Luftwaffe night fighter claims

Hi friends

I am interested in finding out if the loss of Halifax aircraft DY:R (Halifax Mark III, serial no MZ647, RAF 102 squadron) was claimed by a Luftwaffe night fighter or flak unit.

The Halifax concerned was lost on August 12/13, 1944, while on a mission to Russelsheim, near Frankfurt. All of the crew were killed, and they are buried in Rheinberg Commonwealth war cemetery, near Duisberg. My great uncle Alf Harvey RAAF from Sydney, Australia, was among the crew.

Thank you.

Regards

Rob Ryan

Hi Robert,

From information in Tony Wood's Luftwaffe victory claims lists (available to download at http://tonywood.cjb.net/), the Luftwaffe night-fighter units claimed almost 50 four-engined bombers on the night of 12/13.08.44. If you download the relevant list, 'Reich, West and Südfront, July to December 1944. Vol. I', you'll see that most claims have a location

Sorry I can't be of more help.

Cheers,
Andrew A.

Originally Posted by Robert Ryan

Hi friends

I am interested in finding out if the loss of Halifax aircraft DY:R (Halifax Mark III, serial no MZ647, RAF 102 squadron) was claimed by a Luftwaffe night fighter or flak unit.

The Halifax concerned was lost on August 12/13, 1944, while on a mission to Russelsheim, near Frankfurt. All of the crew were killed, and they are buried in Rheinberg Commonwealth war cemetery, near Duisberg. My great uncle Alf Harvey RAAF from Sydney, Australia, was among the crew.

Thank you.

Regards

Rob Ryan

Hi Andrew

Thanks for the message about the victory claims list, which I downloaded. As you noted, there are a large number of claims for 4 engined aircraft that night. It is very difficult to tell which claim or claims relate to the loss of my great uncle's Halifax aircraft.

As I mentioned in my earlier message, he is buried along with the rest of his crew in Rheinberg Commonwealth War Cemetery. But it is almost certain that he was buried somewhere else first; I don't have any information about where that was. His aircraft could have been shot down anywhere on the way to/from Russelsheim.

Thanks and regards

Rob Ryan
Sydney

Robert,
I have come very late to this thread so here`s hoping you are still following it! I know quite a bit about this crash as my Mother`s first husband Jack Vernon Finney was w/0 air gunner on the crew. The plane crashed 300 yards North of the railway station in Rehborn SW of Russelsheim/Frankfurt.
I have pictures of some of the crew as my Mother knew them all well (they attended her wedding to Jack 10 weeks before the crash). Also photo`s of their graves