Valence airfield
 

In the Air 20/40 decripts there is reference to the following:-

"10 Jun 1944 - (Valence to ARC 3/XIII) that protection of the A/F cannot be guaranteed if 2 pns Flak removed, in view present patriot situation." (Ultra T.212/7)

I have two questions:-

(a) Valence - is anyone able to identify which Fliegerhorst-Kommandantur or Flugplatzkommando was responsible for Valence airfield in June 1944. I have checked Holm and cannot find reference to Valence other than for KG 26 and LLG 1 and leichte Flak-Abteilung 741 (v).
leichte Flak-Abteilung 741 (v) is recorded as being at Valence at this time and is noted as being controlled by Flak-Brigade 5 from Aug 1944.

(b) pns - anyone have a clue what this means..........

Re: Valence airfield
 

Could that be 2 cms flak? A typo possibly?

Re: Valence airfield
 

Andy,

Thanks for the quick response and your suggestion. Quite possibly, as 2 cm flak would be very useful in an anti-personnel role.

Many thanks

Re: Valence airfield
 

According to Air Ministry A.I.3. (E)/D. of I.(O) document of 30.6.44, "G.A.F. Airfield Organization as at 28.6.44", on page 7 of 18, Valence is shown as "Airfield Detachment Valence" under A.R.C. 3/XIII Lyons. A German document found in NARA WashDC, RG 242, Microcopy T-971 roll 18/frame 072ff that gives all of the airfield commands under Feld-Luftgaukdo. Westfrankreich as of 1.7.44 shows Valence as a Flugplatzkdo. belonging to Fl.H.Kdtr. E(v) 221/XII (Lyon-Bron).

So there you have it. Across German-occupied Europe, there were many hundreds of airfields, airstrips, landing grounds and related that were too little-used to warrant and justify a full-blown Fliegerhorstkommandantur, so these were designated as unnumbered Flugplatzkommandos and subordinated to the nearest Fliegerhorstkommandantur. Some Fliegerhorstkommandanturen had 3 or 4 of them. They had a much smaller personnel and equipment complement and were usually commanded by a Oberleutnant or a Hauptmann. And such was the case for Valence.

Larry

Re: Valence airfield
 

Platoons (= Flakzüge)?

If in Allied documents see references to La Trésorerie, that's Valence, too.

Re: Valence airfield
 

Valence is a town in France grossly 200 km South of Lyon, airport used before nd during the landing in Provence in august , used also as park/Feldwerkstatt, many planes hv been found there abandonned, Ju88..

Remi

Re: Valence airfield
 

Guys,

Larry, Remi, and Nick - many thanks for your insights and information this helps greatly in trying to understand some of these decript summaries.

Nick - thanks for that. I have now found reference to Valence la Trésorerie in the following page http://natureonline.com/37/55-ap3-timeline.html - look for the entry of 8-15-44.

Remi - thank you for the additional information regarding Valence.

Larry - so much information, many thanks for the detail on the Flugplatzkommando and its controlling Fliegerhorstkommandantur.

Re: Valence airfield
 

Here is another link to the Service Timeline of James J. MacIsaac RCAF - http://natureonline.com/37/15-op5.html - this relates specifically to the attack on Valence la Trésorerie. On reading this it appears that the attack was somewhat inaccurate.

Re: Valence airfield
 

And from my account of Operation Dragoon (which is desperately in need of an update):

"[On 15 August 1944] Damage to Valence aerodrome further inhibited the bomber force and Fl.Div. 2 was informed that three KG 26 illuminators had landed as far afield as Strasbourg-Enzheim and Freiburg owing to the unserviceability of airfields to which they had been transferred pending repairs to Valence …

[On the 17th] Photographs taken by the Allies of Valence-La Trésorerie suggested that "several Ju 88s" had been destroyed by bombing."

There's a lot of other references too.

Re: Valence airfield
 

Miscellaneous Postscript:

In June 1944, the main body of le.Flak-Abt. 741 (mot) was at Montpellier under Flak-Rgt. 85 (5. Flakbrigade), so the elements at Valence were probably no more than a single battery, and probably not even that. The Abteilung only had a total of 3 batteries. The Kommandeur was Obstlt. Hans Wulff in June 1944.

Another unit there was Flak-Mast 2/WF.

I have an 11p. Air Ministry periodic report from June 1944 entitled, Targets: Training, Headquarters, Parks, and Depots in the West, classified Top Secret that identifies about 250 locations with one or more of these installations in France, Belgium, Holland and Germany. Valence is not listed. That doesn’t mean there was nothing there, but rather that there wasn’t much there.

Re: Valence airfield
 

Nick/Larry,

Many thanks for the additional information.

Re: Valence airfield
 

The B-25 bombers of the 340th Bombardment Group stationed on Corsica hit (or tried to hit) the arifield at Valence/La Tresorerie on August 20, 1944.

It was not their finest moment. They missed.

See:

http://57thbombwing.com/340th_Histor...44_Valence.htm

For the target photos, mission report and war diary entries.

Re: Valence airfield
 

Many thanks Dan.

Have added this and a link to the 340th page onto the entry for Valence here

Re: Valence airfield
 

Thank you for adding a link to the 340th Bomb Group page covering the attack on Valence / La Tresorerie Aerodrome.


Your work on that web site is quite prodigious. You are creating a structure that can be fleshed-out to be an important resource for researchers.


I have an interest in the Lehrgeschwaders 1 because my father was on the ground in Corsica in May 1944 when they came in and totally destroyed the entire bomb group fleet of aircraft and killed many soldiers on airfield at Alesani.


It was the last large-scale success of the Luftwaffe during the war. After the war Goering himself pointed to it as one of their major successes.


I have published accounts of the raid (from both sides) here:


http://home.comcast.net/~dhsetzer/taghon/Korsika_index.htm


The 340th Bomb Group was known as the “Bridge Busters” and concentrated mostly on destroying transportation infrastructure. They did attack airfields and troop concentrations on rare occasions.


I have photos of their attack on the German airfield at Eleusis – Athens on November 16, 1943 along with accounts of the attack from both sides. Contact me if you would like copies for your wiki.


Keep up the good work!

Re: Valence airfield
 

Dan,

Many thanks for your generous comments.

Periodically, I ask if anyone wishes to contribute articles to the site but in reality have very few takers.

Would be interested in anything on Eleusis, need to add more airfields to that section on the Wiki. Will contact you separately regarding this.

I have read with great interest your pages on Korsika - unfortunately one of the links is dead (Pilot & Plane - One of Helbig's Flyers).

I also found my way to the pages on Joseph Heller and am currently enjoying your article comparing the characters in Catch-22 with the real life individuals in the 488th etc.

Once again many thanks

Re: Valence airfield
 

A.Mitchell said in part:
Here is a contribution for this airfield. I am posting it here in case others may wish to add to it or recommend changes. We have several members from Greece who visit here regularly and may have some good information to add. What you see is not complete by any means but is the best that could be reconstructed from what documents survive. The air units can, of course, be broken down to Gruppe level and fleshed out with specific dates as this is mostly known now (the Michael Holm site will give you most of this). I leave that little task to you. Once this thread has been exposed for a week or so, you may cut and paste it into your Wiki site so it remains easily accessible and permanently installed on the internet.

Eleusis (GR) (a.k.a. Athens-Eleusis; Elevsis) (38 03 N – 23 33 E)
General: Fliegerhorst 18 km WNW of Athens in S Greece; airfield 3 km NNE of the town. Taken over by the Luftwaffe 27-30 Apr 41. Played a major role in the air war over the eastern Mediterranean and North Africa. Attacked on 15 November 1943 (by B-24s); 17 and 18 November (by B-17s); 6 December (by 45 B-24s); 8 December (by B-17s); 14 December (by B-17s); 20 December (by B-17s); 15 September 1944 (by B-24s). Evacuated by the Luftwaffe in Oct 44.
Air Units: LG 1 (May 41 - 1942); II./KG 26 (May 41); I.(Jagd)/LG 2 (May 41); KG 26 (1941-42); St.G. 3 (1943); Stab and Stabsstaffel/SG 3 (Oct – Dec 43); JG 27 (May 41, 1942); KG 100 (1943); 11./ZG 26 (Jun 43 – Sep 44); 4./Minensuchgruppe 1 (1944); IV./TG 1 (1944); KG 4 (Sep – Oct 44);
Station Units: Fl.H.Kdtr. E 15/VII (1941); Fl.H.Kdtr. A 202/IV (to c. Mar 43); Fl.H.Kdtr. A 210/III (Apr 43 – May 44); Fl.H.Kdtr. A(o) 105/XVII (May – Oct 44);
Other: Fl.Werkstatt-Zug (Skoda) 4/VI (1941); Frontreparaturbetrieb GL 2563 (Junkers) (1941-42); Feldwerft-Abt. IV./20 (1942-43); 132. Flugh.Betr.Kp. (Qu) (1944); Werft-Kp. 58 (1944); Werftzüge 105, 719 and 720 (1944); 1. Lufttorpedo-Betr.Kp. (1944); 10. Lufttorpedo-Betr.Kp. (1944); Nachschub-Kp. d.Lw. 2/I (1941); mittl.Fl.Betr.St.Kol. 1/VI (1941); Flug-Betr.St.Kol. 519/VI (1944); Trsp.Kol. d.Lw. 6/XVII (1941); Lw.-Baugeräte-Zug 14/IV (1942-43); Ger.Kol. Lw.-Bau-Btl. 130/XVII (1944); Ldssch.Zug d.Lw. 304/VI (1942-44); Ldssch.Zug d.Lw. 146/XI (1944); 22.(schw.Flugm.)/Luftgau-Nachr.Rgt. Südost; I./Flak-Rgt. 6 (1941); Flakscheinw.Abt. 449 (1941-42); gem.Flak-Abt. 131 (1942); le.Flak-Abt. 891 (1942-44);

L.

Re: Valence airfield
 

Larry,

As ever - many, many thanks.

As you indicated, googling Michael Holms site for Eleusis will bring forth lots of low level detail.

Re: Valence airfield
 

Larry,

Just had a poke around on Michael Holm's site and was intrigued by the fact that the Fl.H.Kdtr. at Eleusis was essentially the same unit, it changed its name three times.

E 15/VII in 10.42 becoming A 202/IV, in 4.43 becoming, A 210/III and in 4.44 finally becoming A (o) 105/XVII before eventually disbanding in 12.44.

Re: Valence airfield
 

Yep, I didn’t notice that until you mentioned it. It arrived at Eleusis at the beginning of May 1941 from Comiso airfield in Sicily, spent the entire war at Eleusis, then retreated north through Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro and into Bosnia. The last entry I have for it was in late December 1944 when it reported a man MIA in Sarajevo. Its FpN was never deleted so I am guessing it ended the war in Croatia or Austria. Why it went through the first two changes in designation is a mystery, but the last one was theater-wide in April 1944 in an effort to give all the Fliegerhorstkommandanturen in the Balkans Luftgau XVII (HQ in Wien-Mauer) numbering.

Fl.H.Kdtr. E 15/VII (FpN L 14994)
Fl.H.Kdtr. A 202/IV (FpN L 14994)
Fl.H.Kdtr. A 210/III (FpN L 14994)
Fl.H.Kdtr. A 105/XVII (FpN L 14994)

L.

Re: Valence airfield
 

Thanks for that Larry - another little mystery then.

Below see some notes extracted from the World War II Chronology issued by the Military Intellegence Division, US War department. These notes expand on your entries regarding attacks on Eleusis and provide some info on raids on other Greek airfields.

27 Jun 1943 - Eleusis and Kalamaki airdromes near Athens bombed by about 50 B-24's; 3 hangars, runway intersection, and administration buildings at former hit; fires and smoke observed over whole area; of intercepting enemy planes, 3 destroyed and 5 probably; at Kalamaki, hangar and dispersal areas left in flames; hits scored on runway; 5 planes observed burning on ground; in combat, 4 Axis planes shot down and 3 probably.(1)

22 Sep 1943 - Eleusis airdrome (near Athens) is target for 27 B-24 s, which drop 64 tons of bombs on runways and dispersal areas and among parked aircraft; a number of JU-88 s believe damaged or destroyed on the ground.(2)

5 Oct 1943 - Forty-eight B-24's bomb Eleusis airdrome; 30-35 German fighters rise to intercept. Four Messer-schmitts, 2 FW-190's destroyed; 1 fighter probably destroyed and 1 damaged. Three Liberators shot down.(3)

7 Oct 1943 - Eleusis airfield hit by 48 Mitchells escorted by 24 P-38's.(4)

9 Oct 1943 - Total of 110 heavy bomber sorties made against enemy airfields. Tatoi and Arozos bases attacked, but clouds prevent observation of results. Twenty-thirty fighters attack raiders; 4 shot down, but 2 B-17's destroyed. Larissa airfield hard hit by B-17's; 17 grounded planes destroyed and 2 gas dumps exploded. Raids on Eleusis,Salonika Sedes, and Argos fields by medium bombers achieve fair results.(5)

22 Oct 1943 - Thirty-six escorted B-25s bomb Eleusis airdrome; clouds prevent damage assessment; 1 enemy fighter destroyed in air.(6)

24 Oct 1943 - Eleusis airdrome lightly attacked.(7)

29 Oct 1943 - Eleusis is attacked by B-25s.(8)

15 Nov 1943 - Eleusis airdrome sustains severe damage, resulting from raid by 46 B-2-'s with P-38 escort; 60 tons of fragmentation bombs damage hangars and fuel stores and destroy 6 grounded aircraft. Force of 45 B-25's escorted by 36 P-38s bombs Kalamaki airdrome, damaging landing areas and hangars;large fires and explosions result.(9)

16 Nov 1943 - Seventy-nine B-25s with P-38 escort bomb Eleusis airdrome, Greece, causing extensive damage to runways, hangars and other buildings; 5 grounded aircraft destroyedand 10 fires started. (10)

17 Nov 1943 - Airdromes in Greece are targets for US bombers: 41 B-17s damage hangars, buildings, taxi strip and dispersal area at Eleusis;, destroy 5 grounded aircraft, and damage 10 more; 36 escorted B-25's drop 32 tons of explosive on Kalamaki, starting fires among hangars and marked aircraft; 10-12 Axis planes attempt interception at latter; 2 shot down.(11)

18 Nov 1943 - Eleusis airdrome again heavily damaged by U.S. bombers; 50 B-17's hit hangar and dispers-al areas and destroy 10 grounded aircraft; intense AA fire damages 17 Allied bombers. Force of 36 escorted B-25s bombs Larissa airdrome, hitting runway and hangars and destroying 2 parked planes;numerous fires started; 8 Planes damaged by AA fire.(12)

6 Dec 1943 - Kalamaki airdrome bombed by 56 B-17's; target believed well covered with HE and fragmentation bombs; of about 20 intercepting enemy planes, 6 shot down, 4 probably, and 4 damaged for loss of 1 bomber. Forrty-five B-24s attack Eleusis airdrome with good results; of 15-20 Axis aircraft opposing Allied forced 3 destroyed, 2 probably and 2 damaged; 1 B-24, destroyed and 1 escort plane missing. During night RAF heavy bombers attack dockyards at SaIamis.(13)

8 Dec 1943 - Two airdromes at Athens attacked by heavy bombers: 36 escorted B-24's cover Tatoi with 45 tons of explosive; 61 B-17's drop 81.5 tons on Eleusis; 1 B-17 destroyed by AA fire and 1 B-24 is missing.(14)

14 Dec 1943- Eleusis.and Kaltmaki airdromes at Athens: bombed by 80 B-17s dropping 236 tons of explosive, covering target areas thoroughly. Twenty-seven B-17s loose 81 tons of bombs on Piraeus docks and shipping. Bombers escorted by 48 P-4'7's and 62 P-38s; of 30-40 Axis planes intercepting, 11 shot down, 1 probably, and 1 damaged. Another Athens airdrome, Tatoi, is target for 46 escorted B-24s which drop 105 tons on field and hangars with good results.(15)

20 Dec 1943 - Force of 109 B-17's with escort of 66 P-38s drops 297 tons of bombs on Eleusis airdrome at Athens, inflicting extensive damage; Allied planes opposed by about 35 aircraft of which 19 are destroyed, 3 probably, and 3 damaged.(16)

13 Sep 1944 - During night 92 VWIellingtons, B-24s, and Halifaxes drop 194 tons of bombs on 3 enemy airfields near Athens(Eleusis, Kalamaki, and Tatoi) with fair to excellent results.Preveza on VW shore of Greece is effectively bombed by Wellingtons. Five additional Wellingtons make night attack onMaleme and Heraklion airfields in Crete,. Five Beaufighters damage enemy plane over Calato airfield on Rhodes.(17)

14 Sep 1944 - Five Wellingtons again bomb Preveza. Eleusis,Tatoi, and Kalamaki airfields are again targets for 84 B-24s and Wellingtons which drop 202.4 tons with good to excellent results. Three vessels:- in Paroikia harbor, Paros Is, are damaged- by 16 Beaiufighters, while 5 Wellingtons continue attacks on Heraklion and Maleme airfields in Crete. During night CCs and DDs attack shipping N of Crete.(18)

15 Sep 1944 - Force of 327 heavy bombers escorted by 84 P-51s pounds Salamis submarine base and Eleusis, Kalamaki, and Tatoi airfields with 686.8 tons of bombs; damage includes 51 enemy planes destroyed on airfields, DD (Turbine), floating.dock, and SS sunk, DD damaged, 2 floating cranes destroyed,and SS missing; 200 Germans reported killed. Fighters effectively strafe Miegara and Eleusis airfields, Wellingtons continue attacks in Aegean: Maleme and Heraklion airfields are again -night targets for 5 planes, while Calato field at Rhodes is again bombed by others.(19)

24 Sep 1944 - Reports indicate Kithira I. occupied by 600 more British troops.
Three Allied planes drop additional personnel and equipment on airfield near Cape Pappas. Strategic AF hammers targets in Greece: 252 B-24s successfully drop 473 tons of bombs on airfields at Kalamaki, Eleusis, and Tatoi; W RR yards at Salonika are targets for 58 B-24s which unload 142 tons with good results; Skaramagna submarine base and harbor facilities are hit by 52 B-24s with 140 tons; all targets well covered; 20 aircraft destroyed at Eleusis and Kalamaki airfields. Four Spitfires attack MT on Crete,. DDs bombard small vessel near Argostolion, Cephalonia, while others(Terpischore and Termagant) destroy convoy of 5 vessels (including 2 F-lighters) E. of Scarpanto I., SW of Rhode's. AK loaded with ammunition is sunk at Vathy, Samos I., causing many casualties.(20)

4 Oct 1944 – Kalamaki, Eleusis and Tatoi in Athens area strafed by P-51s, 9 enemy planes destoyed on ground and 21 damaged.(21)

6 Oct 1944 - Eleusis, Tatoi, Kalamaki, and Megara fields attacked by 53 P-51s which destroy 5 planes, ammunition dump, MG and oil dump and damage 10 planes. (22)

9 Oct 1944 – With fair to good results, 19 Wellingtons attack Tatoi, Eleusis, and Kalamaki airfields near Athens throughout night dropping 44.35 tons of bombs with hits on landing ground,hangars, and buildings. (23)

==Notes==
(1) June 1943 World War II Chronology - Military Intellegence Division, US War Department.
(2) Sept 1943 World War II Chronology - Military Intellegence Division, US War Department.
(3)-(8) Oct 1943 World War II Chronology - Military Intellegence Division, US War Department.
(9)-(12) Nov 1943 World War II Chronology - Military Intellegence Division, US War Department.
(13)-(16) Dec 1943 World War II Chronology - Military Intellegence Division, US War Department.
(17)-(20) Sept 1944 World War II Chronology - Military Intellegence Division, US War Department.
(21)-(23) Oct 1944 World War II Chronology - Military Intellegence Division, US War Department.

Re: Valence airfield
 

Eleusis really got pounded, didn't it? The heavy expenditure of air power on this one airfield goes to show that the Allies considered it a high priority target as they began their mission to subdue the Luftwaffe's capabilities in the eastern Mediterranean and the Balkans.

Interestingly, most of the after-raid damage assessments by the Germans for nearly all of the attacks you listed are available in the surviving Heeresgruppe E and Heeresgruppe F daily reports. I've read most of them and there is great disparity between the actual damage reported by the Germans and what the Allied air crews could observe from the air and through reconnaissance photos taken after the raid. There was a lot of "wishful thinking" on the part of MAAF back in Italy!

L.

Re: Valence airfield
 

Valence Postscript:

I have just discovered in my notes that there was indeed a major facility there. At the end of 1942/beginning of 1943, Feldluftpark 3/VI moved from Flers in Normandy to Nîmes/102 km NW of Marseille, and then moved again later in 1943 to Valence. A Feldluftpark in 1944 typically had 170 Germans and 800 to 1,000 local civilian workers and was a depot for aviation and Flak equipment, components and spare parts.

This is all from German documents and it is surprising that it was not included in that Top Secret Air Ministry list I mentioned earlier. That list was prepared from all intelligence resources, including ULTRA.

L.

Re: Valence airfield
 

Re - Postscript.

Yes, interesting regarding the Feldluftpark - Check Remi's post, I think he mentioned the existence of a Luftpark and a Feldwerkstatt but did not identify the units involved.

I will add the details to the page in due course.


Re - Wishful thinking

I think that this also applied to the combat results against the defending fighters e.g. "of about 20 intercepting enemy planes, 6 shot down, 4 probably, and 4 damaged".

Once again many thanks.

Re: Valence airfield
 

Guys,

For those that are interested, please see the new Eleusis page on the LuftwaffedData Wiki.

Many thanks to those that supplied information, including Larry deZeng and Dan Setzer. I have included a separate link to Dan's detailed article on the 16 Nov 1943 340th BG mission to Eleusis within the Wiki page and will also include additional reference links in due course.

Re: Valence airfield
 

Looks great, Andy! It would be nice if it could help generate some interest in the other 99% of the Luftwaffe that has nothing to do with Werknummern, Stammabzeichen, Verbandsabzeichen, Jagdflugzeuge, Abschüße and related, but I despair, I despair...........

Re: Valence airfield
 

I can contribute with some more infos regarding the Eleusis airport:

Fp.Nr.14 994 (07.41-10.42) Fl.H.Kdtr. (E) 15/VII / Eleusis
Kdr., Major Hans Schmoler, 07.41 Major Otto Adrario
Offz., Fü.Ln.Zug, Oblt. Richter, Oblt. Lenz

(10.42-04.43) Fl.H.Kdtr. A 202/IV / Eleusis
Kdr., Major Otto Adrario
(04.43-04.44) Fl.H.Kdtr. A 210/III / Eleusis
Kdr., 15.10.42-06.08.43 Major Otto Adrario
06.08.43-01.02.44 Obstlt. Dr. Hans Becker
1. Kp. Ltn. Behrens, Wd. Insp. Georg Engel (vw.) 27.06.43
ab 01.02.1944 Obstlt. Theo Prüssner

(01.04.44-10.44) Fl.H.Kdtr. A 105/XVII / Eleusis
Kdr., 06.44 Obstlt. Schulz, 10.44 Major Wagner


more ground units
(09.41-14.06.44) Lw.Bau-Btl. 21/XI, 2. Kp. / 09.41 Eleusis
(08.41-23.03.44) Lw.Bau-Ger.Zug 12/VII / ab 29.08.41 Eleusis

(22.03.42-44) Lw.Bau-Btl. 4/XVII, 2. Kp. / 22.03.42 in Eleusis eingetrofen
(ab 1941) Mittl.Fl.Betr.St.Kol. 1/VI / 1941 Eleusis
(1942-10.44) Mittl.Fl.Betr.St.Kol. 513/VI / 11.43 Eleusis
Kol.Fü., 09.41 Oblt. Hockenmeyer
(10.1943) Trsp.Kol.d.Lw. 113/IV / 10.43 Fl.Pl. Eleusis
Kol.Fü., Oblt. Schwarz
(ab 1941) Trsp.Kol.d.Lw. 6/XVII / 01.42 Eleusus-Korinth

(1941-1942) Werkst.Zug d.Lw. 3/IV / 09.41 Flgpl. Eleusis

(ab 23.10.42) Feldwerft-Abtl.d.Lw. IV/20 Eleusis
(1941-1943) Ln.Stelle E 15/VII / Fl.H.Kdtr. Eleusis

(1941-07.42) Ln.Stelle E 105/XVII / Fl.H.Kdtr. Eleusis
(ab 20.12.43) 132. Flgh. Betr. Kp. (Qu.) / Eleusis, 1 Zug Megara
Kp.Chef, Oblt. von Stering

Re: Valence airfield
 

Byron,

Many thanks for this. Will look to add your additions over the next few days. Will also start to create entries for the Fl.H.Kdtr.

Larry,

Totally agree.

Re: Valence airfield
 

Yes, Byron, that's very helpful, especially the additional Bodenorganisation units. Many years ago, I went through most of the T-311, T-312, T-314 and T-501 microfilm rolls that pertain to Greece, but not all of them. Did you find those addition Bodenorganisation units in the microfilms?

L.

Re: Valence airfield
 

Hi Larry,

Yes, i found a lot of "Bodenorganisationen" in the microfilms of Hgr.E, Befehlshaber Griechenland, etc. In the years i bought them, they existed as films only, so you can imagine the trouble i had to read them with a very old enlargement device i could purchase, working with a crank like a barrel-organ. It looks like a television, i still have it.
Later, i got help from the historical archive of the army in Athens, they scaned a lot of the films for me or gave me copies from their deposit
A great help was my good friend Mr.Norbert Kannapin as well. He has a gigantic archiv and is always willing to help.
Unfortunately, no proper published research on this secondary area exists.

regards
Byron

Re: Valence airfield
 

Thanks, Byron. Very interesting. In 1982 I bought a Micro Design Model 935 microfilm reader for about $400 and used it daily until about 2000. Before that I used an old classroom filmstrip projector that my father modified for 35mm microfilm so I could project the frames onto a wall and read them. Very cumbersome and slow-going, to says the least.

I have been working on the Bodenorganisation units since 1984 and have shoe boxes full of 4" x 6" index cards with notes on each unit, about 14,000 of them in all. It is probably the most complete and detailed collection in existence. I had hoped to convert them to digital format in my computer, but I am too old now to complete the job. Unfortunately, because the Luftwaffe destroyed some 96% of its archived records, a complete history for each and every unit of the Bodenorganisation is impossible, but I do have at least a few entries for most and many entries for some.

Norbert Kannapin, of course, is a "hero" to all of us who are interested in and work with the organizational structure and development of the Luftwaffe, 1939-45, and you are very lucky to have his help with information from his collections. Yes, there is no published material on this subject aside from Kannapin's 3-Band Dt. Feldpost book.

Larry

Re: Valence airfield
 

Larry,

i think, we faced the same hardships with these microfilms. I paid about the same amount like you for an old used german pre-war film reader.
14.000 cards with different units is an enormous number, you took obviously every thing you found regarding the "Lw.", i focused only on the greek teritory, "Heer" and "Kriegsmarine" included.
In the year 1943 the Germans had over 350.000 men in Greece, enough to make a lifetime research.

Byron