Eastern Europe

Poland

Finland

  • Winter War
  • Continuation War

Yugoslavia

  The Ploesti Raids

Barbarossa - Germany Attacks Russia

The Eastern Front 43-45

  • Northern Front
  • Kursk
  • Luftflotte 4
  Hypothetical: Case Green: Germany vs. Czechoslovakia

Hypothetical: Target Sweden

  • Germany Tries Sweden
  • Russia Tries Sweden

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Poland Luftwaffe

World War II began with the German attack on Poland. Contrary to popular belief, the Polish Air Force was not destroyed on the ground, but it did fight at a sizable technological and organizational disadvantages. There is a very detailed site dedicated to the air campaign over Poland (from the Polish side). The Poles defended themselves using their entire Air Force. Germany used only part of the Luftwaffe, with a lot of aircraft stationed in the west against French or English counter attack:

Luftwaffe TO&E

Mission Types

German

Bombing: He111s and/or Do17s escorted by Me110Cs
Tactical bombing: Ju87s or Hs123 divebombing Polish troops, towns, roads, trains...
Recon: He-46, Ar96, Hs129s flying over a battlefield target.

Polish

Recon/Divebombing by PZL P.23B flight (generally unsupported)
Interception by PZL P.11c

 

Scenarios

Mission Encounter Tables

Hostile/Friendly Fighter Types
Die Roll Luftwaffe Polish
1-2 Bf 110C-1 PZL P-11c
3-4 Bf 110C-3 PZL P-11c
5-6 Bf 109D-1 PZL P-11c
7 Bf 109E-1 PZL P-11c
8 Bf 109E-1 PZL P-7a
9-10 Bf 109C-1 PZL P-7a

Hostile/Friendly Non-Fighter Types
Die Roll Luftwaffe
1-2 scount biplanes (He-46, Ar-96)
3-7 4x Ju87B Stuka
7-8 3x He-111H
9 Do17M
10 Ju52 Transport

Polish
1-2 2x PZL P-37
3-5 1x PZL P-23
6-8 2x PZL P-23
9 RWD-14
10 Transport (flies straight, speed 3.5, 10/15 damage)

More Information

For more detailed information about the Polish Air Force and the 1939 Campaign, try Robert Postowcz's Polish Aviation History Pages.


FinlandWinter War red star

In late November, 1939, flush from its "victory" in Poland, The Soviet Union tried to bring Finland back into the fold. The Finns objected, and fought back with bold nimbleness against the Russian Bear, who was rather clumsy on the ground and in the air. This was kind of a prequel to the Italo-Greek War a year later. "Brave Little Finland" stood off the Russian Bear as best it could for a few months, handing the Soviet Union a number of black eyes on the ground and in the air.

The Finns used their air force for two purposes:

This generally meant that the recon and bomber units helped the army on the ground where they could, and the fighter units reacted to soviet air strikes. Neither the Finns nor the Soviets had any kind of early warning system; the Finns received warnings from forward military units when Soviet bombers appeared over the troops. Deeper raids were sometimes intercepted, but more often were jumped while they were exiting.

The Russians started fighting in very large formations - say 50 bombers in a gaggle - escorted by one third to one half that number of fighters. The quality of their flying and discipline was poor, while the Finns was excellent.

The Finns learned to charge large Russian formations, and then chase down the smaller pieces. The Russian fighter escorts weren't sure who to follow. Some of the bombers would simply turn back.

Forces

The Finns defended themselves with their entire air force, the Ilmavoimat.

The Soviets deployed some 900 aircraft for their initial assault:

At such odds (6:1), the Russians expected little resistence. In the face of their high losses, the Soviets added 500 hundred more aircraft in January, 1940, and again in February, 1940.

Timeline

Scenarios

Setting the Record - Lt. Jorma Sarvanto sets a world record by shooting down 6 medium bombers in 4 minutes.

Pilot Quality:

Losses

Over the course of the campaign:

Cause Soviet Finn
Shot Down* 280 62
Damaged** 314 69
Operational errors 300
Totals 894 131

* Reported as losses, rather than claimed.
** Damaged enough to be unflyable.

See also: The Winter War (excerpt) by Robert Shaw


Yugoslavia Yugoslavia Luftwaffe

In April, 1941, Yugoslavia was sitting on the fence trying to avoid committing itself to the Axis, but was unable to get firm support from the British (who had little power projection to spare). As the Italian situation in Greece worsened, Germany began to look into means of adding support. The easiest way was through Yugoslavia - who balked at outright cooperation. Hitler put into action a plan to overrun Yugoslavia in order to allow for a two-pronged assault on Greece - also allowing for much closer control over Germany's Balkan allies Hungary, Rumania, and Bulgaria.

On April 6, 1941, Hitler invaded Yugoslavia, leading with the Luftwaffe. The first raids were large, and targetted at the Yugoslav Air Force. About 1/3 of the Yugoslav Air Force (JKRV) was destroyed on the ground. Those few that got into the air had some success, but were out numbered from the start.

Within a few days, the country was over-run by Wehrmacht units, since the Yugoslav ground forces did not perform even as well as their air units. Among the few things that escaped were the national gold reserves, skipping out in a pair of Do17Ks to Egypt and a few two-engine maritime patrol craft.

Forces

Axis Luftwaffe

Regia Aeronautica

JKRV Yugoslav Air Force

Pilot Quality:

Scenarios

Messerschmitt vs. Messerchmitt: 6-Apr-41

More Information

Dogfighting Over Belgrade


USA starThe Ploesti Raids Luftwaffe Rumania Bulgaria

These are the raids by B-24s based in Benghazi and Italy against the Rumanian oil fields and refineries at Ploesti.

The first raid (Operation Tidal Wave) was executed on 1-Aug-43 by 5 bomber groups (178 bombers at take off) flying from Benghazi, across the Med to Yugoslavia. They flew low to avoid detection, although it was hard not to notice 178 bombers flying over an otherwise peaceful area, and planned to attack at tree-top level to maximize their accuracy of their bombs and to surprise the Luftwaffe and minimize the effective ness of the defenses, and to allow the attack to be unaffected by medium level cloud-cover.

There had been a squadron-strength raid of B-24Ds more than a year earlier (June, 1942), that caused no damage, but did alert Germany to the potential danger of heavy, long range bomber attacks form the Middle East. In the intervening year, they had built up the defenses in the Ploesti region to some 237 flak guns, including two "flak trains," hundreds of machine guns (whcih came into play due to the low level attack), and some 50 Bf109G-6 fighters added to the regional defenses.

The raiding force had some serious problems before it finished crossing the Med, in that its mission navigator and deputy navigator were forced to either abort or ditch due to engine problems (9 others also aborted). This caused the groups to spread out a bit, and divide in clouds over Yugoslavia.

In the target area, two groups (98th and 389th) turned off early, realized their error, and turned back toward the target area, arriving from the wrong direction and flying over some of the heaviest flak concentrations; one flew over the flak train. Interceptors had already been in place, but were not expecting a tree-top level raid; they struck at groups as they exited the area.

The view at attack level was a lot of confusion - explosions from bombs and AAA, smoke form burning targets, B-24s moving every which way from unexpected directions.

Some attacks were perfect; one major refinery was closed down for the duration. Others missed their target completely. On the whole, some 40% of Ploesti's capacity was knocked out. However, Ploesti was only operating at 60% - the actual effect on its output was negligible.

After the attack, due to the damage, the attack force lost cohesion. Damaged aircraft looked for closer non-hostile fields to land at. These included Turkey, Cyprus, Sicily, as well as the base in Benghazi. 54 aircraft of the 168 over the target failed to return. Some 523 aircrew were taken prisoner or interned in Turkey.

Follow Up:
There were additional raids in order to keep oil production down. Simply put, no oil means no fuel means no aircraft, tanks, or transport, not to mention problems with war production. The US 15th Air Force kept up attacks on the Ploesti oil fields and refineries until Soviet forces took the area and forced Romania to change side in late August, 1944.

Forces

USAAF Unit Base Aircraft
Training
44th Bomb Group (Liberandos)   37/16/9
Veteran
93rd Bomb Group (Travelling Circus)   37/34/19 Average
98th Bomb Group (Pyramiders)   37 Veteran
376th Bomb Group (Eight Balls)   32/16/9 Average
389th Bomb Group (Sky Scorpions)   29/26/6 Limited
Axis 2 Gruppe Bf109G-6 (3Sqdn available)
1 Gruppe Bf110G-4 (2 Sqdn available)
  Luftwaffe Veteran
Average
4th Grupul (45th Sqdn) IAR-80C
6th Grupul (53rd Sqdn) Bf109G, IAR-80B
51st Nightfighter Sqdn
Targsor
Pipera/Bucahrest
Zilistea
Rumanian Average
36 Heavy Flak batteries (88mm)
16 Light Flak batteries (20mm)
  Luftwaffe  

All bombers (on the first raid) were loaded with 4,000 lbs of bombs (48x 1000 lbr) and 18,000 lbs of fuel.

Mission

Unescorted bomber raid vs. Interceptors

OMT Setup

Friendly Border: 1 Enemy Border: 13
Friendly Bases: circle on OMT Interceptor Fields: 24, 25
    Heavy Flak: 25
Ploesti: 25 Medium Flak: 25

OMT boxes 2 through 12 are over water. On the return trip, the bomber force split up, and ran into additional interceptors based in Greece, Italy, and .

Scenarios

More Information

A Rumanian view of Operation Tidal Wave


red starBarbarossa - Germany Attacks Russia Luftwaffe

I have set the initial Barbarossa invasion (June-Dec 1941) separate from the rest of the war on the Eastern Front because I believe the tenor of the war was quite different. Up to the defense of Stalingrad, the Luftwaffe had (almost) enough strength to respond to their Wehrmacht support commitments. They certainly had the morale advantage and the initiative in the air.

Not that the Soviets were lying down on the job; they committed air units in great numbers. But these units had technological, quantitative, and tactical disadvantages that were not overcome for more than a year.

The Soviets started with a large numerical advantage - some 4000 aircraft to the Luftwaffe's 1900. The Luftwaffe started by giving a knock-out blow in the first hours of the operation.

The Soviets had built a number of large bases on new territory seized by Russia since 1939, including bases in Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Bessarabia. The forward bases were well within range of the Luftwaffe's bombers - from their forward bases in Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and Rumania. The Soviets parked their aircraft close together in the open (rather like the US would five months later at Pearl Harbor).

At 0320 hrs on 22-Jun-41, 10 vics of German bombers, hand-picked from the kampf geschwaders (bomber wings) of Luftflotte 2 and 4, flew to 10 of these large airfields and swept them with 2-kg incendiary bomblets. Their surprise was total; there were few enough of them that they did not alert the Soviet defenses. An hour later, the full strength of the Luftwaffe was turned against these same fields and those that were missed,

red starThe Eastern Front 43-45 Luftwaffe

After Stalingrad, Germany is now in decline; a long slow decline where they fought back and gave ground grudgingly.

red starThe Northern Front Luftwaffe

Finland became a German ally not out of love for Hitler, but for the promise of reversing the outcome of the Winter War. In addition to German aid and some German units, most of this war was fought by the Finns using their own resources - including their Brewster F2A-1 Buffalos, Hawk 75s from France and Norway, MS-406s, Fiat G.50s, Blenheim IV and other less-than-spectacular aircraft. However, the Finns used them to great advantage. Their expanded Ilmavoimat was stronger than in 1939.

At the extreme northern tip of Europe, elements of Luftflotte 5 stationed in Norway were used against the Russian ports of the Kola penninsula.

The Kola was a secondary front for the Soviets and Red Air Force units were slowly equipped with upgraded equipment or reinforcements. The Soviets, Germans, and Finns fought an isolated war in some of the harshest weather conditions of the war. The Luftwaffe units in northern Norway were also charged with protecting the Kreigsmarine anchorages at Narvik and Altenfjord, and with attacking Allied convoys.

Later in the war (42-43), the Ilmavoimat was partially re-armed with German equipment, including Bf109G fighters, Do17Z, and Ju88A bombers. In September, 1944, Finland signed armistices with the Soviet Union, and turned itrs aircraft against German units still in Finland.

red starLuftflotte 4 Luftwaffe

Luftflotte 4 (Southern Russia) was interesting in that it included Italian, Hungarian, and Rumanian units, sometimes flying their "native" aircraft.


{short description of image}Hypothetical: Germany vs. Czechoslovakia (1938) Luftwaffe

The Sudetenland crisis of 1938 ended with Neville Chamberlain's famous "peace in our time" statement, generally written off as proof of failure of the policy of appeasement. Actually, neither Britain nor France was prepared to fight a war at the time. Czechoslovakia could have put up a fight - if her Little Entente partners (Yugoslavia, Rumania) had been willing to stand with her or if the major powers were. (in point of fact, they were not).

Czechoslovakia in 1938 had the 7th largest economy in the world (Germany had the 5th), and had a decent air force (for 1938). Germany's Luftwaffe had not reached its maturity yet in equipment, numbers, or proficiency. Czechoslovakia would have lost on the ground, but the size of the bloody nose she gave Germany first is in question…

Luftwaffe: September 1938
Type # Planes # Sqdns Aircraft
Recon 60 5 Do17F
Observation 60 5 He-46
Fighter 444 37 Bf109C/D
He-51A/B, Ar-68
Dive Bomber 180 15 30 Ju87A
Hs123A
Ground Attack 60 5 He51C
Bomber 336 28 Do17E
Ju86D
He111B/E
Total First Line Strength 1140 95
Second Line 588 49

Of the available aircraft, some were detailed off to other fronts, including some 200 fighters to face France and Britain. The aircraft to be used against Czechoslovakia were mainly:

Type In Germany
(Kesselring)
In Austria
(Sperrle)
Fighter 200 100
Bomber 300 150
Dive bomber 150 50

This does not include 9 sqdns (fighter, bomber, recon) still in Spain, or Ju52 transports.

Czechoslovakia would resist with all her available aircraft.

See also John Long's Air Power During Munich for more discussion of the subject.

Missions

Luftwaffe Missions Czech Missions
Air interdiction
Bombing airfields
Strategic bombing (terror bombing)
Ground support (tactical and operational)
Interception
Air interdiction
Ground support (tactical and operational)

Pilot Quality:


Hypothetical: Target - Sweden

The Swedes have always been big believers in armed neutrality. Up to the beginning of WWII, they had bought an air force. During the war, Sweden developed its own military air industrial capacity. The question is, who would dare to try to take Sweden? Two nations had the opportunity of physical access:

{short description of image}Germany Tries Sweden Luftwaffe

Germans tries to ensure its supplies of Swedish iron ore as well as to increase its tall, blond military recruiting population base. It strikes from Denmark and Norway in 1941/42.

{short description of image}Hypothetical: Russia Tries Swedenred star

Well, gee. Since it took everything else while sweeping west...

Russia traies Sweden from the Kola penninsula and from across the Baltic in 1944-45.


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