guys, I am continuing the work for the book we are preparing on the German night fighters. I have a claim at 20.30hrs or so one source states from a 7./NJG 11 Bf 109G pilot, Ofw. Kreibaum. It is over a Spitfire near Diepholz. This on the night of April 7/8, 1945. The 7. staffel Kriegstagbuch is very hard to read for this date so I cannot confirm for certain this time. question.....was the RAF still performing Night recon duties this late in the war, and with single engine Spitfires ? If so what unit(s).. ? thanks to my English friends of this board and anyone else that may want to add info.... all is welcome ! ~E
Ouch - this is a difficult one ! In answer to your question, Erich - yes, the RAF used the Spitfire for photo-recon in NW Europe right to the end of the war with such Marks as the PRXIX ( but P-51s were used as well ). The main unit operating in this theatre at the end of the war was 541 Squadron, which operated from Melsbroek near Brussels from December '44 onwards. Another Wing (104 PR ) was set up at Coulommiers using 10 Spitfires from 541. The principal role for 541 was to photograph the retreating German army's lines of communication, especially the railway system. Don't forget that at that very late stage of the war, Allied single-engined fighters were roaming about pretty well everywhere. What is needed is some way of checking out Spitfire losses for that date [ 14. May 2003, 12:42 PM: Message edited by: Martin Bull ]
oh good grief, maybe it was a P-51 ? geez, this will take awhile. I have nothing on RAF fighter/recon losses and isn't the much anticapated RAF fighter losses book only covering the early war years in the volumes or are they complete now ? ~E
It's out but I don't have it ! Reach for that Visa card.... http://www.aeroplanebooks.com/seriesRAFfighterloss.htm
