortunately the list is difficult to read. After the plane designation you see the number of planes.)
JG 27 was providing support for the Axis troops in El Alamein, Egypt. After British Forces had forced the Axis forces to retreat JG 27 was withdrawn to Greece. When they left Africa they had claimed appr. 1.300 kills while have lost 200 planes in combat. 37 pilots were killed. Additionally 27 pilots were POWs, 29 are still MIA. When JG 27 withdrew it had already lost air superiotity due to the numerical superiority of the Britsh Desert Airforce. I doubt that they were warned to dogfight P-40s. The top scorer of JG 27, Captain Hans Joachim Marseille, shot down 16 of them on a single day in 3 missions (1 Sep 42). To that he added a Spitfire. Here a link with his kills in Africa (
http://www.deutsches-afrikakorps.de/htm ... jm/ab1.htm). After the war the the British war diaries were checked because the Brits thought it was Nazi propaganda. But they had to realize that in that case the claimes were not exaggerated.
As a response to Operation Torch II./JG 2 with FW 190 A-4 from France and I./JG 53 as well
as JG 77 from Russia were deployed in Northern Africa. On 10 Dec 42 the German Airforce had 31 FW 190 and 109 ME 109 available. They were simply overwhelmed by the Allied Airforces.
Luftflotte 2: Mediterranean and North Africa
10. December 1942
Fliegerführer Afrika
Close-Reconnaissance 4.(H) /12 Me 109 7 (2) Arco-Philaenorum Koluft Pz. Armee Afrika
Long-Range Reconnaissance 1.(F) /121 Ju 88 3 (3) Zarzur Fliegerführer Afrika
Day-Fighter Stab/JG 77 Me 109G 3 (1) Arco-Philaenorum Fliegerführer Afrika
I./JG 77 Me 109G 17 (10) Arco-Philaenorum Fliegerführer Afrika
III./JG 77 Me 109G 22 (5) Arco-Philaenorum Fliegerführer Afrika
T.E. Fighter (Zerstörer) 8./ZG 26 Me 110 11 (1) Tripolis Fliegerführer Afrika
Ground-Attack (Schlacht) I./Schl.G 2 Me 109 24 (11) Zarzur Fliegerführer Afrika
Dive-Bomber (Stuka) III./St.G 3 Ju 87 24 (20) Nofilia-Nord Fliegerführer Afrika
Fliegerkorps Tunis
Close-Reconnaissance 2.(H) /14 Me 109 12 (7) Tunis-Aouina Fliegerkorps Tunis
Long-Range Reconnaissance 1.(F) /121 Ju 88 3 (3) Zarzur Fliegerkorps Tunis
Day-Fighter II./JG 2 FW 190 31 (26) Tindja-Süd Fliegerkorps Tunis
II./JG 51 Me 109G 28 (16) Sebala Fliegerkorps Tunis
Stab/JG 53 Me 109G 4 (2) Bizerta Fliegerkorps Tunis
I./JG 53 Me 109G 39 (35) Mateur Fliegerkorps Tunis
II./JG 53 - 5./JG 53 Me 109G 27 (14) Mateur Fliegerkorps Tunis
5./JG 53 Me 109G 11 (5) Gabes Fliegerkorps Tunis
Fighter-Bomber III./SKG 10 FW 190 9 (2) Bizerta Fliegerkorps Tunis
Ground-Attack (Schlacht) 5./Schl.G 1 FW 190 6 (4) Tunis-Aouina Fliegerkorps Tunis
Dive-Bomber (Stuka) II./St.G 3 Ju 87 18 (16) Sebala Fliegerkorps Tunis
II. Fliegerkorps
Long-Range Reconnaissance 1.(F) /122 Ju 88, Me 109 14 (6) Elmas II. Fliegerkorps
Day-Fighter II./JG 77 Me 109G 21 (17) Chinisia II. Fliegerkorps
Day-Fighter (Zerstörer) III./ZG 1 Me 210 15 (9) Trapani II. Fliegerkorps
III./ZG 26 - 8./ZG 26 Me 110 26 (8) Chinisia II. Fliegerkorps
10./ZG 26 Ju 88C 10 (7) Trapani II. Fliegerkorps
Bomber II./KG 6 Ju 88 10 (4) Gerbini II. Fliegerkorps
Fü. Kette/KG 26 He 111 4 (4) Grosseto II. Fliegerkorps
I./KG 26 He 111 27 (8) Grosseto II. Fliegerkorps
II./KG 26 - 6./KG 26 He 111 7 (1) Grosseto II. Fliegerkorps
6./KG 26 He 111 1 (0) Elmas II. Fliegerkorps
III./KG 26 Ju 88 25 (15) Grosseto II. Fliegerkorps
II./KG 30 Ju 88 24 (9) Comiso II. Fliegerkorps
III./KG 30 Ju 88 31 (22) Comiso II. Fliegerkorps
9./KG 40 FW 200 8 (4) Lecce II. Fliegerkorps
Stab/KG 54 Ju 88 1 (1) Catania II. Fliegerkorps
I./KG 54 Ju 88 15 (6) Catania II. Fliegerkorps
II./KG 54 Ju 88 15 (6) Catania II. Fliegerkorps
III./KG 54 Ju 88 14 (9) Catania II. Fliegerkorps
1. u. 2./KG 60 Ju 88 9 (7) Elmas II. Fliegerkorps
I./KG 76 Ju 88 14 (7) Catania II. Fliegerkorps
Stab/KG 77 Ju 88 1 (1) Gerbini II. Fliegerkorps
I./KG 77 Ju 88 32 (18) Gerbini II. Fliegerkorps
X. Fliegerkorps
Long-Range Reconnaissance 2.(F) /123 Ju 88, Ju 86R 12 (5) Kastelli & Tatoi X. Fliegerkorps
Day-Fighter III./JG 27 Me 109G 20 (14) Kastelli & Tatoi X. Fliegerkorps
Bomber Stab/LG 1 Ju 88 1 (1) Iraklion X. Fliegerkorps
I./LG 1 Ju 88 24 (9) Iraklion X. Fliegerkorps
II./LG 1 Ju 88 31 (3) Iraklion X. Fliegerkorps
Stab/KG 76 Ju 88 3 (2) Tympakion & Tatoi X. Fliegerkorps
II./KG 76 Part Ju 88 10 (7) Tympakion & Tatoi X. Fliegerkorps
III./KG 76 Part Ju 88 10 (8) Tympakion & Tatoi X. Fliegerkorps
Stab/KG 100 He 111 1 (0) Kalamaki X. Fliegerkorps
II./KG 100 He 111: Do 217 24 (7) Kalamaki X. Fliegerkorps
III./KG 100 He 111: Ar 196 26 (14) Eleusis X. Fliegerkorps
Coastal-Reconnaissance 2./SAGr. 125 Ar 196 12 (5) Suda X. Fliegerkorps
Oberbefehlshaber Süd
Close-Reconnaissance NAGr. 13 Part FW 190 3 (1) in transit Oberbefehlshaber Süd
Long-Range Reconnaissance Stab (F) /122 Ju 88 1 (1) Trapani Oberbefehlshaber Süd
2.(F) /122 Ju 88 12 (7) Trapani Oberbefehlshaber Süd
Night-Fighter 1./NJG 2 Ju 88C 8 (6) Comiso Oberbefehlshaber Süd
4./NJG 2 Ju 88C 4 (3) Comiso Oberbefehlshaber Süd