German and Allied aircraft losses during Operation Bodenplatte

Operation Bodenplatte (English: Operation Baseplate or Operation Ground Plate), launched on 1 January 1945, was an attempt by the Luftwaffe to cripple Allied air forces in the Low Countries during the Second World War. The Germans husbanded their resources in the preceding months at the expense of the units defending against the Allied strategic bombing in what was a last-ditch effort to keep up the momentum of the German Army (Heer) during the stagnant stage of the Battle of the Bulge (codenamed "Operation Watch on the Rhine" German: Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein).

Main article: Operation Bodenplatte

This is a list of all known casualties during the course of the operation.

Background

Despite the passage of time, there is still controversy regarding the extent of Allied losses. One author, Norman Franks, has pointed to what "some" historians call a "conspiracy to hide the true, unacceptable, total of aircraft destroyed".[1] This theory has been aided in the conflicting totals quoted in official records and the apparent lack of detailed surviving reports. For example, some authors claim the Eindhoven airfield attack may have destroyed 141 Hawker Typhoons.[2] RAF loss records refute this claim. Total figures give only 107 operational Typhoons; 17 were destroyed outright, nine damaged beyond repair, 10 badly damaged but repaired and 24 slightly damaged.[3] In a more recent study, Fighter Command Losses of the Second World War: Volume 3, Operational Losses, Aircraft and Crews 1944–1945, the same author states that a report made by No. 85 Group RAF gave 127 operational aircraft destroyed and 133 damaged, while British personnel casualties were said to be 40 killed (11 pilots; six were killed in the air) and 145 wounded. In another report, dated 3 January 1945, losses were given as 120 destroyed and 73 damaged. 24 non-operational aircraft were also lost with 11 damaged. This included aircraft outside of RAF Second Tactical Air Force's control. The Air Force's losses were 73 destroyed and the same figure damaged, 12 non-operational aircraft destroyed and 11 damaged.[4]

A Fw 190D-9 of 10./JG 54 Grünherz, pilot (Leutnant Theo Nibel), downed by a partridge which flew into the nose radiator near Brussels on 1 January 1945.

Werner Girbig in his book, Six Months to Oblivion: The Eclipse of the Luftwaffe Fighter Force, gives German losses, from their sources, as 137 destroyed (98 in the British sector and 39 in the American). Some 57 were shot down by Allied fighters and 80 by Allied anti-aircraft defences. Girbig notes a further 48 were lost to unknown causes making a total of around 200 fighters. The rest, the author attributes to German anti-aircraft fire ("flak"). His final total is given as 300. Girbig gives personnel losses as 151 pilots killed and 63 captured.[5] Girbig gives Allied losses as roughly 500, including quoted figures according to Allied sources of 144 destroyed and 84 damaged for the RAF and 134 destroyed and 62 damaged for the USAAF. Girbig asserts that 65–75 were shot down in combat.[6]

In recent years other authors have offered more detail on the losses of each side. John Manrho and Ronald Pütz, published their findings in Bodenplatte: The Luftwaffe's Last Hope. According to their figures, taken from German and Allied sources, which include the remains of German airmen found up until 2003,[7] German casualties were 271 fighters destroyed, 65 single-engine fighters damaged and 9 twin-engine aircraft destroyed, and four damaged. Some 143 pilots were killed in action, 70 became prisoners of war and 21 were wounded in action.[8][9] The Allies lost 305 aircraft destroyed and 190 aircraft damaged.[10] A further 15 Allied aircraft were shot down and ten damaged. A further six were downed by other causes.[11] Manrho and Pütz have also deduced that only 17 German aircraft are certain to have been shot down by German Flak. Even if aircraft with unknown fates are added, it still gives a figure of only 30–35. They state that the notion one—third of the German aircraft were shot down by friendly fire is "myth".[10]

Jochen Prien and Gerhard Stemmer in their book, Jageschwader 3 "Udet" in World War II, quoted Allied losses as being 340 destroyed with 84 heavily damaged from Allied records.[12] Tertiary histories give varying figures; anywhere between 250 and 500 Allied aircraft destroyed.[13] Steven Zaloga gives figures of 214 German aircrew killed or captured and 304 aircraft destroyed. In return, Allied losses are put at 144 lost on the ground, 62 damaged and 70 lost in aerial combat.[14]

Loss statistics

Total Allied aerial losses

Allied aerial casualties directly related to Bodenplatte:[15]

NameRankUnitAircraft typeFateCause
Howard P. GibbomsFlight Lieutenant168 Squadron RAFHawker TyphoonKIAshot down by JG 3 Fw 190s
Don WebberFlying Officer183 Squadron RAFHawker TyphoonKIAshot down in error by 352nd P-51
Wacław ChojnackiFlight Lieutenant308 Polish Fighter SquadronSupermarine SpitfireKIAshot down by JG 1 Fw 190s
Stanisław BednarczykWarrant Officer308 Polish Fighter SquadronSupermarine Spitfireuninjuredshot down by JG 1 Fw 190s
Józef StanowskiFlight Sergeant308 Polish Fighter SquadronSupermarine Spitfireuninjuredran out of fuel
Tadeusz SzlenkierFlying Officer308 Polish Fighter SquadronSupermarine Spitfireuninjuredran out of fuel
Stanisław BreynerSergeant308 Polish Fighter SquadronSupermarine Spitfireuninjuredran out of fuel
Tadeusz PowierzaSergeant317 Polish Fighter SquadronSupermarine SpitfireKIAshot down by JG 1 Fw 190s
Zenobiusz WdowczyńskiWarrant Officer317 Polish Fighter SquadronSupermarine Spitfireuninjuredran out of fuel
Czesław MroczykFlight Lieutenant317 Polish Fighter SquadronSupermarine Spitfireuninjuredshot down by JG 1 Fw 190s
L RoseSergeant329 SquadronSupermarine Spitfireuninjuredengine trouble
David HarlingFlight Lieutenant416 Squadron RCAFSupermarine SpitfireKIAshot down by JG 26 Fw 190D-9
Peter WilsonFlight Lieutenant438 Squadron RCAFHawker TyphoonKIAshot down by JG 3 Fw 190D-9
Ross KellerFlying Officer438 SquadronHawker TyphoonKIAstrafed and killed during take-off JG 3 Fw 190s
Hugh FraserFlying Officer439 Squadron RCAFHawker Typhoonuninjureddamaged by JG 6 Bf 109. Wheels up landing at Volkel airfield (after downing two German aircraft)[16]
Samuel Angelini[17]Flying Officer439 SquadronHawker TyphoonKIAshot down by JG 6
Len WilsonFlying Officer442 Squadron RCAFSupermarine Spitfireuninjuredshot down by JG 6
Don GordonFlight Lieutenant442 SquadronSupermarine SpitfireWIAshot down by JG 6
Donald BrigdenFlying Officer442 SquadronSupermarine SpitfireKIAshot down by JG 6
William WhisnerCaptain487 Fighter Squadron, 352 Fighter GroupNorth American P-51 MustanguninjuredAfter damage from JG 11 20 mm fire, Whisner destroyed two Bf 109s and two Fw 190s[15] and made a "wheels down" landing[18]
Dean HustonFirst Lieutenant487th Fighter Squadron, 352 Fighter GroupP-51 Mustanguninjuredminor damage
James HallSecond Lieutenant366th Fighter GroupRepublic P-47 Thunderboltuninjuredshot down by JG53 Bf 109
Dofel BrunettiSecond Lieutenant366 Fighter GroupP-47 ThunderboltKIAshot down by JG53 Bf 109
William SchubertFirst Lieutenant367/358 Fighter GroupP-47 Thunderboltuninjuredshot down by JG53 Bf 109
David Johnson JrFlight Officer366 Fighter GroupP-47 Thunderboltuninjuredshot down by JG11
John FeeneyFirst Lieutenant366 Fighter GroupP-47 Thunderboltuninjuredshot down by JG11
John KennedySecond Lieutenant390th Fighter GroupP-47 Thunderboltuninjuredshot down by JG11
D.K Neil
Other crew: Crew Sgt. Owen Stafford WIA; William Fletcher KIA		Lieutenant125 Liaison SquadronStinson Vigilantuninjuredshot down by JG4
Pilot and Observerunknown27th Field ArtilleryArtillery Spotterboth KIAshot down by JG53
Pilot and ObserverunknownXX. Art CorpsArtillery SpotterKIAshot down by JG53
? HarveyunknownAir Despatch Letter Service FlightAusteruninjuredshot down by JG53 (bailed out)

Total German losses

German casualties related directly to Bodenplatte:[19][20]

Unit KIA or MIA POW wounded Average number of aircraft deployed Percentage of staff lost
I./JG 173
II./JG 11011
III./JG 112
18618031%
Stab./JG 21
I./JG 2961
II./JG 23111
III./JG 21032
221149031%
I./JG 335
III./JG 332
IV./JG 341
10627026%
I./JG 43
II./JG 4831
III./JG 41
IV./JG 462
18515542%
Stab./JG 61
I./JG 6411
II./JG 652
III./JG 663
15717033%
Stab./JG 112
I./JG 114
II./JG 1162
III./JG 1192
2146538%
I./JG 26532
II./JG 26441
III./JG 26311
128416038%
I./JG 2761
II./JG 2711
III./JG 2721
IV./JG 2721
11318518%
II./JG 53521
III./JG 532
IV./JG 53521
10445036%
III./JG 545411760%
IV./JG 54212512%
751
I./JG 7721
II./JG 7711
III./JG 7733
6510510%
Est./JG 10413
Total (day fighters)1506519875
Stab./SG 41
III./SG 421
31
FlüG 11
NJG 192
NJG 331
NJG 1011
143
KG (J) 512
Total (other units)194
Grand Total1696919

Jagdgeschwader 27 losses on 1 January 1945 numbered 18 pilots overall. Fifteen pilots were lost as a direct result of Bodenplatte.[21]

References

Citations
  1. Franks 1994, p. 201.
  2. Franks 1994, p. 202.
  3. Franks 1994, p. 204.
  4. Franks 2000, p. 130.
  5. Girbig 1975, p. 112.
  6. Girbig 1975, pp. 77–78.
  7. Manrho & Pütz 2004, pp. 4–5.
  8. Manrho & Pütz 2004, pp. 272–3
  9. Forsyth & Laurier 2008, p. 30.
  10. Manrho & Pütz 2004, pp.272–273.
  11. Manrho & Pütz 2004, pp.290–291.
  12. Prien & Stemmer 2002, p. 349.
  13. Weal 1996, p. 83 and Fiest 1993, p. 77.
  14. Zagola 2004, pp. 61–62.
  15. Manrho & Pütz 2004, pp. 290–1
  16. Melnick, Michael T. (1 January 1945). "This Day In History". The Unofficial Homepage of 439 Tiger Squadron. rcaf.com. Archived from the original on 21 May 2006. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  17. Samuel Angelini
  18. Whisner, William. "1 January 1945 Combat Log". Home of the 352nd Fighter Group: The Blue Nosed Bastards of Bodney (Second to None). 352ndfg.com. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  19. Girbig 1997, pp. 229–230.
  20. Girbig 1975, pp. 115–117.
  21. Manrho & Pütz 2004, pp.282–283.

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