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Following months of stalemate the start of Rommel's offensive "Unternehmen Venezia" (Operation Venice) against the Gazala-Bir Hacheim line was launched on 26 May 1942. This offensive would result in some six weeks of confused, exhausting, violent and costly fighting, which ultimately would result in one of the most disastrous retreats for the British during the war. Five days later, on 31 May, though hampered by heavy sandstorms, II./JG 27 participated in a morning mission escorting 15 Ju 87 Stukas to their target area. Suddenly five RAF Hurricanes from No. 274 Sqn. and 11 SAAF P-40 Tomahawks from No. 5 Sqn. bounced the German formation. One Stuka was claimed by the Hurricanes while the South Africans enjoyed rather more success with Capt. A. Duncan claiming one Bf 109 shot down while others added claims for two probables and three damaged German aircraft. The 4. Staffel pilots claimed four P-40s, two by Oblt. Vögl, and one each by Fw. Stigler and Fw. Heidel. However, despite their claims this air-combat was a disaster for the II. Gruppe, especially for the 6. Staffel who lost three Messerschmitts downed over Bu Amud: Oblt. Emmerich Fluter was killed, Obfw. Erich Krenzje taken prisoner, and Fw. Fritz Gromokta reported missing in action but later managed to return safely. With no claims filed against 6./JG 27, it has to be considered whether two of these aircraft possibly collided, or whether anti-aircraft fire was responsible for their demise. Regardless, in the German daily report all three were listed as being lost to P-40s in air-combat. The day's battle in the Libyan skies was a good example of the confused, exhausting, violent and costly fighting mentioned earlier. In all, the Allied forces lost three Hurricanes, with ten Kittyhawks and another seven Tomahawks filing claims for two German aircraft downed, one probable and another two damaged. To this should be added another three Ju 87s shot down, four probables and another three damaged. The Allies also claimed an Italian MC. 200 damaged. The Axis forces' true losses this day were three Bf 109s, two Ju 87 Stukas and one MC. 200 damaged. The Germans claimed 19 P-40s while the Italians added a Spitfire, two Hurricanes and a P-40 shot down. Obfw. Erich Krenzke, one of those "old hares" of the Jagdwaffe, is known to have claimed his first during the French Campaign, a Morane 406 shot down in the Senlis/Creil area on 9 June 1940. On the Eastern Front he added a Martin B-26 on 25 June 1941. While posted to Africa with 5./JG 27 he claimed a P-40 southeast of Sollum on 12 November. Another P-40 fell before his guns on 13 December, this Allied fighter was shot down southeast of Ain-El-Gabala. His best day as a fighter pilot came in 1942 while transferred to the 6. Staffel, specifically on 27 May, when Obfw. Krenzke on two separate missions shot down two more P-40s for his fifth and sixth Abschüsse. His final claim was filed two days later on 29 May with a Hurricane downed 20 km northeast of Bir Hacheim. This claim was later refused however and not included in his total. Krenzke's 'Yellow 9'
was painted in the typical desert camouflage colors of RLM 79
sand yellow upper surfaces and the RLM 78 sky blue lower surfaces
with white Mediterranean theater markings. On the engine cowling
is the Berliner Bär (Berlin Bear), the II. Gruppe's insignia.
Note the red horizontal band that was typical for II./JG 27. |
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