Info needed on Viterbo Airport in 1944
 

Hey guys...

I am curious what Units and aircraft were stationed at Viterbo Airport (Italy) on June 11, 1944?

I have an item from a US Veteran that was removed from an Me109 on this day...does anyone have any info on this airport? Perhaps even period photos?

TIA,

Mike

Re: Info needed on Viterbo Airport in 1944
 

SG 4 (Fw 190s) and 3./NAG 11 (Bf 109s) had been there until the first days of June before withdrawing. I can't remember offhand whether Viterbo had satellite strips, so there may be other units as well.

Re: Info needed on Viterbo Airport in 1944
 

Viterbo (ITAL) (42 26 10 N – 12 03 35 E)
General: landing ground in C Italy 66 km NNW of Rome and 4 km WNW of Viterbo. History: built for the Italian Air Force in 1937. It was usually occupied during the war by a bomber group and a bomber training group. Parachute training was also carried out at Viterbo in 1942. The Luftwaffe began using Viterbo about Jun 43 and after that it became one of the Luftwaffe’s main airfields in C Italy to May 1944. Dimensions: 1,550 x 1,200 meters. Runway: a firm, well-drained grass surface. Infrastructure: well stocked with full service and support facilities. Three hangars with concrete aprons were located along the SE boundary, a large barracks with 4-floors just E of the center hangar, and a number of other buildings that served as admin offices, supply storage and garages. The nearest rail connection was 5 km SE at Viterbo. Dispersal: 35 large single-bay blast shelters ranged along the SE boundary and outside the NW boundary and W corner. Defenses: no details.
Remarks: repeatedly bombed and strafed by Allied bombers and fighters from Jul 43 to May 44 - the USAAF alone attacked it at least 30 times, and the RAF an unknown number of times.
29 Jul 43: bombed by B-17 Fortresses - 4 x Ju 88 A-4s from I./KG 30 and 3 x Ju 88 A-4s and A-5s from III./KG 30, 2 x He 111Hs from TGr. 30, plus 1 x He 111 P-2 from KGr.z.b.V. 25 destroyed or damaged on the ground.
16 Aug 43: bombed - 2 x Ju 88 A-4s from I./KG 30 destroyed on the ground in another Allied bombing.
15 Sep 43: bombed – 1 x Ju 52 from II./TG 2 badly damaged on the ground.
19 Sep 43: bombed - 2 x He 111Hs from TGr. 30 severely damaged on the ground.
8 Feb 44: bombed by 15th AAF – results unknown.
9 Jun 44: Viterbo liberated by U.S. 5th Army troops.
Operational Units (Regia Aeronautica): 26º Gruppo BT (Jun 40, Jan 41, 1942); 27º Gruppo BT (Dec 41 – May 43?); 28º Gruppo BT (Dec 41 – May 43?); 29º Gruppo BT (Jun-Sep 40, Dec 40 – Jun 41, Jan-Jun 42, May-Sep 43); 30º Gruppo BT (Sep 40 – Apr 41); 32º Gruppo BT (Sep 40 – Apr 41); 33º Gruppo BT (Dec 40 – Jun 41, Jan-May 42, Nov 42 – Jun 43); 37º Gruppo BT (Dec 41 – Nov 42); 50º Gruppo BT (Feb-May 43); 51º Gruppo BT (Jul-Sep 43); 88º Gruppo BT (Feb-May 43); 172ª Squadriglia BT (Jun 43); 248ª Squadriglia T (Apr 43).
Operational Units (Luftwaffe): III./KG 30 (May-Oct 43); I./KG 1 (Jul 43); Stab, I./KG 30 (Jul-Sep 43); Stab, II./SKG 10 (Sep-Oct 43); II./SG 4 (Oct 43? – Apr 44); Stab/JG 53 (Jan-Feb 44); Stab, I./SG 4 (Jan-Mar/Apr 44); detachment of 2./NSGr. 9 (Apr 44); Stab, 3./NAGr. 11 (Jun 44).
Station Commands: Fl.H.Kdtr. E 14/VII (Jul 43 – Mar 44); Fl.H.Kdtr. E(v) 214/VII (Apr-Jun 44).
Station Units (on various dates – not complete): Stab/Kommandierender General der deutschen Luftwaffe in Mittelitalien (May-Jun 44); Stab/Fliegerführer 2 (Luftflotte 2) (c. Sep 43 – Feb 44); Koflug 9/VII (Montefiascone Jan-Jun 44); part of 112. Flugh.Betr.Kp. (Qu) (Dec 43 - ?); 2.Zug/LT-Betr.Kp. 2 (Aug 43 - ?); LM-Zug d.Lw. 3 (? - Sep 43); Stab/Flak-Rgt. 39 (Jan 44); Stab/Flak-Rgt. 149 (Jun, Nov 43); elements of 2.(Betr.)/Ln.-Rgt. 2 (Jan 44); elements of 7.(Betr.)/Ln.-Rgt. 200 (Oct 43); Stab and elements/Ln.-Abt. 62 (Oct-Nov 43); Ln.-RV-Abt. (mot) z.b.V. 1 (Sep 43 – May 44?); elements of Ln.-RV-Abt. (mot) z.b.V. 2 (Soriano nel Cimino, Jan 44).

Note: many aircraft from a variety of other units that were based elsewhere were constantly in and out of Viterbo, but the above with dates are the ones that were officially stationed there. The others flew in for a couple of days to stage attacks on targets further to the south, or stopped over to refuel, etc.

Re: Info needed on Viterbo Airport in 1944
 

Thanks for the reply guys...

;)

Basically, I have an item that is specific to the Me109 that was liberated by Colonel Ejner J. Fulsgang on June 11, 1944. I don't recall what his rank was at that time, but he was an Army Aviator, and acted as an artillery spotter in Italy.

He removed this item from an Me109 that was abandoned on the airfield...so I am trying to narrow down what JG it "could" have been from.

Is there any possibility here?

TIA
Mike

Re: Info needed on Viterbo Airport in 1944
 

Does it have to be from a JG "Me109"? The last unit at Viterbo that was equipped with Bf 109s was NAGr. 11.

L.

Re: Info needed on Viterbo Airport in 1944
 

What is that item? just for curiosity...

Re: Info needed on Viterbo Airport in 1944
 

Quite impressive Larry :shock:

I never collected airfield information, but when seing your results begin to wonder if that was not a mistake of mine....

Cheers
Stig

Re: Info needed on Viterbo Airport in 1944
 

Thanks, Stig, but I think I bit off more than I can chew. I have about 4,300 airfields I'm working on and only about 1,300 are finished. The odds of my being around long enough to complete them all are not good. Very time-consuming work!

L.

Re: Info needed on Viterbo Airport in 1944
 

Hm Larry

Perhaps I did the right thing after all then.... :D
Good luck with your chewing...., your results are impressive enough!!

Cheers
Stig

Re: Info needed on Viterbo Airport in 1944
 

The item is a KG13A Control Stick, 100% from an Me109 based on the electrical codes.

He wrote on it - Me109, Viterbo Airport, 11 June 1944

My guess is that it may be from an abandoned Me109 (derilict)...which means it "could" have been from any JG that was stationed there, even earlier in the year, no?

I guess I am not sure if the Germans got out of there quickly, leaving good machines behind...or whether there were a lot of wrecked aircraft from various units.

hmmmmmm...
Mike

Re: Info needed on Viterbo Airport in 1944
 

It needn't have been a JG, NAG 11 flew Bf 109s too. For the record there was one Bf 109 found at "Viterbo Satellite No. 2" and eight at "Viterbo Main Airfield" (Allied names). The machine at the satellite strip was "completely burnt out and disintegrated", the others were:

1. Bf 109 G-8, W.Nr. 710062, yellow 11, scrap
2. Bf 109 G-6, W.Nr. 161744, burnt out
3. Bf 109 G-6, W.Nr. 162202, yellow 8, scrap
4. Bf 109 G-8 trop. (A/Bo/Rei), W.Nr. 710100, yellow 15, completely stripped
5. Bf 109 G-6, W.Nr. 160747, fuselage and port wing only, badly looted.
6. Bf 109 G-6, W.Nr. 162060, white 8, fuselage only, stripped.
7. Bf 109 G-6, W.Nr. 162158, "1 + 3 (yellow)", RW+DC, fuselage only.
8. Bf 109 G-6, W.Nr. 161118, ace of spades on cowling, fuselage only, badly looted.

Someone with a Bf 109 database may be able to attribute more of these to given units but 3. is definitely from 3./NAG 11 while 1. and 4. are likely from that unit.

6. could have been a fighter, 8. clearly was from JG 53 and 7. is possibly "yellow 3 + I" of III./JG 53 (the only Bf 109 III. Gruppe in Italy at the time).

Re: Info needed on Viterbo Airport in 1944
 

Thanks Nick!

The grip is near mint...so the burned out one I could probably cross off...

Of course he could have been one of the culprits of the "looting"... ha ha...

The grip is the first thing to taken by looters, so with this one still remaining when he got there on the 11th...does the date coincide before or after the report on the date?

The story passed down was that being an Artillery observer, he flew over Viterbo, saw the abandoned aircraft, landed, and took the stick grip - but who knows how much of that is accurate. :(

Do you know of any photos that remain of these birds?

mike

Re: Info needed on Viterbo Airport in 1944
 

Judging by photos, swastikas were the big favourite for souvenir hunters whereas Allied investigation reports speak of the local people taking sheet metal and glazing to use in homes and outbuildings.

The report on the aircraft at Viterbo is dated 25 June.

Re: Info needed on Viterbo Airport in 1944
 

This thread reminds me an Italian friend who get also a KG 13 from a Vet, nice prize made at Povoletto airfield.

Re: Info needed on Viterbo Airport in 1944
 

Hello Nick

I have RW+DC as WNr.162054

and RW+HC as WNr.162158

Are these Errors ?

Kind Regards

Peter van Gogh

Re: Info needed on Viterbo Airport in 1944
 

What was your source for 162054? Meanwhile here's an extract from the report on Viterbo with 162158 as RW+DC.

Re: Info needed on Viterbo Airport in 1944
 

I think, Peter van Gogh´s source and mine are identical.
Peter Schmoll´s WNr list in his book "Die Messerschmittwerke im 2.Weltkrieg"

But what do we read?

About a Bf 109 fuselage with two sets of markings obviously painted one over another.
This means, the 2nd and the 3rd letter of the StKz (depends which side) might have been overpainted by the tactical number "3" or a white tailband which I presume as almost certain.
The letter "W" might have been recognizable, but "C" or "H" might have been mistaken. And it was certainly not that important.
And nobody knows which code exactly was written on the crumpled, oil-stained and hand-written list of the GI examining those wrecks

Regards

Roland

Re: Info needed on Viterbo Airport in 1944
 

Hi Nick et al,

Just a question for clarification. If the Werknummer of the Fw190A-5 in your list is actually 190066, would that not make it an Fw190G-8 (VF+VO)?

Steve Sheflin

Re: Info needed on Viterbo Airport in 1944
 

I think you'd need to take that up with Messrs. Dulaney and Gundrum who signed "for Wing Commander" the earlier typed draft report on Viterbo: "Technical Report No. 18" dated 14 June 1944. They describe it as "FW 190 A-5, WN 190066, markings 4+ - (all yellow) burned out and stripped."

The mimeographed extract I posted is from the subsequent "Technical Intelligence Section Report No. 232" dated the 25th and not signed. There is yet another version of the Viterbo report in tabular form, with less detail.

I'm sure it was really a G-8. Some examples: SG 4 lost G-8 W.Nr. 190049 on 26 May; 190010 on 21 April and 190032 on 18 April.

Re: Info needed on Viterbo Airport in 1944
 

Hi Nick

The data on the Bf109 was supplied by Tomislav H. for the LEMB base and it was presented as a stkz block.