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Royal Navy aircraft vs. Tirpitz raids

Discussion in 'Air Warfare' started by churchill17sp, Aug 8, 2006.

  1. churchill17sp

    churchill17sp New Member

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    In April -Aug 1944 came some potential air combats I thought would be unique and interesting during RN attacks on Tirpitz - that is, carrier planes vs. German fighters. Does anyone know if any actually took place?
    It would have involved, besides the Barracudas with the 1600lb AP bombs, Martlets (Wildcats), Hellcats, Fireflies (August '44); does anyone know if Corsairs were involved? That would really be interesting to speculate on air combat vs. Fw-190 etc., how do you think they would have fared? I'm not familiar with what German aircraft might have been in the area.
     
  2. me262 phpbb3

    me262 phpbb3 New Member

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    22 august 44 morning
    31 barracudas
    10 hellcats
    24 corsairs
    10 fireflies
    8 seafires

    afternoon
    6 hellcats
    8 fireflies

    24 august 44
    33 barracudas
    10 hellcats
    24 corsairs
    10 fireflies

    29 august 44
    26 barracudas
    17 corsairs
    7 hellcats
    10 fireflies
    7 seafires
     
  3. Ome_Joop

    Ome_Joop New Member

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    At Bardufoss was 3rd Gruppe Jagd Geschwader 5 "Eismeer" stationed. Source: De Luftwaffe 1933-1945

    III Gruppe,

    Gruppenkommandeure:

    Hptm Günther Scholz, 3.42 - 6.43
    Maj Heinrich Ehrler, 6.43 - 5.44
    Hptm Franz Dörr, 5.44 - 5.45
    Olt Rudolf Glöckner (acting), 1944/45
    Formed 10.3.42 in Trondheim from IV./JG1 with:

    Stab III./JG5 from Stab IV./JG1
    7./JG5 from 1.Einsatzstaffel/JG3 in Stavanger-Forus (1.42)
    8./JG5 from 11./JG1 in Trondheim
    9./JG5 from 12./JG1 in Trondheim

    In 7.42 9./JG5 became 10./JG5 and was transferred to IV./JG5, while a new 9./JG5 was formed from parts of 7. and 8./JG5.

    In 8.44 increased to 4 staffeln (most of the old 9./JG5 had moved to Germany, and would become the new 8./JG5):

    9./JG5 from the rest of the old 9./JG5
    10./JG5 from the old 7./JG5
    11./JG5 from the old 8./JG5
    12./JG5 new

    In 2.45 9/JG5 became 5./JG5, 12./JG5 became 7./JG5, and a new 9./JG5 was formed from 13./JG5. III./JG5 now had:

    9./JG5
    10./JG5
    11./JG5

    Bases:

    3.42 - 4.42 Trondheim* Bf 109E
    4.42 - 10.44 Petsamo** Bf 109E/F/G
    10.44 - 31.10.44 Kirkenes Bf 109G
    31.10.44 - 8.11.44 Kaamanen Bf 109G
    8.11.44 - 1.12.44 Bardufoss & Alta*** Bf 109G, Fw 190A
    1.12.44 - 8.5.45 Gossen**** Bf 109G, Fw 190A
     
  4. churchill17sp

    churchill17sp New Member

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    Thanks much to both for the orders-of-battle!
    I forget about these operations and keep thinking of the January '45 Indonesia raids as the first use of the Firefly, but this was mid '44.
    If I recall correctly, didn't the British use the Corsair (shipboard at least) before the Americans did?
     
  5. churchill17sp

    churchill17sp New Member

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    Remembered one more thing -
    The British 1600 lb AP bomb for the Barracudas sounds like a huge amount of explosive, considering it's total weight; but that wasn't so, I believe, as an unusually large proportion of the weight was casing?
    Would anyone know how these performed vs. Tirpitz, and also how they compared to, say, the American 1000 lb bomb used by the Dauntless?
    Thanks!
     

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