Page 300

Regarding II./KG 51, Allied signals inteligence revealed that after operating under Luftflotte 4, the Gruppe began withdrawing to Lublin in Poland to rest and refit on 31 January 1944. Nothing was heard again until May except two references to its being in the Luftflotte 3 area. It was not realised that in the meantime the "old" II./KG 51 had been redesignated and a now one formed by renaming another Gruppe.

Withdrawal of KG 53 and III./KG 27 from Luftflotte 4, ordered on 19 February 1944.

Reports on operations by I./KG 4 and I./KG 27 in the East, February–March 1944.

An account of target marking by KG 3 during the attack on Kiev-Darniza railway station on the night of 5/6 May 1944.

Information on to new bases in Rumania in May 1944 to operate against Soviet forces in the Crimea.

Page 301

"Schmitt" should read "Schmidt" (typo in my manuscript).

One last vestige of 4./KG 26's deployment Focsani was the presence in Palas (Costanza) on 11 July 1944 of half of a Torpedo Platoon of KG 26's 1. Torpedo Servicing Company.

Page 302

It seems I didn't quite finish the photo caption at bottom right. The underwing cross is not a "type X", it appears to be a type B3 which has been overlapped slightly by the oversprayed night camouflage.

Kampfgeschwader IV. Gruppen: a selection of messages about the transfer of IV./KG 27 to a new airfield; the shooting down a a Ju 188 from 11./KG 2; and a detailed strength return for IV./KG 1.

Page 306

A Do 217 of 2./KG 2, U5+CK ,was shot down during the attack on Chelmsford on 10 December 1943. According to an RAF prisoner interrogation report (and courtesy of Martin Pegg):

This aircraft took off from Eindhoven that night to bomb a ball-bearing factory at Chelmsford. PoW from this a/c said that the Staffel colours are no longer used in the I. Gruppe, but that white rings some 5 to 6 cm wide are painted round the fuselage aft of the tail unit, one ring denoting 1. Staffel, two the 2. and three the 3. In addition to these rings there are markings on the rudder to denote the individual aircraft. PoW had C2K on his aircraft, the C and K being the last letters of the aircraft code and the 2, which was larger than the letters, denoting the 2. Staffel. This system was carried out throughout the whole Gruppe but did not apply in Gruppe IV whose colour was blue.

According to Balke (op. cit.) U5+CK was shot down by a Mosquito of No. 410 Sqn. flown by F/O Schulz. Unteroffizier Georg Sandner (pilot), Oblt. Walter Kinzel (observer) and Ogfr. Herbert Mechsner (wireless operator) all perished. Feldwebel Wilhelm Albe (air gunner) was taken prisoner.

Jörn Junker comments regarding the publisher's photos on this page and profile on page 307 that a Heinkel factory document lists WNr. 0131 was an He 117 A-5 rather than an A-3.

Page 310

An account of one of the Luftwaffe's more successful convoy attacks in the Mediterranean, the operation against "UNTRUE" (KMS-31) on 11 November 1943.

More about the attack on "ANNEX" on 26 November 1943.

Page 311

Profile caption: “2. Gruppe” should read “II. Gruppe.”