Next Friday TOD. Prelim info.

[Fatty]

Allied

[APDrone]

No Chads here.

Allied please.  11 - 15

( Ignore the gagged form in the corner emitting muffled screams of 'ME! ME!' )

[Wotan]

Nifty 190s didny get to North Afrika until November 1942.  II./Jagdgeschwader 2, and III./ Zerstörergeschwader 2 (later  re-designated III./S.K.G.10 on 20 December 1942)

III./Z.G.2 was formed in April 1942 with Bf 109 Jabos and served on the Russian Front between May and August 1942. In August, it transferred to Parndorf in Austria, and Cognac in France, where it converted from Bf 109E-7/Bs to FW 190As. At Cognac, the unit underwent anti-shipping training, training that would prove to be essential for the coming Tunisian campaign. In November the unit moved to Sicily, being based at Comiso airfield. After transferring across the Mediterranean to Sidi Ahmed airfield (near Bizerta) a few days later, III./Z.G.2 came under control of the Flieger Führer Tunis.

The FW 190 fighter unit transferred to Tunisia, II./J.G.2, was a highly experienced Channel Front unit which contained a number of Experten. These Experten included Ritterkreuzträgers Oblt. Kurt Bühligen (Staffelkapitän 4.Staffel), Lt. Erich Rudorffer (Staffelkapitän 6.Staffel) and the acting Gruppenkommandeur , Oblt. Adolf Dickfeld. These three pilots in particular would taste great success in the North African skies in the months following the units arrival in Tunisia on 20 November 1942. They would amass a number of victories in trying circumstances, with both Rudorffer and Bühligen claiming some 20+ victories. During the campaign, Rudorffer would be promoted to the rank of Hauptmann, and would become acting Gruppenkommandeur Dickfeld claimed only a few victories in about two months, and two other pilots (Goltzsch and Bänsch) both claimed more than ten aerial victories. A little known FW 190 ace of the Tunisian campaign was Lt. Lothar Werner of 4./J.G.2, who achieved seven victories. The Staffelkapitän of 5./J.G.2, Oblt. Wolf von Bülow also downed about seven Allied aircraft over Tunisia. Feldwebel Kurt Goltzsch was a 30-year old Alter Hase (old hand - experienced pilot), who; scored consistently over Tunisia, becoming the fourth ranking FW 190 ace of the theatre.

The FW 190's North African Campaign
III./Z.G.2 commenced operations in Tunisia on 16 November 1942. Five days later, the newly arrived II./J.G.2 tasted success on its first day of operations, claiming some ten victories for no losses. These victories were achieved after eight FW 190s of the unit, as well as some Bf 109s of J.G.53, attacked Spitfire Vs of 81 RAF Squadron while the latter were taking off from Maison Blanche airfield. Three Spitfires were destroyed and five badly damaged, so the Gruppe's claims were fairly accurate. The unit's first North African kill was achieved by Oblt. Kurt Bühligen. That afternoon eight FW 190s from III./Z.G.2 attacked Bone airfield. During the night heavy bombers of the RAF attacked Bizerta, where both II./J.G.2 and III./Z.G.2 were based, and two FW 190s were destroyed.

After a few quiet days, action by FW 190s occurred further north on the 25th, when Italian records state that fourteen Luftwaffe FW 190s took off from Comiso airfield, Sicily, to intercept bomb carrying Spitfires of 1435 Sqdn, Malta. Sometime after 14.00hr the RAF machines were intercepted and the Würgers claimed one kill and one probable. Actual RAF losses was one aircraft and pilot, Flight Lieutenant J.H. Burgess killed.******

Us lw dont need any undo advantage

[Wotan]

Just good reading here.....

On 9 February 1943, II./JG 2 achieved its highest tally in the Tunisian campaign, when it downed some 16 aircraft, half of which went to the Gruppenkommandeur himself. In fact, Rudorffer claimed all his eight victories in the space of half an hour during one early afternoon sortie. Just after noon on the 9th, bombers (B-17s of the 301st BG) and fighters (18 P-38s of the 94th FS) were reported approaching II./JG 2’s base, Kairouan, and immediately the unit’s readiness Staffel took off to engage them. Rudorffer was last to take off, and after sighting the enemy formation at 21500 feet, attacked the fighters. He attacked P-40s which were flying in a defensive circle, and by slipping in and out he managed to down six of them. He then sighted P-38s below strafing German ground targets. He shot down two of these south of Maktar at 1521 and 1522 in two passes, giving him a total of eight. The following is Rudorffer's own account of the action:

"It was south of Tunis, about 180 kilometres. We got word - we were based at Kairouan - that bombers and fighters were on the way (B-17s of the 301st BG and P-38s of the 1st FG). One Staffel was already sitting in their aircraft and I ordered them off. I was always last to take off and waited to get the latest information on the enemy's course and speed. Then I took off with my Schwarm of four and we assembled with the others in the air and headed for the "dicke Autos und Indianer". They were coming from the west, about 24 B-17s, 18 P-40s, 20 P-38s and a similar number of Spitfires - some of them may have been Hurricanes because when the dogfight began I thought I saw some Hurricanes also. We were at about 7000 metres and the bombers were below us, the P-40s above.
When we started for the bombers the Curtiss fighters came down on us and that's when the dogfight began. After a time the P-40s, which were not as fast as us, went into a 'Luftbery' circle and I began to slip in from low and high and shoot them donw. I managed to shoot down six in about seven minutes. As I recall the combat report, I got one at 1359 and the last at 1406. By that time the fight had broken up and everyone had scattered. Then I saw somw P-38s strafing below us, and though I had only about four FW 190s with me at this time, I went down at them and surprised them. I got one coming from above and then went up again and came down on another and shot him down. That gave me eight for the day - I remember it because it was one of the best days I ever had."[/b]

[Nifty]

That's because I had a very significant typo and then repeated it on the CM forum.

It's 1943.  The events in this TOD take place in the Spring after Operation Torch which occurred in Nov '42.  Dunno why I wrote 1942, unless it was when I had been thinking about running Op Torch as part of this.  *shrug*

Thanks for bringing that to my attention, Wotan!  

[Wotan]

ah ok

[Sandman]

Allied for the Zoo...

[daddog]

Sorry for the delay. Long days at work.

We are due for Axis as you know nifty, but put us where you need us.

[Nifty]

You said Allied, didn't you Daddog???