VIII Bomber Command (HQ Wickham Abbey)
1st Bombardment Wing(HQ Brampton Grange)
Unit
Airfield
Type of Aircraft
91st Bombardment Group
Bassingbourne
Boeing B-17
92nd Bombardment Group*
Alconbury
Boeing B-17
303rd Bombardment Group
Molesworth
Boeing B-17
305th Bombardment Group*
Chelveston
Boeing B-17
306th Bombardment Group*
Thurleigh
Boeing B-17
351st Bombardment Group
Polebrook
Boeing B-17
379th Bombardment Group
Kimbolton
Boeing B-17
381st Bombardment Group
Ridgewell
Boeing B-17
384th Bombardment Group
Grafton Underwood
Boeing B-17
4th Bombardment Wing(HQ Elveden Hall, Thetford)
94th Bombardment Group*
Bury St Edmunds
Boeing B-17
95th Bombardment Group*
Horham
Boeing B-17
96th Bombardment Group*
Snetterton Heath
Boeing B-17
100th Bombardment Group*
Thorpe Abbots
Boeing B-17
385th Bombardment Group*
Great Ashfield
Boeing B-17
388th Bombardment Group*
Knettishall
Boeing B-17
* Detailed for other targets, and therefore not directly involved in the bombing of Hamburg.
Appendix G
Luftwaffe Order of Battle of Fighters in the West, 24 July 1943
1 Jagddivision (HQ Deelen, Holland)
Night fighters
Unit
Airfield
Type of aircraft
Stab NJG 1
Deelen
Me110 (a.k.a. Bf110)
I/NJG 1
Venlo
Me110
II/NJG 1
St Trond
Me110
III/NJG 1
Twenthe
Me110
IV/NJG 1
Leeuwarden
Me110
Day fighters
Stab JG 1
Deelen
Me109 (Bf109), FW190
I/JG 1
Deelen
FW190
II/JG 1
Woensdrecht, Schiphol
FW190
III/JG 1
Leeuwarden
Me109
I/JG 26
Grimbergen, Wevelghem
FW190
III/JG 54
Schiphol
Me109
2 Jagddivision (HQ Stade)
Stab NJG 3
Stade
I/NJG 3
Vechta, Wittmundhafen
Do217, Ju88, Me110
II/NJG 3
Schleswig, Westerland
Do217, Ju88, Me110
III/NJG 3
Lüneburg, Wunstorf, Stade
Me110
IV/NJG 3
Grove, Kastrup
Do217, Ju88
NJ-Kommando 190
Aalborg
FW190
Stab JG 11
Jever
FW190
I/JG 11
Husum
FW190
II/JG 11
Jever
Me109
III/JG 11
Oldenburg
Me109
10 Staffel/JG 11
Aalborg
FW190
Jagdstaffel Heligoland
Heligoland
Me109
III/JG 26
Nordholz
Me109, FW190
3 Jagddivision (HQ Metz)
Stab NJG 4
Metz
Do217, Me110
I/NJG 4
Florennes
Do217, Me110
II/NJG 4
St Dizier
Do217, Me110
III/NJG 4
Juvincourt
Do217, Me110
Stab JG 26
Lille Nord
FW190
II/JG 26
Vitry-en-Artois
FW190
Stab JG 300 (Hajo Herrmann)
NB This Order of Battle contains only units in western Europe between Denmark and northern France, and is the best estimate for 24 July 1943. Luftwaffe fighter units were moved around a great deal, and because of a lack of reliable documentation it is impossible to be completely certain where any one particular unit was on a given day. Those fighter groups that were too far from Hamburg to assist in its defence are not listed.
Appendix H
Air Force Casualties
First RAF raid, 24 July 1943
German losses
Unit
Aircraft
Losses
II/NJG 3
Ju88 C6, 360334
Lt W. Töpfer shot down into sea off Sylt by Mosquito of 25 Squadron. Two men killed.
Do217N, 1414
Ofw. W. Ziegler shot down, probably by Halifax of 51 Squadron. Two men killed.
British losses
51 Squadron
Halifax II, HR940 MH-
Shot down by night fighter (Oblt Günter Köberich of IV/NJG3). Sgt W. J. Murray and six crew died.
75 Squadron
Stirling III, EE890 AA-L
Shot down by night fighter (Fw. Meissner of II/NJG3). Three survived as PoWs, but pilot W/O H. Nicol and three others died.
76 Squadron
Halifax V, DK187 MP-M
Lost over North Sea, probably by night fighter. Pilot F/O G. G. Such and seven crew died.
102 Squadron
Halifax II, JD 316 DY-X
Shot down by night fighter. One survived as PoW (P/O F. G. Smith), but pilot F/L T. Bakewell and six others died.
103 Squadron
Lancaster I, ED389 PM-J2
Shot down by night fighter (Hptm. Rudolf Sigmund, IV/NJG1), crashed in North Sea. Pilot W/O G. E. B. Hardman and six crew died.
103 Squadron
Lancaster III, ED878 PM-V
Shot down by fighter (Oblt. Hermann Greiner,IV/NJG1). Pilot W/O F. F. O’Hanlon and six crew died.
103 Squadron
Lancaster III, JA886 PM-E
Lost without trace. Pilot F/S R. A. Moore and six crew died.
158 Squadron
Halifax II, HR941 NP-A
Shot down by night fighter (Lt Böttinger, II/NJG3), crashed near Schleswig. Pilot Sgt W. H. Bolam and six crew died.
166 Squadron
Wellington X, HZ314 AS-P
Hit by flak, crashed at Buchholz. Pilot W/O G. Ashplant and four crew killed.
214 Squadron
Stirling III, EE902 BU-P
Shot down by fighter and crashed at Barchel. Two survived as PoWs, but pilot P/O R. W. Belshaw and five others died.
218 Squadron
Stirling III, BF567 HA-P
Shot down by night fighter, crashed near Neumünster. One survived as PoW (F/O H. C. Eyre), but pilot W/C D. T. Saville and six others died.
460 Squadron
Lancaster III, W4987 AR-
Hit by flak and crashed near Cuxhaven. Pilot F/S A. G. Ashley and six crew died.
In addition one Halifax II (HR803 TL-P) from 35 Squadron piloted by F/S N. J. Matich crash landed a minute after take-off, without any of the crew being hurt; and F/S S. M. Grzeskowiak’s 305 Squadron Wellington X (HF472 SM-S) crash-landed because of insufficient fuel, but again no one was hurt.
First USAAF raid, 25 July 1943
German losses
III/JG I
Me109 G-6, No. 207
Maj. K.-H. Leesmann shot down by unknown American bomb group.
II/JG II
Me109 G-6, No. 20026
Lt W. Gloerfeld collided with stabilizer of 379th BG B-17 and crashed near Bliedersdorf. Pilot wounded.
Me109 G-1, No. 14147
Lt E. Kämpf shot down by B-17, possibly of 303rd BG. Crashed near Itzehoe. Pilot wounded.
Me109 G-1, No. 14125
Uffz. W. Riedmann shot down by B-17, crashed at Sauensiek. Pilot wounded.
III/JG 26
Me109 G-6, No. 16447
Pilot unknown. Crash-landed at Stade after combat, pilot unhurt.
IV/NJG 1
Me110G-4, No. 6343
Night fighter of Oblt E. Gardiewski shot down into sea by B-17s of 303rd BG.
American losses
91st BG
B-17, 42–29813
Shot down by flak and fighters. One killed, but 2Lt Marshall L. Pilert and eight others survived as PoWs.