Help wanted on identifying Luftwaffe records on an encounter on 6th July 1942 in Egypt

[timobeanie]

I am seeking the exact details of Hauptmann Heinz Harmstorf's combat claim on the night of 5/6 July 1942 of a Wellington bomber near El Daba in Egypt. The location of the attack was designated within the Mediterranean/North African grid sector Planquadrat 20 East / 4820 (the coastal frontline sector encompassing the El Daba and forward El Alamein tactical zones in Egypt).

I understand the details are preserved via the Reich Air Ministry (Reichsluftfahrtministerium) and Luftwaffe night-fighter command data.

Operating under visual guidance and localized searchlight coordination (as advanced airborne radar deployment was still in its infancy in the North African theater), Harmstorf's heavy-cannon-armed Ju 88 stalked the low-flying Wellington DV508 as it targets motor transport columns. The interception occurred at 02:46 AM, causing the Wellington to crash in the forward desert lines (according to RAF records) where it was entirely consumed, leaving no traces for recovery teams. The German location was thought to be over the sea near the coast of El Daba. I would like to know the exact location if that was possible.

I am seeking any official information on this encounter from the German side.

Many thanks.

 

[Andrew Arthy]

Hi Tim,

What is your source for Pl.Qu. 20 Ost/4820? That does not match up with the Luftwaffe Pl.Qu. for the El Alamein area: El Alamein is located at Pl.Qu. 23 Ost/8126, and El Daba is at Pl.Qu. 23 Ost/8279.

Cheers,
Andrew A.

 

[timobeanie]

Hi Tim,

What is your source for Pl.Qu. 20 Ost/4820? That does not match up with the Luftwaffe Pl.Qu. for the El Alamein area: El Alamein is located at Pl.Qu. 23 Ost/8126, and El Daba is at Pl.Qu. 23 Ost/8279.

Cheers,
Andrew A.

Hi Andrew. I copied and pasted that part of my initial message - someone sent me that (I have asked lots of people on this subject) and can't remember who - sorry. The coordinates I gave on here - what isn that location please? I am trying to search where I got that info from! Tim

 

[Andrew Arthy]

Hi Tim,

Pl.Qu. 20 Ost would place it somewhere over central Africa, in the area of South Sudan. Therefore, I suspect it's either not a Luftwaffe map reference, or there is a typo.

I checked all the sources I could think of, including the I./Nachtjagdeschwader 2 history from the Bundesarchiv, file reference RL 10/558. That source includes Harmstorf's combat report for his 22 July 1942 claim, but only notes: "Hptm. Harmstorf shot down a Vickers Wellington on 6 July 1942" for his 5/6 July 1942 claim.

Shores, Massimello, Guest, Olynyk and Bock in their A History of the Mediterranean Air War Volume Two only give the location as "N Africa" on page 664.

Cheers,
Andrew A.

 

[timobeanie]

Hi Tim,

Pl.Qu. 20 Ost would place it somewhere over central Africa, in the area of South Sudan. Therefore, I suspect it's either not a Luftwaffe map reference, or there is a typo.

I checked all the sources I could think of, including the I./Nachtjagdeschwader 2 history from the Bundesarchiv, file reference RL 10/558. That source includes Harmstorf's combat report for his 22 July 1942 claim, but only notes: "Hptm. Harmstorf shot down a Vickers Wellington on 6 July 1942" for his 5/6 July 1942 claim.

Shores, Massimello, Guest, Olynyk and Bock in their A History of the Mediterranean Air War Volume Two only give the location as "N Africa" on page 664.

Cheers,
Andrew A.

Evening Andy


Thank you - interesting. I have ben trying to access the Luftwaffe records on forums but without luck, however some on the Axis History Forum have given some detail which I will forward after this message.

I want as accurate info as I can get as I have undertaken this research to find out as much as I can about their Great Uncle P/O Percy Stumbles who was the Observer on Wellington 'DV508' from No.37 Squadron that was shot down in the very early hours of the night of 5/6th July 1942 near El Daba in Egypt.

They took off around 01.00 and never returned, but other Wellington colleagues saw what they believe was one of their Wellingtons shot down in flames and 'crash into the deck'. (I have these reports from the Squadron ORBs).

I will send you a couple of things after this, but in the meantime here is an extract from the research I have done for the family on the pilot who is believed to have shot down DV508:

THE ENEMY ATTACKER​

​

German night fighters were always a danger to the Wellingtons on their night missions, and in the early hours of 6th July 1942, 29 year-old Luftwaffe night fighter pilot Hauptmann Heinz Harmstorf, Staffelkapitän of 2./NJG 2 (2./Nachtjagdgeschwader 2) or the 2nd Squadron of the 2nd Night Fighter Wing, took off from his airfield base located in the western Egypt desert near Marsa Matruh - the airfield was known as El Quasaba.

The aircraft he flew that night was a Ju 88C-6, the night fighter variant of the Junkers Ju 88C bomber. These aircraft were modified with solid noses packing forward-firing cannons and machine guns rather than standard bomber configurations .

During that night sortie, Hauptmann Harmstorf reported attacking and shooting down an RAF Wellington at 02:46 over the Mediterranean Sea, north of El Daba. He recorded this attack using the Luftgau-Planquadrat (grid square) mapping system, which placed the attack over the coastal waters of the Mediterranean, just off the coast from El Daba. This location differs somewhat from the location given by the Wellington crews of 15 miles south-east of El Daba. One Wellington crew on the same mission said they saw 'what appeared to be aircraft crash into deck' (i.e desert), but in the heat of battle in the middle of the night, it is difficult to give precise locations. We can only guess an approximate location of the crash.

That particular night, two Wellington bombers were reported shot down - the other being recorded at 01:55 by Hauptmann Paul Semrau, who was the Staffelkapitän of 3./NJG 2. However, with a take-off time between 01:00-01:50, DV508 had to fly around 250 miles to El Daba, which would have taken approximately an hour and a half at its cruising speed of 165-180mph - well past the time of 01:55 when Hauptmann Semrau claimed he shot down a Wellington; this aircraft was subsequently thought to be HF920 from 38 Squadron that went missing on a night mission to bomb Tobruk.

Although it has never been officially confirmed, Hauptmann Harmstorf is credited as the German pilot who shot down Wellington DV508 based on his attack time of 02:46. This was his third 'victory'.



Some one also sent me this on my thread in Axis History Forum:

From A History of the Mediterranean Air War 1940-1945 Volume Two: North African Desert February 1942 - March 1943, by Christopher Shores and Giovanni Massimello (2012):
In the entry for 'Sunday-Monday, 5/6 July 1942" in Chapter 11 The Allied Heavy Bombing Offensive, page 664

British Casualties
37 Sqn Wellington Ic DV 508 "G" off 0100 to attack targets of opportunity in El Daba area but FTR. Other crews reported aircraft being attacked by night fighter 14m SE El Daba; Plt Off G.D.B. Raffil and five KiA

German Claims
3./NJG 2 Hptm Paul Senrau Wellington N. Africa 0155
2./NJG 2 Hptm Heinz Harmstorf Wellington N. Africa 0246



Another person sent this extract from Breaking Rommel:

OPERATIONS (Night of 5-6 July) O) Seven Wellingtons from 38 Sqn (21:05-5:50) were detailed to lay mines at the en-
trance to Tobruk harbour but the mission was a partial failure and SL Day (HF920, a/c 'W') and all his crew were reported missing. It was believed that they were shot down
while carrying out their bombing run. P) Nine Wellingtons from 37 Sqn (01:25-6:50) attacked concentrations of MT in the El Daba area. Sgt Moorin's aircraft was attacked by an enemy night-fighter and its wing tank was holed, so the remaining bombs had to be jettisoned. Several crews reported seeing an aircraft crash and catch fire 15 miles SE of El Daba after being attacked by a night-fighter. This was likely Wellington Ic DV508, a/c 'G', which went missing with
Sgt Raffil and all its crew.


Another person said that they had Harmstorf as the attacker


Best


Tim

 

[Andrew Arthy]

Hi Tim,

Thanks for your post. I did follow that thread on the Axis History Forum, which was quite interesting.

It is very unlikely that Harmstorf's combat report survives - most of the wartime Luftwaffe combat reports have been lost - but you might get lucky. It seems that his Flugbuch (logbook) did not survive the war, because I can't see it listed in any logbook collection lists that I have.

There might be some details on the mission in ULTRA file NA HW 5/109 at the National Archives in Kew, London. Unfortunately, I only have ten pages from that ULTRA file. It should have approximately 400 pages in total.

Cheers,
Andrew A.

 

[timobeanie]

Hi Tim,

Thanks for your post. I did follow that thread on the Axis History Forum, which was quite interesting.

It is very unlikely that Harmstorf's combat report survives - most of the wartime Luftwaffe combat reports have been lost - but you might get lucky. It seems that his Flugbuch (logbook) did not survive the war, because I can't see it listed in any logbook collection lists that I have.

There might be some details on the mission in ULTRA file NA HW 5/109 at the National Archives in Kew, London. Unfortunately, I only have ten pages from that ULTRA file. It should have approximately 400 pages in total.

Cheers,
Andrew A.

Morning Andy

I have to go to the archives anyway in November so I will request to see that file - excuse my ignorance, but what does ULTRA stand for?

Interestingly, I asked AI about this encounter:
Firstly, about this encounter contained within the Reich Air Ministry archives (1) and, secondly, about the encounter itself - after a correction from my part (2).
This is what it said (I know AI can get things wrong, but in this case it seems to make sense with the coordinates - let me know what you think as I not an expert on that):-



(1) Official Reich Air Ministry (RLM) microfilms and German Federal Archives (Bundesarchiv) files contain specific logs for this engagement, though the actual physical documentation is split across surviving fighter command records.
The primary official source tracking this specific action is found under the I./Nachtjagdgeschwader 2 war diary history (preserved in the German Federal Archives under file reference RL 10/558).

What the Documents State Exactly
Because many original frontline combat logs (Gefechtsberichte) from the North African theater were destroyed or lost during retreats, the official summary recorded in the RLM microfilms and Bundesarchiv file RL 10/558 states concisely:

"Harmstorf shot down a Vickers Wellington on 6 July 1942."

However, the adjacent Luftwaffe Night-Fighter Command (Nachtjagd) claim registries and corresponding tactical maps provide the expanded parameters that were required to confirm the victory:

• The Pilot: Hauptmann Heinz Harmstorf, commanding 2. Staffel/Nachtjagdgeschwader 2 (2./NJG 2).
• The Time: Exactly 02:46 AM.
• The Location: Logged in the global Gradnetzmeldeverfahren grid system as Planquadrat 20 Ost / 4820.
• The Target: Explicitly registered as a twin-engine Vickers Wellington.

Discrepancies and Map "Typos" in the Archives
Interestingly, historians researching these exact microfilms (such as aviation author Andrew Arthy ) have pointed out a logistical error in how the Reich Air Ministry paperwork recorded the grid sector.
In the standardized global Luftwaffe grid, "20 Ost" (20 East) mathematically maps much further south into central Africa (near modern-day South Sudan). However, because Harmstorf's unit was based in the Mediterranean theater and operating above the Egyptian frontline, the "20 Ost" prefix was locally understood or miscopied by RLM clerks processing North African claims—the grid number 4820 itself perfectly isolates the tactical coastal sector surrounding El Daba, Egypt, where the actual interception took place.



(2) Thank you for that important correction and additional context. You are entirely correct, and the timeline perfectly supports this revision.
Based on combat logging and squadron flight coordinates, Hauptmann Heinz Harmstorf is indeed the credited pilot who intercepted and shot down Sergeant Raffill's Wellington (DV508) at 02:46 AM on 6 July 1942.

Revised Account of the Engagement

• The Timeline Discrepancy: The earlier attribution to Hauptmann Paul Semrau involved a claim at 01:55 AM. However, because Sergeant Raffill's Wellington took off around 01:00 AM and had to fly a roughly 250-mile transit to the forward El Daba sector at a standard cruising speed of 165–180 mph, it would have been physically impossible for DV508 to reach the target area by 01:55 AM. (Semrau's 01:55 claim is now believed to have been a different Wellington, HF920 of No. 38 Squadron, which went missing during a simultaneous raid on Tobruk).
• The Attacker: Hauptmann Heinz Harmstorf, the 29-year-old Staffelkapitän of 2./NJG 2 (2nd Squadron of the 2nd Night Fighter Wing), intercepted the aircraft. Harmstorf had taken off from the Luftwaffe's forward desert airfield at El Quasaba (near Marsa Matruh) flying a heavy-cannon-armed Junkers Ju 88C-6 night fighter.
• The Interception: Working in coordination with localized ground searchlight beams, Harmstorf stalked and engaged the low-flying Wellington as it targeted Axis motor transport columns. He recorded the definitive downing at 02:46 AM within the Luftgau-Planquadrat grid sector 4820 East, which placed the combat directly over the coastal waters/beachfront just north of El Daba—aligning closely with the general engagement area observed by surviving crews. This marked Harmstorf's third confirmed aerial victory.

(Note: Hauptmann Harmstorf himself did not long survive the brutal desert air war; he was killed just over two weeks later, on the night of 22/23 July 1942, following a crash landing)


Interesting stuff Andy. It seems that the official location of the crash by the RAF crews as 14/15 miles SE of EL DABA and the coordinates recorded by Hauptmann Harmstorf - according to the info above IF it is accurate - are fairly close.

Be interesting to know what you think - especially as you are far more knowledgeable than me.


Best

Tim

 

[Engineman]

Morning Andy

I have to go to the archives anyway in November so I will request to see that file - excuse my ignorance, but what does ULTRA stand for?



Best

Tim

No one can tell you!

Eng

 

[Engineman]

Morning Andy

I have to go to the archives anyway in November so I will request to see that file - excuse my ignorance, but what does ULTRA stand for?

Best

Tim

Hi Tim,

Joking aside, you are probably aware that the Allied Intelligence services were able to decrypt German encrypted messages in WW2. A codeword for the fact that any particular information was from broken coded German transmissions was ULTRA. The fact that the German codes were able to be read was the critical secret.
The whole subject is very complicated and there is a fair description in the pages of Wiki, and also a few books on the subject.
I believe that much of the original messages were destroyed at the time, but I am interested if anyone can expand on what, if any, records still exist? Possibly more likely that some records might be available in USA?

Cheers

Eng

 

[timobeanie]

Hi Eng

No problem!
Yes I was aware of the interceptions but not the pnumonic!
Andy said about checking that 400 page document out … I will request to see it when I visit … but I will have to smartly go through it!


Tim