Gotterdammerung. This is a DBall free thread!

[kaleun]

August 23 43

Geheim. Luftflotte 2. Geheim.

The envelopes, addressed to the other two members of the secret committee contain a simple map, showing the locations of the airgruppes in Italy; included is also a report on last day’s air fighting over NW Europe, The Reich and Italy.

Mein Herren:

The enemy reconnaissance flights were, as usual, allowed to transit freely through our airspace by our fighters; only the AA guns, where possible, fired at them. This is done so as not to tire our pilots excessively. I, however intend that at irregular intervals, ME109 Stab groups shall intercept some of these recons. Also some of the training gruppe might scramble a schwarm or two to gain practice with these unarmed, or lightly armed targets.

Yesterday’s flights, among other targets, reconned the submarine pens at St Nazaire, Brest, and other locations in the Atlantic coast. Some of these were obvious decoy raids as the pens are so far away from any possible fighter cover that to attack them would be suicidal. I have in any case moved some heavy flak to the most likely submarine pen targets in case the enemy decides to attack them. This interest in submarine targets suggests that the flak defenses of U-boot factories be reinforced. With the first phase of our staged withdrawal from S. Italian airfields completed, there was enough transport available to move all the flak in the pool to its intended positions. Per Dr. Goebbels’ suggestions, it is my understanding that Howaldswerke U fabric, and Osnabruck have received additional cannons.

The enemy attacked targets in Paris yesterday, most importantly, the ball bearings factory in the NW suburbs of the city. The factory was destroyed at a great cost to the enemy.

They lost 26 machines, 12 of them Spitfires. Twenty fell to our fighters and 6 to AA fire. They lost 22 pilots between those killed in action and the ones we took prisoner. We lost 24 fighters. Our French allies put up a good show, their Dewoitine 520 got credit for at least a B17F and several fighters. Nineteen of our losses were D520s but fortunately most of our pilots bailed out and were recovered safely. We lost 6 pilots.

There was no action in Italy where the only activity was to move significant AA cover to the rail station at Sulmona. This station is essential to supply and transport troops and engineers into the Sigfrid line fortifications and had been, until now, completely bare of AA defenses. At this time, we’ve placed 30 AA machine guns, 4 quad 20s, 4 37 mm, 3 88s, and 2 balloon barrages at the target. More will be moved in as it becomes available.

Heil Hitler.
Galland.

[npsergio]

Very fun ARR. Please, keep the good work!

[kaleun]

August 24 1943

The letter is addressed to the Minister of Armaments.

Mein Herr:

The enemy activity concentrated on the north of France and outskirts of Paris. For the first time, our French Dewoitine fighters rose to fight the enemy. We scrambled two flights of D 520 from Villacoublay and Chateaudum. Their performance was, unimpressive. However they did hit some fortresses, and even managed to destroy one of the heavy bombers. Aside from that, their main use was to absorb ammunition from the enemy fighters.

May I suggest we stop production of the D 520 fighter? We have about fifty of them which we can use to replace losses and the industrial capacity may be used for something else.

The enemy flew 3204 sorties yesterday against 376 for us. We lost 52 aircraft, ten of these on the ground. 14 were RE 2001 Falco II, most of those on the ground in Italy. The enemy lost 31 machines, three to AA fire. 13 were B17F type. We recovered the bodies of 15 pilots and captured another 13. The pilots have been buried with appropriate honors and we have notified the Swiss ambassador of the names of the captured pilots per Geneva Convention rules.

Heil Hitler.

Galland.

Speer scribbles a note and issues the appropriate orders.

“Production of Dewoitine 520 to cease. Factories to assemble BF109G-10 research. Parts to convert to late 109 and Hispano Suiza to convert to Daimler Benz 605 AS.”

[kaleun]

August 25 1943

From” Memories of the Reich, by Joseph Goebbels, Springer Verlag 1952.

Air battles rage over the south of Italy with 5 enemy losses for one of ours. In the evening, I step outside. There is no moon. This is a bad sign. Our best nightfighters are blind of there is no moon, unless they attack a heavily defended target. The uncultured bastards bomb Rome. I hope they destroy the Colosseum, or even better, the Vatican. We’ll get rid of the clericalists leader and get great propaganda.

They came for Bremen. They bombed the city and the DeutscheShiff U boat works. I don’t know if they were targeting the factory or they just missed and got lucky. The flak batteries claimed 10 bombers damaged. At the end of the day, the enemy lost 8 machines and we lost 2.

[kaleun]

August 26 1943

Galland stands at the central command post. A large plotting map that depicts all of North West Europe, from the Southern Scandinavian Peninsula to Bordeaux occupies the center of the room. On the map, several women auxiliaries plot the positions and altitudes of the enemy raids and the intercepts as they are relayed to them. From a gallery, Galland and other officers observe and issue orders. In a different room, in the heavily protected, underground bunker, a similar map illustrates the Italian front.

Right now, the Generalleutnant pays attention to the French front only. He stands at the gallery, his hands holding the railing but issues no orders. Others do so, with curt efficiency.

After the usual morning recon flights, mostly ignored, except for one intercepted unsuccessfully by 4 BF109 G2Ts from Helligoland.

Avranches radar detects a 300 ship raid at 13000 feet and 200 miles per hour speed. 75 escorts accompany this large raid.

More escorts appear behind the first raid but no fighters scramble.

The enemy bombers penetrate deeper into the heart of France and approach Paris. Still, no fighters rise to meet them. The heavy bombers reach their target. The Ball bearing factory at Bois Colombus, on the NW banlieus. They drop their bombs at 13000 ft and come under attack from the flak batteries protecting the factory. A colonel looks up at Galland who nods.

II/JG scrambles 26 FW 190A-5 with orders to snipe at stragglers.

Nearer the channel a flight of B26s bombs Oissel electric and suffer heavily from the air defense guns. A second flight of B17s hit Kuhlman electric.

Caen rail yards also come under attack just as Le Trond airfield is hit by Mitchells. Fortunately, all fighters had been moved out and only AA left behind. The Typhoons that visit St Andre and Villacoublay make the same discovery, shared by the Spitfires that strafe these empty, save for the light flak, airfields. The FW190s score some hits on a flight of Spitfires IXC. The heavies return home undisturbed.

The final score, seventeen enemy aircraft destroyed at a cost of only two.

“Meier can take this to the Fuhrer,” Galland mutters under his breath.

Meier is, of course the nickname that the fighter force uses, when no one hears, to refer to Reichmarschall Goring. “If ever a bomb falls on Berlin, you can call me Meier,” he had said. Of course, no one calls him Meier, not within his hearing distance.

He returns to his office to write his report. Fighting in Italy resulted in nine enemy losses for only one friendly casualty.

“Gut, sehr gut.”

During the night, enemy bombers visit Braunschweig, but it was only a feint by Mosquitos, even so, it kept the burghers awake until the all-clear was sounded.

Bremen was not so lucky. The RAF hit the city center and the UBoat fabric on the NW of the city. 22 bombers were damaged by flak and two destroyed outright. Other bombers would fail to return crashing on the fields of the NW approaches or on the North Sea. Despite the darkness, the Wilde Sau attacked 2 bombers damaging them. The 110s also attacked one bomber that was damaged. The Heinkel UHU bombers destroyed an additional machine.

Not bad. Not bad at all.

[Cripes A Mighty]

NEW YORK TIMES - August 27, 1943

REDS TAKE KHARKOV, DRIVE THROUGH UKRAINE

TIGERS TRIP YANKS, 4-1: GIANTS TOP CUBS 6-2

US BOMBERS POUND NAZIS: RAF HITS BREMEN - American warplanes struck enemy targets in Occupied France yesterday, with heavy and medium bombers hitting industrial centers and transportation facilities while US fighter-bombers slashed at Nazi airfields. Heavy damage to enemy targets was reported by an Eighth AF spokesman who characterized Luftwaffe resistance as "spirited." He acknowledged the loss of 18 American aircraft. This loss was offset by the destruction of 97 German fighter planes by bomber gun crews and fighter escort aircraft.

RAF sources reported heavy and accurate bombing in a night raid on the port city of Bremen. Industrial targets in Bremen were said to have been damaged as well. RAF losses were not revealed.

[kaleun]

August 27 1943

Geheim, Air Defense briefing report. Geheim.

Once more the enemy raided Northern France and Belgium. Once more the Luftwaffe refused to respond to the challenge. Typhoon dive bombers attacked the arms factory at Vlaardinge, and suffered accordingly from the light flak protecting the factory. Two 88 mm guns were destroyed; the heavy flak was ineffective against fast moving low level bombers, but the light flak exacted a heavy toll. The Factory was destroyed however.

The enemy sent recon aircraft after the raids; some of these went deep into the Reich. Two gruppen scrambled a total of 8 BF 106-G6 fighters and succeeded in attacking and damaging one of them. Later reports from England state that one of these recon aircraft crashed on landing.

Galland.

Geheim, Nachtjagd report, Geheim.

At 2105 after raids were identified approaching the Dutch coast, 4 ME110G4 from IV NJG-1 scrambled to patrol at the Steenjewik radar box at 18 thousand feet. Over the next 30 minutes three flights of night fighters of this unit scrambled from Groningen. Two additional groups of four ME 110 G4 apiece scrambled from Furstenau and four more from Groningen. These were vectored into the bomber stream by radar. A second stream of enemy planes, further south was identified but not intercepts were ordered. By 21:47 the target of the bomber stream was tentatively identified as Emden and fighters from IV NJG-1 and Stab NJG-3 and III NJG-3 from Groningen and Furstenau were dispatched to patrol over the Nordseewerke U-boat factory.

Bombs began to fall in the Emden area at 2201 dropped by Lancasters. Stab NJG-1 flying He219A 0/R2 and the remainder of IIINJG-3 scrambled to Bremen.

Flak damaged 22 enemy aircraft. Nachtjagd had 5 intercepts however, due to the lack of moonlight, only one of these resulted in an attack. One Lancaster was claimed damaged.

The enemy bombers bomb Emden with nine groups and Deutsche Schiff U-boat factory with three. Two groups of Lancasters dropped their loads in the fields near Emden and three near the U-boat factory.

All our nightfighters were recalled at 0056h.

Heil Hitler.
Generalleutnant Josef Kammhuber.

[kaleun]

August 28th 1943

From” Memories of the Reich”, by Joseph Goebbels, Springer Verlag 1952

Very little activity today. Enemy dive bombers attacked the Ethanite rubber plant and a power plant in the occupied territories. Both targets were destroyed but this is insignificant. During the night the RAF attacked the Deutshcheshiff U-boat factory and destroyed it. Doenitz must be really hurting them if they keep hitting his factories. We must transfer more heavy flak to the submarine factories but now is not the time.

Intel from Italy and Sicily makes me think invasion is imminent. All available transport directed to move light and medium flak batteries out of the toe and instep of the peninsula. Only leaving AA machineguns behind. Would take even those if transportation available.

Will meet with Speer tomorrow to see about flak for the U-boat factories.

[kaleun]

August 29th 1943

From” Memories of the Reich”, by Joseph Goebbels, Springer Verlag 1952

Had Sunday breakfast with Magda and the children, then it was off to meet with Speer. He hopes to have more Flak batteries available as they are pulled from south Italy when the invasion starts. Of course, there is not that much heavy flak down there and heavy flak is what the Burghmeisters demand to protect their cities. Kammhuber would like heavy flak at strategic radar sites, to make it more difficult and costly for the terrorflieger to reach the heart of the Reich and to make his night fighter’s work easier.

Our citizens had a good night sleep as the British swine decided to attack Paris during the night. Kammhiber scrambled up a bunch of DO 217-2 from St. Dizier and Me 110G-4 from Juvincourt but there was so little light that they weren’t able to do anything. The enemy intruders patrolled over St. Dizier but they left before the night fighters returned. Will get some footage for our newsreel. Maybe this will show some Frenchmen how much Churchill cares for their safety.

Speer moved heavy flak to CAM Ivry ball bearings south of Paris. He thinks it might be the next target.

[kaleun]

August 30 1943

It is 0629 at the command post. On the wall, a mechanical sign measures the radio activity over England and Italy. The display reads 159. Generalleutnant Adolf Galland clears his throat:

“Any moment now.”

The display, constantly updated keeps going up, 410 at 7:08, 470 at 0727. And it keeps rising. 0736 488.

“Should be a busy day,” he says to no one in particular.

The enemy recons penetrated German airspace, once again unchallenged. Now comes the real thing.

“Raid over the channel, estimated strength 75, 1000m, 350 kph.”

A Luftwaffe woman auxiliary places a yellow marker on the map.

“Raid over Framingham, 250 aircraft, 4000m, 225kph. Second raid over Framongham, ten machines, 1800m, 480 kph.”
The appropriate markers go up on the map.

An officer approaches the Generalleutnant, “Scramble a patrol sir?”

“Ja.”

“Scramble over Aarshot, 7000 meters, I/JG 26 and 4 fighters from 12/JG26.”

The orders are repeated over the telephone lines. Four minutes later the reports come back.

“I/JG 26 reports 36 FW190 A-5 airborne.”

“12/JG26 4 BF109 G-6 in the air.”

The clock on the wall reads 0800. The radio activity reads 353.

“Dunkirk bombed, aircraft identified as boxcars.”

0805

“Typhoon Jabos attacking Vlaardingen. Heavy flak. Two typhoons destroyed by balloons.”

0807

“St Malo bombed.”

Two minutes later, “Raiders over the channel. 4000 meters at 225 kph, estimated 250.”

“This is the one, go for it,” Galland says.

“Jawohl!”

“III/JG1 from Volkel, 12.JG26 Ash, III/JG 26 Steenjwick, IIJG3 Gladbach. Scramble.”

“Assemble at 7600 meters over Rotterdam.”

“Jawohl.”

The orders are repeated, and acknowledgments follow four minutes later.

“III/JG1, 36 Bf109 G-6 airborne.”

“12 JG26 6 Bf 109 G-6 flying.”

“III JG 26, 34 Bf109 G-6.”

0822

“Enemy recon aircraft reported over Bordeaux.”

No pays heed to the unimportant report, but it will be collated and considered, after the battle is over.

“The enemy raid is turning East, Herr Generalleutnant”

“They seem to be heading towards Amsterdam. Move the patrols over there.”

“Jawohl.”

“What happened to IIJG3?” Galland asks, “Why have the R6s not reported in?”

0834

“I/JG26 attacking flying coffins.”

“Herr Generalleutnant, the Bf 109 G6/R6 did not take off. The order was lost. Shall we scramble them now?”

“Scheisse! Too late. Let them be.”

The enemy raid splits into two groups. The first attacks the Amsterdam Fokker avionics factory. The FW190s bounce and attack the B17s. The heavy bombers, their formations fragmented by flak, take damage from the fighters. They hit back too, and some fighters have to abandon the fight, smoke trailing from their engines.
On the ground, bombs fall and destroy the avionics factory.

“Second group of flying coffins, attacking Zaanstad Munitionswerke.”

“Vector the 109s against this group.”

“Jawohl.”

The battle rages on over Amsterdam, in full view of the citizenry, or at least those that ignored the warning air raid sirens and did not seek shelter. Today, their temerity will go unpunished. The allied bombers aided by the excellent weather score direct hits on both targets pulverizing them.

By 0855 all is over.

“Recall all fighters.”

“Jawohl herr Generalleutnant.”

Final score for the NW Theater, 20 allied aircraft at a cost of only 8 German fighters.

A smile creeps, for an instant, over Galland’s face.

In Italy, the allies attacked many objectives on the coast and were intercepted by the Italian Folgore and Ariete groups out of Bari and Foggia 2. The Folgores returned to base, low in fuel before engaging, but the Arietes did engage briefly one of the enemy raids and suffered accordingly.

As predicted, B17s attacked the rail yard at Salerno; the flak reinforced rail yard at Salerno. As they withdrew, Bf109s attacked the stragglers. As had happened in the north, the heavier fighters, the Fw190Fs in this case, were too late and returned to base without firing a shot. Even so, the allied forces lost 12 airplanes against a loss of 7, most of these, Italian machines.

The dark clear night saw two streams of bombers attack targets on the East coast of the Jutland peninsula, the Krupp Germania submarine factory and Hamburg. Some of the bombs destined for Hamburg fell on the undefended suburb of Langenhorn. One bomber was destroyed by flak and many were damaged. Kammhuber decided not to scramble any night fighters because there was no moon at all and in such darkness there could be more losses from accidents than from enemy action, and the fighters would not be able to see their targets anyway.

Final score, 39 allied airplanes at a cost of 15 axis machines.

[kaleun]

September 1st, 1943. 0430 AM.

It is still dark and a light fog covers the ground at Berlin’s Tempelhof airport. A Junkers trimotor JU-52 transport airplane warms its engines while, in the Terminal, three men conduct a rushed conference.

“This is the situation then,” Goebbels pauses for an instant, “Badoglio surrendered. We expected it since Mussolini’s exit, despite Badoglio’s assurances to Dr. Rudolf Rahn, our counselor of Legation. We are ready and the Wehrmacht forces that we moved into Italy have disarmed the Italian forces in the north and are doing the same in the south. Badoglio ordered the Italian forces to cease firing at the Americans and English, which they weren’t doing anyway, and also said that arms must speak in case Italy were attacked by any other power (doubtless meaning us) (1)

In any case, we were ready and now, let the allies be burdened by their new allies. It should all be ready by the time you arrive.”

“My plan is to convert all airframe, parts and engine factories that were making the MC 205 to MG 109G5/AS, the high altitude version, the Fiat engine plants will be converted to make the Daimler Benz 605 AS except for one that shall make BMW 801 D-2. Also the Reggiane factories will make the FW 190-A5. The engineers and plans are already in the plane. All the pertinent factories are north of the planned Gustav line so the Americans shouldn’t get there," Speer said.

“I shall see about redeploying my gruppen. We lost about 52 fighter groups that have gone over to the enemy. For the time being, our ground forces may have to depend much more on flak. I shall transfer as much as I can to them from the installations that we plan to abandon.”

“All right then, Mein Herren, auf wiedersehn.”

Goebbels watches as Galland and Speer board tri-engined transport, sees it taxi out on the darkened airfield and take off into the early dawn.



((1)from Goebbels diaries 1942-1943, Doubleday and Co, Garden City, 1948, NY)

[kaleun]

September 1st 43

Dawn appears and all over France, Belgium and Holland, the crews wake up to a solid overcast. A cold rain drizzles from the scudding clouds. Pilots look up at the sky and at the command hutch at hundreds of airfields. No orders come in. They sit and drink ersatz coffee, and wait, and wait. Until, close to noon, a stand down order comes. No Luftwaffe pilot will die today.

In Italy, the enemy raids hit radar installations at the southern tip of Sardinia, as well as Cancello and 26th Panzer. In the dogfights that ensue, 4 Bf109 G-6 fall in flames from the sky, as well as a Spitfire V and a P38-H.

The night bombers raid Rome.

All over south Italy, antiaircraft guns, removed from airfields, are loaded into trains and trundled north. Not only light aircraft. In Tarento, 88mm flak batteries as well as balloons are also loaded into train cars that steam north under cover of darkness. Not a single airgroup moves today. There is not enough transport and the flak cannons take priority.

[DavidFaust]

Great read

[kaleun]

September 2nd 1943

“I need to move the airgroups that flew today but I have no transport, they will be sitting ducks if the allies attack those airfields tomorrow; especially the FW190-Fs of 1SKG10 at St Breuc.”

“Galland, we’ve used all transport available to move flak out of the allies’ way down in Italy. The allies are advancing very fast and we cannot afford to let it fall into their hands.”

“Hell of a way to fight a war.”

Galland had scrambled the FW190Fs, as well as the 110G2 of ZG1 and a flight of FW190-A5 over the western peninsula of France to intercept raids that seemed to be heading towards the depth of the country, likely Nantes, outside of allied fighter cover. The enemy raids however made a hard turn east and attacked Cherbourg instead. The Luftwaffe fighters had to be recalled to their bases not only wasting aviation fuel but also revealing their positions to the allied intelligence services. North of Paris, the veteran 11JG26 with 36 FW190A-5 and the rookie JGR 103 with 31 Bf 109 G-6 had better luck and scored 21 kills between medium bombers and fighters at a cost of only 2 fighters lost. He looked at the sky, worried. If tomorrow brought good weather, the allies had a great chance at his heavier fighters over Brittany and there was precious little he could do about it.

In Berlin, Speer called up the Gauleiter. “Goebbels, what in Teufel is happening with the trains? Galland needs to move his gruppen around France and I need to move flak from southern Italy, and what answer do I get? That the trains are being used by Eichmann. What does he need all those trains for anyway?”

“Why don’t you ask him?”

“I don’t want to talk to him, he, and Bormann give me the creeps.”

“I understand, they are not very pleasant. In any case, we’ve captured a great photograph from one of the B17s downed by Flak north of Paris. It is a picture of the bombs falling in Paris, around the Hispano Suiza engine factory.”

“Yes, it was totaled; as if we had enough engine factories.”

“It’s all right,” the Propaganda minister’s voice was excited, “the photograph will be on the Voelkischer Beobachter” and all over the neutral press by tomorrow. Let the world know how Eisenhower treats his allies. I also have pictures of the ruins in Rome to let everyone see how the allies respect an open city.”

“By the way,” Goebbels asked, “what was yesterday’s score?”

Speer did not like to refer to the aircraft losses as a score; neither did Galland or even Goebbels for that matter. There were, after all, young men in the cockpits of those machines, but there was no good way to refer to it. The butcher’s bill they used to call it in the Royal Navy.

“21 enemy machines over France at a cost of ours. In Italy, nineteen of theirs and nineteen of ours, 14 of them 190Fs. At night, they lost seven and forty damaged. Hajo Hermann released a flight of wild boars over Wilmhemshaven despite the lack of a moon. They sighted two enemy aircraft and attacked and damaged one. Surprisingly, they all landed without losses.”

“Sehr Gut.”

[kaleun]

September 3rd

Adolf Galland crumples the report in his hand, his jaw clenched. All color drained from his faces as he fights to control his anger.

“Six groups lost! How could it happen?”

“The allies broke through and advanced much faster than we thought sir. The groups at Foggia were to have moved last night but the allies reached the airfields before we could move them out. The pilots were saved sir."

He looks out of the window at the light of dawn arising on the east. It had been a bad day. The zerstorer and FW190-F groups in the Cherbourg peninsula as well as the 190A5s from Chartres scrambled to intercept what was, in the end, a diversion by B24s that attacked an infantry formation in the coast. The location of the groups however confirmed to enemy intelligence.

Other enemy formations had attacked Steenjewik airfield where a Bf109 group suffered heavy losses on the ground. The B26s got mauled by light flak but many aircraft were lost. The pilots were unhappy that the group did not scramble to fight but, right on schedule, the Mustangs arrived to strafe the field and shoot at any fighter attempting to land. That’s why he did not scramble the fighters. Despite the damage to the airfield it was good to be proven right.

The heavies came soon after, heading East, past Steenjewik, bound for the submarine factories at Bremerhaven. That’s when he hit them with all he had, as soon as most of their escorts had returned to England. All except the new ones, the twin engined ones, P38s. In the end, the enemy lost 34 airplanes while the Luftwaffe lost 41. A victory for them, it seemed.

He snorted. Italy had been a victory in the air for Germany 4/8, but that was not counting the groups lost on the ground to the allied advance.

The night was not much better. 46 bombers damaged by flak and two destroyed. Me 110s sighted 6 and attacked three times but only damaged one and two of the night fighters took damage from the 303 machineguns that defended the British bombers. Cuxhaven and Bremerhaven were the targets.

And still no hope of transport for his groups.

Maybe tomorrow the weather would be bad.

Maybe.

[kaleun]

9/4/43

Berlin Tempelhof.

The honor guard stands at attention. Hauptmann Walter Milius, 1NJG 3 stands three steps ahead of them as the orders are read. The Reichmarschall, flanked by Generalleutnant Galland and Generalleutnant Josef Kammhuber approach him, salute him and watch as Goering pins the Iron cross on his chest. The Nachtjagd newest ace salutes smartly. Five British flags painted on the cowling of his Ju 88C for five bombers he downed over the night skies of the Reich. The UFA camera crew doesn’t miss a single detail for this week’s newsreel; only one photographer snaps pictures for both Signals and the Voelkischer Beobachter; the persistent attacks on chemical factories require economies to be made, even by Goebbel’s propaganda machine.

Dr. Goebbels is, however quite happy. The flak batteries and night fighters scored 54 losses on the RAF bombers, 8 of them fell to night fighters while 46 were destroyed by the flak batteries. He knows how to spin this. In total, the allies lost 66 machines at a cost of only 4 allied fighters, 2 FW190F over the Brest peninsula and 2 ME110 shot by intruders while landing at Venlo.

Even Galland smiles, a little. He was finally able to move the FW190F group out of St Breuc, where the British had attacked yesterday morning, only to find the fighters awaiting the typhoons and with the help of the Fw190As pouncing on them. However, he finally moved them out, to a different, better protected airfield. He did not get enough transport to move light flak into the, now vacant field, but if the allied bombers come calling again they can plow up the runway, but the planes will be safe, elsewhere. Even one of those pesky, fast reconnaissance machines, a Spitfire PRX1 fell to a ME109 G6.

In Italy, a group of ME106G-6R6 moved out of Corsica to the mainland. The rest of the night, workers frantically loaded AA guns into trucks and trains, getting them out of harm’s way.

Galland looks up at the sky and prays for rain.

[7th Somersets]

Great to see you back... looking forward to the next episode.

I hope that Galland's wish doesn't come true!

[kaleun]

This game moves very slowly. My opponent finds it more labor intensive to play the allied side. (We are playing a mirror game) I find it faster to play the allies.
Thanks for reading, and posting.

[kaleun]

September 5th 1943

The report on the Voelkischer Beobachter reads simply: Yesterday enemy bombers attacked targets in Holland. There was only light damage. A total of 13 enemy machines were destroyed at a cost of only two German fighters. Enemy night bombers attacked targets near Bremen. 10 bombers were destroyed by flak and night fighters. 65 British bombers were damaged by the flak batteries.

Speer knows the full story. The chemical factories were destroyed; the Bremen bombers hit not only the city but also the Deutsche Schiff U-Boat factory. They paid a price, and the German air losses were negligible but the total industry output damage factor rises up a notch to 5. He phones orders all around and, all over the Reich, trucks move gaunt men in striped, threadbare uniforms, to repair, rebuild and reconstruct. It will be worse when winter comes and the old, worn uniforms provide no comfort against the cold and wind. That is not his concern. Production is.

Galland and Goebbels are pleased. The former because transport became available and he was able to move some of the airgroups out of the exposed airfields in the Brest peninsula. He would need to move them again soon, when the enemy found out where they went but, until then, they were safe. The latter because he, too, was able to move some heavy flak into the U-boat factories, at least into some of them.

[kaleun]

Sept 6 1943

The Voelkisher Beobachter announces that yesterday was a calm day over the Reich and only fighting occurred in Italy where the enemy suffered 3 losses to our one. Flak batteries continue to be pulled out of the front line targets but the front has stabilized enough that transport is available for flak deployment. Goebbels moves heavy flak batteries into sub factories around Bremen and into city objectives. It requires a careful hand to move in batteries letting the citizenry know about it so they feel reassured, while trying to keep it hidden from the enemy reconnaissance aircraft and spies. In any case, bad weather over the UK grounded recon. Maybe when the bombers come they’ll be in for a surprise.

Kammhuber converts II NJ4 at St Dizier from Dornier 217 J2 to the newer N-2 model with the upward firing Shragemusik cannon. The I NJG 1 also swaps its Me 110-G4 for JU 88 C-6 also equipped with the new cannon.

Sept 7th 1943

97% cloud over UK grounds the RAF and USAAF. Weather is better over France but the pilots and crews enjoy a second day off in a row. Not so the mechanics who use the respite to repair and service more airplanes.
The Me 109G-6 stationed at Asch move back near Bremen and are replaced with a rested 109G-5 group from the rear.
A large 109G-6 group also transits from northern Denmark to Nivelles.

Flak moves around, mostly into railyards in Italy, light flak into the Hermann Goering Panzer division that has reached its position on the Gustav line, and into the U-Boat battery factory in Essen where 10 88mm flak batteries arrive overnight.

A heavy flak train moves from Cologne to the East coast of Italy under cover of darkness. The rail supply line to the Gustav line must be protected at all costs.

Only one loss reported from yesterday’s desultory action in Italy: a single 109G-6 destroyed on landing. The pilot was wounded but will be back fighting soon. The enemy lost three aircraft to air to air combat.