Communication between Fi156 and the ground
 

Dear all,

we are trying to understand the role played by the Storch in June 1944 in the South West of France when "das Reich" was driving up to Normandy and committed retaliations in many villages (such as Oradour sur Glane) on its way to Normandy.
Many "résistants" and French civils were killed as retaliations when German soldiers were attacked on the roads, and the Fi156 clearly played a role by spotting the gathering of Free French in Farms (for instance "la Gabaudet" on 9 June 1944 near Cahors).

Thus, two questions :
1) do we know where were based the Fi156 flying between Toulouse and Brive in June 1944 ? Did they operate from fields, anywhere ?
2) when transmitting an information, were they communicating directly to the German troops on the ground, or were they providing information to a Headquarter that dispatched this information to the troops on the ground?
Thanks a lot for your feedback
Best
GC

Re: Communication between Fi156 and the ground
 

Cher ami,

I do fully recommend you this French book, that I read some years ago and, from memory do had reports of Fi156 and LW airplanes shot down by the SAS/SOE teams:
https://www.amazon.fr/Qui-vaincra-pa.../dp/B003B13WQE

The other book I do have in Portuguese or English language, do not remember anymore:
https://www.amazon.fr/Das-Reich-Divi...s=books&sr=1-9

Friendly yours, as ever,
Adriano

Re: Communication between Fi156 and the ground
 

Salut gilles!

Probably no help but I have the Flugbuch to a Gustav-Wilhelm Ohmert who came to 1./JGr. 200 after serving with 1./JG 77. He recorded a Fi156 sortie (inbetween his regular BF109G-6 missions) on the 23 June 1944 from Orange with a 'Klauka' as passenger on a "Partis.Aufkl.flg" taking off at 1705 for an hour. In the comments he noted "Aufklag.d.Partisanenstellg". I would imagine it is out of the area you are interested in but a similar mission of course flown by a frontline fighter pilot.

Re: Communication between Fi156 and the ground
 

Hello dear Brazilian Friend,

thanks for your advise, very useful as usual.. do take care.


Salut, Siko, interesting to read that a Bf109 G6 pilot could switch to Fi156 for a flight or two, and then come back to G6 !

All best to both of you

GC

Re: Communication between Fi156 and the ground
 

Gerhard Klauka was a fellow Bf 109 pilot, killed soon afterward (death registration card attached).

Re: Communication between Fi156 and the ground
 

Lots of resistance memories mention spotter aircraft (known as "Mouchards" which could translate as "tell-tales"), some of which were from Geschwader Bongart which operated the He 46 among many other types.

I'd never thought about air-ground communication but other air forces often used message streamers (weighted bags with a "tail" of ribbons) to drop messages to ground troops.

Re: Communication between Fi156 and the ground
 

Thanks Nick - fascinating!

Re: Communication between Fi156 and the ground
 

I know the HS 126s had voice radio to spot artillery fire and to communicate with Luftwaffe laison officers on the ground in the early part of the war. I would say both direct contact to troops on the ground and to a headquarters to the rear may have been done. Note senior German officers would sometimes go to the front during WW II to see how things were going and they might have had a radio set on hand to talk to the Luftwaffe aircraft flying over head.
Also for a 109 pilot a Fi 156 is a fairly easy plane to fly and was sometimes used as a hack by some JGs. I hope this is of some help.

Re: Communication between Fi156 and the ground
 

You rang?


https://crusaderproject.wordpress.co...-january-1942/


All the best


Andreas

Re: Communication between Fi156 and the ground
 

It was quite common for German military personell to act as forward controllers with front line units. They was in direct contact with the pilots. Own courses was made to educate soldiers as forward controllers. If they was Luftwaffe personell or Army personell I dont know. But in Norway Army personell was been educated as FC

Best from Norway
Olve

Re: Communication between Fi156 and the ground
 

That's actually a misperception. In North Africa, the Royal Air Force had a better system in place than the Germans in late 1941.



All the best


Andreas