FD5562/45 - Beitrag zur Beschaffungsmeldung Dec 44
 

One of the aims of the various research trips I made to IWM Duxford pre-COVID was to get a feel for exactly which of the ‘Speer Catalogue’ documents remained in their files and which had been definitively restituted to Gerrmany. The ‘Speer Catalogue’ was a listing of items which fell under the Foreign Documents (FD) banner. The underlying rational had been that all ‘German State’ material should be returned whilst material relating to individual concerns could be retained as legitimate ‘war booty’. Everything which was returned was microfilmed as part of the Speer microfilms collection and of course huge chunks are now available in RL 3.

Working through these files, I came across a few files which clearly fell into the former category. I guess with as many linear feet of documents as were involved in this process, it was inevitable that some would get missed. Amongst these was FD5562/45 ‘Graphische Darstellung der Flugzeuglieferungen (Soll und Ist). Charts of aircraft deliveries (target and actual), 1940-42’. This turned out to be quite a small file but oddly enough, included was the Beitrag zur Beschaffungsmeldung for December 1944. I photographed the document but with hindsight I probably ought to have scanned it. It is very easy to be blessed with wisdom after the event. Thankfully all relevant details are legible in my photos. I hadn’t appreciated quite how much of a missing link this was. This was recently brought up on TOCH by Nigel Moore -
http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showpo...7&postcount=14

As those with a keen interest in these things will appreciate the June – November 1944 iterations of this reporting are available in RL 3/3733 (as well as on microfilm T177/42 – downloadable via NARA). The January 1945 iteration can be found in RL 3/1278. Neither of the Freiburg documents have yet been digitised – a job for someone perhaps?

I bundled my images into a PDF and recently offered this to Freiburg. Their stance was to politely refuse this request as I couldn’t offer the original documents. My stance was somewhat different as I believe they could have at the least accepted my offer as a ‘place holder’ given the importance of the information contained therein but there is nothing to be gained by a to and fro.

I have therefore come to a decision to offer this file to researchers. It can be accessed here for seven days only - https://easytransfer.net/P73xQ2jG/ed...7fed54c6b5f8d0

Re: FD5562/45 - Beitrag zur Beschaffungsmeldung Dec 44
 

Thank you Steve.

Re: FD5562/45 - Beitrag zur Beschaffungsmeldung Dec 44
 

Very much appreciated, Steve.

Regards,
Leon Venter

Re: FD5562/45 - Beitrag zur Beschaffungsmeldung Dec 44
 

Hello Steve,

Your first name should be altered in Sherlock, what a nice find ! For me the He219D-1 was always an intriguing subtype and it now seems more clear that one Vienna-produced He219A-2 was used as a prototype for the Jumo213 engine before it was decided that Heinkel Vienna was allowed to produce a small batch of 5 He219D-1's.
The first D-1's were already delivered in December 1944, the other one(s) in January 1945 but by then the decision to stop all He219 production was already taken.

Again many thanks for this essential piece of information !

Warm greetings, Marcel

Re: FD5562/45 - Beitrag zur Beschaffungsmeldung Dec 44
 

Another thank you, I had a fairly complete copy of the C-amt Monatsmeldung from January 1944 to January 1945, but was missing December, so this fills in much of the missing information. Incidentally, the January 1945 document also came from the Speer files. Thanks to the RL downloads I also now have access to the complimentary Flugzeugverteilung from Jan 44 to March 45. so we have a pretty complete picture of late war production.
Artie Bob

Re: FD5562/45 - Beitrag zur Beschaffungsmeldung Dec 44
 

Steve,

Thank you for sharing this important information. You exemplify, through such actions and support of fellow researchers and enthusiasts, the best qualities of those who put a high value on supporting and contributing to the greater good.

Best,

David

Re: FD5562/45 - Beitrag zur Beschaffungsmeldung Dec 44
 

Marcel

Thanks for your comments. An associated report impacting your research is the Ausbringungslage 1. Dekade Feb 1945 which can be found in RL 3/1047 (ex FD 65/46)

My initial assumption is that Nigel Moore has shared this with you in the various exchanges you've had. This is a fascinating piece of 10 day reporting for which this appears to be the only surviving example. It confirms the cancellation of He 219 production due to the fuel situation. If you haven't seen this, let me know.

Re: FD5562/45 - Beitrag zur Beschaffungsmeldung Dec 44
 

Steve, thank you a lot!

Re: FD5562/45 - Beitrag zur Beschaffungsmeldung Dec 44
 

Hello Steve

Your assumption is (again) right but now I have been through the RL 2/III-611 up/including RL 2/III-620 (daily aircraft allocations to the Luftflotten), it is a hell of a job to compare these numbers with Nigels magnificent analysis about production and deliveries.

So far I have not been able to track reliable evidence nor indications where the He219's for the OKL Reserve were stored (Welzow might be one of those airfields) and what happened with these surplus nightfighters.

The number so far: 24 He219's went to the OKL Reserve and never reached front line units (3 He219A-0, 21 He219A-7). It's my assumption that these were scrapped soon after, simply because there is ample evidence that the USSR and/or CSSR had more than 2 airworthy He219's after the war.


We keep going ! Best regards, Marcel

Re: FD5562/45 - Beitrag zur Beschaffungsmeldung Dec 44
 

Marcel

Thanks. I will keep my eyes open.

Steve

Re: FD5562/45 - Beitrag zur Beschaffungsmeldung Dec 44
 

Tell me about it! I've being trying to understand where all the Fw 190 F-8s equipped with TSA 2 bombing systems went — they aren't identified as such in strength returns and I know of only one that was captured. The problem for me is how big were the gaps between 'produced', 'allocated' and 'received'?

Did allocation come before or after an aircraft was completed? Were all completed machines allocated right away? Did units necessarily get what had been allocated to them? (Unlikely, given the state of transport and communications at the end of the war).

Re: FD5562/45 - Beitrag zur Beschaffungsmeldung Dec 44
 

Hello Nick,

Good questions ! Keep also in mind that every aircraft that left the production line had to make a 'Werkflug' before the BAL accepted that plane. Only then (but by who?) it was decided where the aircraft went to. As the allocation files are found in the RL 2-III files, those decisions must have been made at the Gen.Quartermaster in the Generalstab der Luftwaffe.

Though it seems quite unlogical to produce modern aircraft (as the He219A-7 with DB603E and He219D-1 with Jumo213 were) to send these straight to the OKL Reserve, when you pass car production sites nowadays, you see the same: lots of brand new cars waiting for car sellers...

I am wondering how many He162's, Ta152's, Do335, Ar234 and Bf109K-4's were made of OKL Reserve aircraft... Perhaps we should look in the files of the Ministry of Armament, rather than Luftwaffe files.

Warm greetings, Marcel

Re: FD5562/45 - Beitrag zur Beschaffungsmeldung Dec 44
 

Hello,

it would probably be appropriate to ask here about the tables from NARA T177 roll 42 mentioned above.
These are tables compiled by the Chef Nachschubwesen and entitled "Beitrag zur Beschaffungsmeldung"; for example, the table for June 1944.

I’m interested in the meanings of some of the columns in this table.

Flugzeugmuster; Firma - that’s all clear

übern.i.Juni = übernommen im Juni = Aircraft taken delivery of in June? From Industrie to Lw.Gen.Qu?

gesamt; Truppe - that’s all clear

Schleuse - What does that mean in this context?

Umbau, Erpr.-Stelle - that’s all clear

zerstört; beschädigt - during which period? Between Industrie and Gen.Qu?

Best regards,
Andrey

Re: FD5562/45 - Beitrag zur Beschaffungsmeldung Dec 44
 

As I understand it, it was a depot from which aircraft were issued to units. In the Gen.Qu. 6. Abt. losses there is at least one from Flugzeugschleuse Lfl. 6 for example.

The word literally means a sluice or a lock, so I think the analogy is for a place where something is held back to await a controlled release.

Re: FD5562/45 - Beitrag zur Beschaffungsmeldung Dec 44
 

Thank you, Nick! That’s pretty much what I thought, but I decided to ask just in case.
Is my assumption about the columns with losses streams correct?

Best regards,
Andrey

Re: FD5562/45 - Beitrag zur Beschaffungsmeldung Dec 44
 

Hello all,

As I understood from Bf110's which were delivered to the I./NJG 1 in the early years, a 'Schleuse' also prepared the aircraft for their tasks: Bf110's for the I./NJG 1 went via 'Schleuse' Werl to get exhaust dampers and black camouflage for instance, before they were delivered in Venlo.

As my amount of info about this is quite small, my addition should be treated with some care.

Marcel

Re: FD5562/45 - Beitrag zur Beschaffungsmeldung Dec 44
 

Last night I was browsing the US National Archives site, Roll 59 of their Luftwaffe High Command material, and I came across instructions that Schleusen were only to carry out modifications to aircraft according to an approved list of changes. Most of the examples given were to meet the requirements of individual Luftflotten and included changes to crew seating, armament and additional fuel tanks.

Re: FD5562/45 - Beitrag zur Beschaffungsmeldung Dec 44
 

Hello Nick,

Thank you for this documented valuable addition which precises what I thought to know. It always good to have sources as a fundament under our assumptions .

Best regards, Marcel