Hi all,
A bit surprised that nobody had spotted that 3rd March was the 70th anniversary of Operation “Gisela”. What was to be the Luftwaffe’s swansong. 200 German night fighters followed the bombers home and struck as they returned to base.
The Luftwaffe lost 34 aircraft out of the 200. Odds they just couldn’t sustain. The last German aircraft to be brought down over the UK came in this raid when a JU88 crashed near the free French Halifax base at Elvington.
It must have been a frightening experience for the returning bomber crews, tired and low on fuel, thinking they had reached the safety of home base, only to be shot down or told to divert when very low on juice.
By: WebPilot - 5th March 2015 at 12:22
No Place For Chivalry (Alastair Goodrum) notes “some” 140 intruders but also that estimates vary from 100 to 200. 48 RAF bombers were attacked, of which “at least” 20 destroyed and 14 damaged. Three Luftwaffe losses over the UK, 19 others missing or lost over the Continent and 12 damaged.
By: Moggy C - 5th March 2015 at 12:20
Yes, but that’s wiki. Have we anything reliable?
Moggy
By: Paul - 5th March 2015 at 12:18
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Gisela
Gives a total of 34 Allied aircraft damaged or destroyed. 15 Handley Page Halifax and 12 Avro Lancasters which made up the vast majority of casualties. Two Mosquitos were lost, one of which presumably fell in combat. Nine aircraft were listed as damaged.
The Luftwaffe losses are stated at 34. All JU88’s, either totally lost or damaged. Five Ju 88s were lost in combat over England, eight crews were missing, three were killed in crash-landings and had died from their injuries, six crews had baled out 11 aircraft crashed or were damaged on landing. It doesn’t seem to state how many JU88’s actually took off!
By: Moggy C - 5th March 2015 at 11:48
I haven’t a lot of time today. Are there any reliable figures for losses on both sides?
Wiki gives something like 24 intruders against 29 RAF aircraft, but we all know how reliable wiki is.
Moggy
By: Steve Bond - 5th March 2015 at 11:29
Yes indeed, a major event. In fact it is estimated that the Nachtjagd despatched 142 aircraft, with possibly around 70-80 intruding inland over England.
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March 5, 2015 at 9:49 am