Lookiing for info

[diddyriddick]

As ya'll might remember, I've been doing a little research on an Uncle who flew in the 303rd Bomb Group, and was shot down over Oschersleben. I've been fortunate enough to actually find the Engineer from the airplane, and he lives in Mo. So, in short, I've been very fortunate.

But I have a question. The Oschersleben mission was one of the first to go to the heart of Germany. Indeed, the Luftwaffe th0ought it was targetted for Berlin, and sent up pretty much everything they had. The obvious aircraft were the ME-109s, FW-190s, and to a lesser extent the ME-110s and JU-88s since it was a daylight raid. But reported intercepting aircraft that floored me was JU-87s. Was it common practice for the LW to use these aircraft for interception, given their lousy track record against allied fighers?

 

[B-17engineer]

Hello diddy,

In the book Half a wing, Three engines and a Prayer (Fantastic book), it gives aircrews accounts of missions they flew on and they do mention in many accounts that there were Ju-87's. I don't believe it was common, but just putting it into perspective, in my opinion, if you have a city that you tell people it won't ever be bombed, I too would throw everything I had out.

Again, there are people that know more about it than I do (of course) that you may seek more information from.

 

[glennasher]

They might have just flown along, shadowing and reporting the postions of the American aircraft, it's unlikely that they'd have been used for interceptions, but as a bird dog, it would work.

 

[lesofprimus]

Agree with Glen....

 

[Airframes]

Quite right. I'm afraid I haven't got any documented accounts to hand, but aircraft such as the JU 87, and others with the required endurance and crusie speed, were often used to 'shadow' an incoming bomber stream, in order to try to establish which path they might take at a particular turning point. Bear in mind that the 'average' allied mass raid, RAF by night, USAAF by day, employed possibly an extra 25% (or more) aircraft involved in feints and 'spoofs', armed and operational, or just , for example, on a 'round trip' course, in order to confuse the enemy's defences and predictors as to where the main target was going to be.

 

[vikingBerserker]

If they had flown the model equipped with the 2 x 37mm up to the altitude (which I do not believe they did), it could have been a potential bomber destroyer.

 

[drgondog]

Simply stated a B-17 was one hell of a lot faster than a Ju 87 at 25,000 feet. The fortune of locating Ju 87s on a base in the exact path of the force, enablig them to climb to altitude (how long?) and have the good fortune to position for a head on attack (sure wouldn't be from 6 O'clock) would be a lottery like probability.

Then imagine a high altitude performance turkey like the Ju 87, Veeeeeeeeery slow, sailing into a staggered box where at least 15-20 B-17s have a sloooooooooooow fat target in range?

Wiki not best source but implies the Ju 87 ceiling ~ 26K..