May 14, 1943 7th victory

Boeing B-17

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Searches concerning this victory :

progress of the search

3

Last update

August 6 , 2001

Evaluation quality of information

3

The mission of the USAAF

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COMBAT CHRONOLOGY OF THE US ARMY AIR FORCES

FRIDAY, 14 MAY 1943

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force)

Number 56 :

A maximum force is put in the air as part of a combined offensive against the Wehrmacht.
154 B-17's, 21 B-24's and 12 B-26's are dispatched against 4 targets.

The principal attack is against submarine yards and naval installations at Kiel, Germany; 136 B-17's and 21 B-24's are dispatched with 126 B-17's and 17 B-24's hitting the target at 1200-1203 hours local. We claim 62-24-27 Luftwaffe aircraft; we lose 5 B-24's and 3 B-17's with 1 B-24 damaged beyond repair and 9 B-24's and 27 B-17's damaged. Casualties are 3 KIA, 17 WIA and 81 MIA.

42 B-17's are dispatched against the former Ford and General Motors plants at Antwerp, Belgium; 38 hit the target at 1320 hours local; we claim 5-1-4 Luftwaffe aircraft; we lose 1 and 15 others and damaged; casualties are 3 WIA and 10 MIA ;

in the third raid, 39 B-17's are dispatched against Courtrai Airfield, France; 34 hit the target; we claim 0-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft; we lose 2 B-17's and 10 others are damaged; casualties are 20 MIA.

In the 4th raid, 12 B-26's are dispatched against the Velsen power station at Ijmuiden, The Netherlands; 11 hit the target at 1100 hours; 1 B-26 is damaged beyond repair when it crashes upon returning to base and 9 others are damaged; casualties are 1 KIA and 7 MIA.
This is first time more than 200 US bombers are dispatched. The attack at Ijmuiden is made at low level by the 322d Bombardment Group (Medium), the first US medium bomber group to become operational in the UK.

The Antwerp mission is escorted by 118 P-47's; they claim 4-6-11 Luftwaffe aircraft; we lose 3 P-47's and 1 is damaged; casualties are 3 MIA.

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3 B-17 declared lost on May 14, 1943 (short list) :

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Source : Book "The B-17 Flying Fortress Story"

serial number	plane name	squadron	code	date lost	reason	mission lost on	pilot
41-24481	Boeing B-17F-10-BO "Hell's Angels"	91 BG 322 BS	LG-M	May 14, 1943	?	Kiel Crash Location : Nord Sea near Amrum Island (30km NW > Husum)	Broley, 10KIA. MACR 15498
42-30003	Boeing B-17F-80-BO "War Eagle"	92 BG 407 BS	PY-S	May 14, 1943	fighter	Kiel Crash Location ? Rendsburg ? (45km S-SE > Husum) Last observed circling down under control toward Amrum Island (30km NW > Husum) w/one engine out, one stabilizer shot off	1 Lt. Lowell L. Walker P POW Lt. John C. "Jack" Eder CP POW Lester L. Kleuver N POW Ernest F. Bean ? POW Donald E. Hutton E POW Everett K. Teaford R? KIA M/Sgt. James E. Lane BT? KIA S/Sgt. Donald E. Buckland W? KIA S/Sgt. Malcolm Culpepper T KIA MACR 16055

Source : 303rd Bombardment Group (H) Eighth Air Force Station 107 - Molesworth, England
http://www.303rdbga.com/macr.html + Livre "The B-17 Flying Fortress Story"

serial number	plane type	squadron	Code	date lost	reason	mission lost on	pilot
42-5243	B17F-40-BO "F.D.R.'s Potato Peeler Kids"	303 BG 359 BS	BN-P	May 14, 1943	fighter	Kiel Crash Location North Sea	Capt Ross C. Bales P Lt Walter E. Dooley CP S/Sgt Raymond K. Winters E Sgt Jack D. Snell TG S/Sgt Raymond H. Kilgore R 10 KIA MACR 15593

The planes which are a part of this short list are those that answer the following criterion:
mission on Kiel and not of fall close to Husum.

What I look for concerning these planes :

41-24481	The exact crash location of the plane
	German documents concerning Knoke's victory or falling point
	The contents of the MACR 15498
42-30003	The exact crash location of the plane
	The contents of the MACR 16055
	Testimonies of the crew
42-5243	The exact crash location of the plane
	The contents of the MACR 15593
? 5 B-24 ?	According to the message below 5 B-24 would have been lost during this mission on Kiel. I found only 4... The interest of B-24 is to be able to analyze their falling point. At this moment B-17 and B-24 was all nicknamed "Fortresses" or "Viermots" by german pilots. There is maybe possible confusion.
	How many other victories were claimed by German pilots in this sector this day ? Which is the detail of it ?

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Description of this victory by Heinz Knoke and different information : Crash Location : near HUSUM

	Heinz Knoke Informations	Personal comments
Source	I flew for the f... page 98
Date	May 14, 1943
Type of claimed plane	B-17 Flight Fortress
Place of the interception	Beginning of attack over Holstein 30.000 feet
Crash Location	Near Husum	Square ST-7
Presumed Mission USAAF	Bombing Kiel
Presumed route USAAF	On way home after bombing Kiel
Schedule	Fortress crash near Husum at 12.17
Weather report
Knoke's Unit	5./JG11	All Bf 109G are slung with a 500-lb. high-explosive bomb equiped with a fifteen-second time fuse.
Description of the fight	"I attempt another frontal attack. My first salvo registers right in the control cabin of a Fortress. It rears up, like a great animal that has been mortally wounded, and drops away in steep spirals to the right. At approximately 10000 feet . It crashes near Husum at 12.17."	Probably both pilots were killed...
Detail 1	"...a wing breaks off."	A sure victory.
Detail 2	Knoke mention that Sergeants Fürhmann, Fest and Biermann shot down three other Fortress by bombing . The fifth victory of 5./JG11 was claimed by Sergeant Wenneckers.
Detail 3	Knoke didn't mention parachutes.	Probably no survivor.

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Luftwaffe' Official Victories on May 14, 1943.

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Source : Jagdgeschwader 1 und 11 Tail 1 1939 - 1943 Jochen Prien, Peter Rodeike.

Rank / Pilot	Unit	Plane	Schedule
Olt. Grosser	2./JG11	B-17
Hptm. Specht	II./JG11	B-24
Lt. Kilian	II./JG11	B-24
Olt. Sommer	4./JG11	B-24
Lt. Knoke	5./JG11	B-17	12h17
Fw. Wennekers	5./JG11	B-17
Hptm. Falkensamer	6./JG11	B-17
Lt. Hondt	6./JG11	B-17
Olt. Strobl	I./JG11	B-17

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