USA Air Command and Staff College report on BoS

[MiloMorai]

http://spitfirevsbf109.com/files/LuftwaffeStalingrad.pdf

 

LUFTWAFFE TACTICAL OPERATIONS AT STALINGRAD
19 NOVEMBER 1942-02 FEBRUARY 1943
MAJOR ROY W. LOWER 87-1595

 

This the time period for 1C/777's scenario for the BoS, so should be a must read.

 

An excerpt on the participation of Germany's allies during the time period.

 

"Students of the Stalingrad campaign will immediately recognize that I have excluded Germany's allies from my discussion. While it is true that Croatian, Slovakian, Hungarian, Rumanian and Italian air forces assisted the Germans, their contributions at this stage of the war remained mediocre. At one time during the campaign, the Croatian staffel, 15/JO 52, had no serviceable aircraft (Appendix B ) . The Italian contingent of 90 aircraft flew only 6000 sorties during their entire 17 months in  Russia (42:112). To put this figure in perspective, Luftflotte IV flew nearly 24,000 sorties during June 1942 alone (8:242). The Rumanian contribution might have been greater had not most of their aircraft and airfields been overrun during the initial Soviet counterattacks on 19 November. Lastly, the Hungarians had only one fighter squadron, 1/1 Fighter Squadron, attached to Luftflotte IV. Equipped with semi-obsolete Re-2000 "Hejas," 1/1 suffered much the same fate as her Rumanian ally. After abandoning almost all their aircraft to the advancing Russians, the Hungarians withdrew to Stary Oskol where they began conversion to Bf-109 F and Bf-109 G fighters. They did serve briefly in the Stalingrad area flying their newly acquired Bf-109 F-4s, but their contributions were negligible (33:34). "

[AdlerAngriff]

Thank you

 

P.S. Regarding Croatian involvement. I read somewhere that "signifiocant" operations began in 1943. Around Kuban. Croatia had a few aces even. But I don't think anything major happened. On the other hand the Croat Legion suffered the same faith as many German allies in the city itself. This was infantry.

 

What's fascinating for me is that at the same time the anti faschist partisan movement was forming an air force of their own. At first many of the planes were ols biplanes which were hidden on mountain slobes and in forrest, taken off from meadows and random clearings in the woods. Later.....from 1943. A force operated from North Africa flying P-40s and Spitfires. They weren't part of the RAF like the 303 Polish squadron. Rather they had their own independent unit. They infact were a recognised partisan force.

 

The thing is tehse people were of the same nationality fighting on opposite sides.

 

One Croatian Do 17 or Ju 88 crossed Soviet lines and surrendered intentionaly. The funny thing is that the Pilot was anti German, but the copilot or gunner, anyway one of the crew was pro German.

 

Anyway that's from the top of my head for now. I do not claim 100% accuracy

Edited December 18, 2012 by AdlerAngriff

[FlatSpinMan]

Very interesting and handy for mission makers, too.

[exhausted]

This is nice information. I think the same was true for the Italians during the Battle of Britain. I really wish those two RA birds weren't represented as it seems like they should have come in a later patch while resources went to game play for initial release.

 

I'm looking forward to Stalingrad.... jeesh, I'm sure no one was saying that in 1942!!!

[AdlerAngriff]

I think that after winter came and the soviets surrounded the 6th army.....then no one was saying that. Before that time, I think some were excited