Short Stirling & RAF Bomber Command Forum

Hi,

For your information I have made a summary of the combat claims made 3 Group during the period 1943-1945. This summary is based on the Monthly Supplementary Narrative of Operations which is probably the closest we will come to an official list of combat claims made by Bomber Command. Observe that for the first months 1943 several claims found in other documents like Operational Record Books are missing but from May 1943 there is a bigger conformity between these documents even though some claims are downgraded (from Destroyed to Probable or from Probable to Damaged) in the Monthly Supplementary Narrative of Operations.

Total combat claims for 3 Group 1943-1945: 94 Destroyed, 34 Probably destroyed and 81 Damaged
1943: 47 + 19 + 46
1944: 44 + 11 + 30
1945: 3 + 4 + 5

Per type
Wellington: 0 + 0 + 1
Stirling: 48 + 14 + 39
Lancaster: 46 + 20 + 41

I will come back with summaries per squadron.

Regards,
Peter

Many thanks for your efforts, Peter.
We look forward to seeing the summaries.
Cheers,
John

Hi Peter,

Great job your doing and the disc I sent will help.

The only problem is the discrepancy between the Air 50 Combat Reports, the Monthly Supplementary Narrative, ORB's and 3 Group HQ Records, Fighter Interception Report and Air Losses & Interception Reports. I have spent the best part of 5 years trying to establish the number of encounters / sightings / combats by 218 Squadron using the above files. The figures differ by as much as 20%. I really do not envy your job of researching a whole group! Good luck Peter and please let me know when the disc arrives.

Steve

Hi,

John: Thanks, I hope I can awake some interest in this not so well researched area of Bomber Command operations.

Steve: Disc received yesterday. I have sent you an email. I recognise the problems you have with encounter/sightings/combats by 218 Sqn. I have worked 75 Sqn combat claims a number of years and it can be really frustrating. The year 1941 has been especially difficult and it really annoying to see that the official history New Zealanders in the Royal Air Force seems to have had access to documents that later have been lost.

I find some comfort in the fatc that claims by Fighter Command have been thoroughly researched at least since the sixties but there are still uncertainties on a number of claims even though they have a head start of 50 years.

Have you found any more 3 Group HQ Records besides the records available on NA Documents Online? I have been looking for documents covering day combats during 1941. Are these included in any of the documents you mention? I have not seen the Air Losses & Interception Reports.

Regards
Peter