Originally posted by Mark Allen. Images restored 11-02-2018. Scott WRG EditorWiki: Operation Bodenplatte (Baseplate), launched on 1 January 1945, was an attempt by the Luftwaffe to cripple Allied air forces in the Low Countries during the Second World War. The goal of Bodenplatte was to gain air superiority during the stagnant stage of the Battle of the Bulge so that the German Army and Waffen-SS forces could resume their advance. The operation was planned for 16 December 1944, but was delayed repeatedly due to bad weather until New Year’s Day, the first day that happened to be suitable.
Secrecy for the operation was so tight that not all German ground and naval forces had been informed of the operation and some units suffered casualties from friendly fire. British signals intelligence (Ultra) recorded the movement and buildup of German air forces in the region, but did not realise that an operation was imminent.
The operation achieved some surprise and tactical success, but was ultimately a failure. A great many Allied aircraft were destroyed on the ground but replaced within a week. Allied aircrew casualties were quite small, since the majority of Allied losses were empty planes sitting on the ground. The Germans, however, lost many of their Jagdflieger personnel that they could not readily replace.
Post-battle analysis suggests only 11 of the Luftwaffe's 34 air combat Gruppen made attacks on time and with surprise.[6] The operation failed to achieve air superiority, even temporarily, while the German ground forces continued to be exposed to Allied air attack. Bodenplatte was the last large-scale strategic offensive operation mounted by the Luftwaffe during the war.
More in link below on Bodenplatte.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Bodenplatte"A victim of Operation Bodenplatte, this Fw-190 of JG-2 crash-landed at St. Trond (Sint-Truiden) airfield, Belgium (A-92) on 1 January 1945. Rebuilt by mechanics of the 404th FG and painted bright red, the ship was permanently grounded before anyone was allowed to hurt themselves in it."
More info on this FW190 here
http://www.winkton.net/pages/Leo%20Moon.htm
Wiki: Sint-Truiden
Units I, II, III./JG 77 and SG 4
Aircraft 144
Aircraft lost 46
Damaged 12
Pilots killed or captured 23
Schlachtgeschwader 4 and Jagdgeschwader 2 (SG 4 and JG 2) were to strike at Sint-Truiden airfield. JG 2 was commanded by Kurt Bühligen. I./JG 2's ground crews managed to make ready 35 of 46 Fw 190s, 29 of which were Fw 190D. Only 33 pilots were fit for operations. So the Gruppe reported only 33 Fw 190s ready. II./JG 2 could field 20 of 29 Bf 109s. Stab./JG 2 had three Fw 190s ready for the mission. It is not clear whether Bühligen took part in the mission. III./JG 2 reported 40 Fw 190s operational, 34 of them Fw 190s. However, only 28 of the 43 pilots in the unit were fit for operations and the formation fielded only 28 fighters. In total, 84 aircraft were ready on 31 December, including 28 Fw 190D-9s.[45]
SG 4 was led by Alfred Druschel. It had 152 machines on strength, of which just 60 were operational, yet the 129 pilots were fit for action. Stab./SG 4 had three Fw 190s and two pilots. I./SG 4 had 21 Fw 190s operational and 27 pilots ready. II./SG reported 27 Fw 190s ready, but pilot strength is unknown. III./SG reported 24 Fw 190s, but only 16 were available at the forward airfields. Pilot strength is unknown. Best estimations make it around 55 Fw 190s operational, of which 60 took part.[45][46]
At 09:12, JG 2 crossed the front line at Malmedy and was greeted by an enormous volume of Allied AAA fire. The entire area was heavily defended by AAA fire, since the area had been the scene of heavy fighting, but also had been attacked by V-1 and V-2 missiles. I./JG 2 lost at least seven fighters to AAA fire alone. III./JG 2 lost 10 fighters. A possible seven Bf 109s from II./JG 2 were also lost to AAA fire. JG 2 attacked Asch and Ophoven airfields by mistake.[47]
JG 2′s mission was a disaster. I./JG 2 lost 18 Fw 190s and six more were damaged by AAA and enemy aircraft. This represented 73% of their force. Of the 15 pilots missing, six would survive as POWs. II./JG 2 lost five Bf 109s and three were damaged a loss rate of 40%. Pilot losses were three missing, one dead and one wounded. III./JG 2 lost 19 Fw 190s and three were damaged, a loss rate of 79%. Nine pilots were killed, two were wounded and four were captured.[48] JG 2 losses, according to another source, amounted to 40% of its force. Pilot losses were 24 killed or posted missing, 10 captured and four wounded.[49] Another source asserts that pilot losses stood at 23 killed or missing.
SG 4′s mission was also a disaster. During the assembly phase, they flew across JG 11′s flight path, and the formation was broken up. Some of the pilots joined JG 11 in the confusion. Unable to recover the formation, I and II./SG 4 then decided to head home. The Kommodore, Druschel, had continued with five other pilots from III./SG 4 who had lost contact with their Gruppe. They crossed the front near Hürtgenwald around 09:10. As they did so, American AAA batteries opened fire, claiming seven aircraft in the next 30 minutes. Only six of the 50 Fw 190s of SG 4 carried out an attack, against airfields near Aachen and the Asch aerodrome. Of these six, four did not return. Druschel himself was reported missing.[51]
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