Whats the difference between Jabos and Taifunjäger...???

[Timo]

A quote from a veterans account:

(...) erfolgte ein Große Angriff von Jabos und Taifunjäger auf alles was sich in diesen Raum sehen ließ (...)

I know what a Jabo is, but what is a Taifunjager and whats the difference with a Jabo?

Thanks in advance,
Timo

[Christoph Awender]

Hello Timo!

Jabo is short for Jagdbomber.
I presume that the account is from a german veteran so maybe he means a Hawker Typhoon with Taifunjäger. The Typhoon is also a Jabo but maybe he uses different terms because they also fired rockets.

just a guess,
Christoph

[Christian Ankerstjerne]

Isn't it Jägerbomber? (sorry for nitpicking)

Christian

[Timo]

Hmmm. So basically he names a specific plane. But why would he do that when he allready wrote that they were attacked by Jabos? Is there something specific about the Typhoons that set them apart from other fighterbombers? I knpw the Typhoon fired rockets, but that was not unique at that time (early August 1944), was it?

Thanks,
Timo

[Erich]

It is almost a surprise he has called the fighter by it's first name. Usually they were just called jabo or jabo's..more than one. Luftwaffe pilots would call the fighter by their first name.
Mustang, Thunderbolt, Lightning , etc., never P-51, 47 or 38. fork tailed devil for the P-38 is incorrect.

E

[Christoph Awender]

Jabo is definately Jagdbomber...

As I said it was just a guess but the Typhoon looked different than other allied planes that time with the huge air-intake under the engine which looks especially prominent from the ground when the plane is approaching I think. Maybe that´s why he differences between them....

Christoph

[Erich]

Agreed Christoph !

Timo: May I ask the time frame...... ? Normandy, or Ardenne, etc...?

E

[Christian Ankerstjerne]

Oh, okay - thanks for letting me know, anyway (bad sources on my part - grrr )

Christian

[Erich]

Timo :

Re-read your post, a little embarrassed......must have been an infantryman obviously just witnessing his first encounter with a Typhoon and has been said it didn't look like anything else previously encountered. Especially with the big cheezy grin of the air intake. Many Luftwaffe fighter pilot reports confused this bird with the Tempest.

E

[Timo]

Hallo Erich,

Indeed no pilot. This veteran was member of Gustav Knittels HQ, commanding an SPW(fu.), describing action in Normandy.

Cheers,
Timo

[Erich]

Thank you my friend. Makes much more sense now.......what a horrifying experience to be under 20mm and rocket fire.

E

[HaEn]

Hi Erich. It even gets funnier when you are on a krad (motorcycle) and get strafed by one. Oh well. got me a V.A.. Grüssen HN.

[Erich]

HaEn :

Were you a dispatch rider this day ? .......arg, no thanks !

Gruß

E

[tonyh]

If he was involved in Normandy, especially in the Falaise gap, then he would definitely know what a Hawker typhoon was. It wouldn't surprise me if he was talking about rocket firing typhoons, considering how often they were used, not to mention their distinctive shape.

Tony

[Timo]

If he was involved in Normandy, especially in the Falaise gap, then he would definitely know what a Hawker typhoon was. It wouldn't surprise me if he was talking about rocket firing typhoons, considering how often they were used, not to mention their distinctive shape.

Tony

The referrence to Jabos and Taifunjäger comes from his memoires about the attack towards Mortain, but he was also involved in the breakout from the Falaise pocket.

Guess I'll just have to ask him why mentions Taifunjäger apart from other Jabos.

Cheers,
Timo