September-October - Air Defense Artillery

AAA Notes No. 22, ET
EDITOR'S NOTE: These extracts from Antiaircraft Notes
Number 22, Headquarters, European Theater of Operations,
were written in March, 1945. More extracts from
AAA Notes, ETO, will be published in the JOURNAL in
a form as complete as possible, consistent with the dictates
of military security, space requirements in the JOURNAL
and timeliness.
3. Subject: Resume of Activity for Period 8-15 1\'larch.
1945.
Source: AA Section, Headquarters, Twelfth Army
Group.
a. The emphasis of enemy activity during the week ending
150600 March was directed against the Remagen bridge
and bridgehead. Of the total of 447 enemy planes over our
area, 380 were over the vital bridgehead. Two other areas
receiving considerable enemy attention were the area north
of the Moselle River where Third U.S. Anny armored units
were pushing rapidly forward to the Rhine and the area in
the \'icinity of Krefeld. A very few isolated planes operated
over other scattered areas, presumably on reconnaissance.
Enemy aircraft operated during every day of the week, in
numbers from nineteen to a high 112 on one day. Single
planes or groups up to four were again the common sighting.
AAA units enjoyed a highly successful week claiming 139
enemy aircraft destroyed and 54 probably destroyed.
b. F\V 190's and Me 109's consti1Uted 81% of the aircraft
recognized, with Ju 87's contributing 15% more. Only
six J'v1e262's were sighted during the first six days of the
week but on the last day 80% of the ninety-four aircraft
over the Remagen bridgehead were jets. Other planes, in
small numbers were He Ill's, AR 234's, and Me IIO's.
c. The bulk of the enemy activity occurred during the
afternoon hours. Attacks were mainly during these hours
but one group of eight aircraft attacked the bridgehead in
the hours 2000-0 130.
d. Enemy tactics were about as expected. Full advantage
was taken of cloud cover and almost all operations were
at 3,000 feet or under. Enemy aircraft continued to operate
singly or in small groups. In the Third U.S. Army area
strafing and bombing attacks were made against spearhead
columns moving forward while planes on reconnaissance
operated over the areas of advance, notably the triangle
northwest of Coblenz. At the Remagen bridge the first
enemy aircraft to attack were a group of three Stukas and
one Me 109. These came in to bomb singly from a height
of 3,000 feet and all four were shot down by AAA. The
next eight planes to attack were Stukas and they approached
the bridge from the south along the river. The planes came
into attack from a height of 3,000 feet. AAA fire destroyed
all eight of these planes. In these first two raids on the
bridge, the enemy aircraft attempted to press the attacks and
accordingly took no evasive action on the bomb run. However,
after the disastrous results of the first attempts which
failed to hit the bridge, following attacks were not pressed
so determinedly and evasive action was taken both on(the
approach and on the bomb run. Thereafter, planes Continued
to operate over the bridgehead and to make attacks
singly or in groups up to five, with attempts at high-Ie\'el
bombing, low-level bombing and dive-bombing. Eight aircraft
attacked the bridge at night at heights varying from
5,000 to 8,500 feet but no damage resulted.
e. Jet aircraft are appearing in sufficient numbers as to
lose their novelty, but without appreciable improvement in
the efficiencv or success of enemv attacks.
. . .
~. Subjecr, Wlc