WORLD WAR TWO EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN
46 FLYPAST November 2018
flight time for most sorties varied
between 170 and 210 minutes
(with most not exceeding 190
minutes). These could be linked
with missions to Leros.
But on October 7 and 9, the flight
times were 245 and 230 minutes
respectively – and 245 minutes on
November 13. Peter concluded
that I./St.G 3 had been involved
in attacking HMS Penelope on
October 7 and HMS Panther on
October 9, thereby having to cover
a greater distance than usual.
The extended time in the air on
November 13 (probably to Leros)
could not be satisfactorily explained
but may have been due to strong
winds recorded on that date.
Uffz Eisenbach’s Flugbuch entry
for October 9 shows that I./St.G 3
took off at 0800hrs (German Time
Zone A/1000hrs British Time Zone
C), the flight lasting 230 minutes.
Based on time, speed and heading,
Peter concluded the target was
Credential Force, west of Rhodes.
At 0950A, after a flight time of
110 minutes, the Ju 87s would
have been north of the small island
of Saria (in the area of Karpathos,
Greece). The remaining distance
to the British warships was then
around 16 nautical miles (30km).
After sighting the ships at 0955A,
the three Staffeln (squadrons) of
I./St.G 3 began their final approach.
The aircrews could not have known
that, at the same time, American
fighters had just left the convoy and
were en route back to Libya; so there
was no Allied air cover available
when, at 0958A (1158C), I./St.G
3 arrived overhead and began its
attack. Mission accomplished,
I./St.G 3 then returned to Megara,
in mainland Greece.
That it could not have been II.
Gruppe responsible for sinking
HMS Panther and crippling Carlisle
is also evident from Maj Leverette’s
combat report. The approaching‘bogeys’ reported at 1215hrs were
clearly not the same Stukas that had
already bombed the convoy.
Bill Leverette also confirmed to
the author that, when the vessels
had been attacked, “we Americans
had not yet arrived”.
Another misconception is that
Maj Leverette’s achievement
had been in a P-38 named
Stingeree. Soon afterwards, he was
photographed with Stingeree, its
nose adorned with seven victory
swastikas – but other photos taken
just after the October 9 mission
show the same aircraft had a
different moniker, Dream Street
Rose-II. Only later was this replaced
with Stingeree.
Correspondence between the
author and Bill Leverette’s son led
to another interesting question:
Dream Street Rose-II carried the
aircraft identification number 81
but, on or about October 10, Maj
Leverette was also photographed
with P-38 number 86. If his
preferred aircraft had been 81,
and had it been temporarily
unavailable, could he have been
allocated 86 on October 9, 1943?
It’s a minor detail, admittedly, but
nonetheless intriguing.MISTAKEN IDENTITY
Much has been written about that
day’s interception by fighter pilots
of the 37th FS, but only recently
has it been possible to reassess two
long-accepted ‘facts’.
German wartime records show
nearly all Stukas lost over the
Aegean on October 9 were from
II./St.G 3. It would seem, therefore,
that II.Gruppe must have carried
out the successful convoy attack.
Uffz Friedrich ‘Fritz’ Christian
Eisenbach, a Ju 87 pilot in I./St.G
3, flew 22 sorties over the Aegean
during October and November
1943, and retired Luftwaffe
officer Hans Peter Eisenbach
has made a detailed study of his
uncle’s Flugbuch (flight book) to
determine his involvement during
Aegean operations.
Unlike their counterparts in the
RAF, whose log books were often
used as a form of diary, German
aircrew generally entered only what
was required, including aircraft type
and code, mission, airfield, date and
time of take-off and return.
Peter Eisenbach painstakingly
worked out the duration of
individual flights undertaken by his
uncle, taking account of the time
spent over each target. His findings
were cross-referenced with times and
details in available Allied reports.
He noted that, during his uncle’s
operations over the Aegean, theRight
Fighter pilots of 37th FS
at Gambut on October 10,- The offi cer far left is
thought to be Lt Thomas
W ‘Dub’ Smith. Next,
in order, are Lt Homer
Sprinkle (killed in a fl ying
accident on October 18),
Lt Harry Hanna, Lt Wayne
Blue, Maj William ‘Speedy’
Leverette, Lt Robert L
Margison and Lt Elmer
La Rue (missing in action
January 16, 1944).
Far right
Lt Harry Hanna – credited
with fi ve Ju 87s destroyed
on October 9, 1943.
Right
Maj Leverette (right)
is presented with the
Distinguished Service
Cross by Brig Gen Joseph
H Atkinson, commander
of the USAAF’s 5th
Bomb Wing. The original
photograph, dated
February 1, 1944 is
annotated: “This is the
General and me... And
that’s the DSC. He actually
just handed it to me (big
ceremony – whole Group!)
and later pinned it on for
the photo. (He had a little
trouble getting it through
the leather!).”
Bottom right
At the end of the autumn
1943 Aegean battles,
the commander of
Luftwaffenkommando
Südost, Gen.d.Fl. Martin
Fiebig (left), converses
with a Luftwaffe
offi cer, probably Maj
Bernhard Hamester of
Schlachtgeschwader 3.
Facing the camera is
Geschwaderkommodore
Obst Kurt Kuhlmey.