Luftwaffe and Allied Air Forces Discussion Forum - Lw-Stab Krim, I.Fliegerkorps, Lw-Gruppe Kaukasus/Kuban, Gen.d.Fl. Korten and Gen.Lt. Mahncke (Mahnke) Spring 1943

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Lw-Stab Krim, I.Fliegerkorps, Lw-Gruppe Kaukasus/Kuban, Gen.d.Fl. Korten and Gen.Lt. Mahncke (Mahnke) Spring 1943

Hello,

trying to resolve the puzzles with the chain of command in Crimea and Kuban during Spring 1943.
From 1.Apr.43 two commands were in the same area - I.Fliegerkorps and Lw-Stab Krim. To Lw-Stab Krim (Ernst Bormann from Feb.43) were subordinated apparently all single-motor combat planes (fighters, Ju87 etc) and such two-motors as Bf110, Fw58 etc. About the standard two-motor bomber unit (He111 and Ju88) full picture isn’t clear though some Kampfflugzeuge were certainly subordinated to Bormann and Kampfgeschwader commanders were in contact with him.
It seems before Lw-Stab Krim was disbanded the I.Fliegerkorps was a top structure over Lw-Stab Krim and 9.Flak-Div. with some parallelism of the functions.

«Luftwaffe Officer Career Summaries» contains some unclear data relevant to the topic. (Of course in the work of such volume some problems are inevitable, not least because the sources are fragmentary).
Lw-Stab Krim was disbanded at 00:00 15.May43 (according to KTB Heeresgruppe «A» with reference to I.Fliegerkorps report), not 30.Jun.43 as in Bormann’s service records from «Officer Career Summaries». Or Lw-Stab Krim and Fliegerführer Krim were different headquarters?

Günther Korten was commander of I.Fliegerkorps up to 12.Jun43. But it seems most of April and during first week of May 1943 Alfred Mahncke (deputy commander of I.FK) was the acting corps commander. Where was and what did Korten during that time? Also, according to «Officer Career Summaries» Mahncke 10.May.43 became General z.b.V./Luftflotte 2 and concurrently Fliegerfuhrer Sizilien but remained the deputy commander of I.FK up to 25.Jun.43 when he several weeks served in Italy. Is it true?

Next puzzle is Lw-Gruppe Kaukasus/Kuban: The Gruppe renamed from Kaukasus to Kuban 27.Jan.43, not 6.Feb.43. About 6.Feb.43 Lw-Gruppe Kuban had ceded its last units to Lw-Stab Krim and 9.Flak-Div. and as though was disbanded. But in the order of Befehlshaber Kertschstrasse 12.Apr.43 Lw-Gruppe Kuban was mentioned as responsible for the passage some of troops across the Kerch strait. Who was the commander of Lw-Gruppe Kuban between 6.Feb.43 and 12.Apr.43?

Best regards,
Andrey

Re: Lw-Stab Krim, I.Fliegerkorps, Lw-Gruppe Kaukasus/Kuban, Gen.d.Fl. Korten and Gen.Lt. Mahncke (Mahnke) Spring 1943

Hi Andrey -

Different sources, different dates. To sort all of this out, you will need the Personalakten from BA-MA for all of the Kommandeure involved. And equipped with all of that, there will still be some confusion. It is so bad (confusing) for that area (Ost) in spring 1943 that I am not even sure the Germans knew what they were doing. This was just after the loss of Stalingrad and the German command structure was in a state of chaos. I tried my best to provide accurate information on Luftwaffe Officer Career Summaries, but I had to move on because of time constraints.

I greatly fear that some will come along here and give you a list they have put together that they will claim is 100% accurate, but you should be very skeptical and cautious of these claims. Your best bet is to do it yourself and use only primary documents. It will cost you some money for the Personalakten and some time, but it is the only way to get to the bottom of this riddle. Don't forget: differences in dates are often caused by the original order from the Luftwaffenpersonalamt giving one date, and the Kommandeur not actually arriving and taking over because of leave (Urlaub) en-route, special training and/or briefings en-route, hospitals stays for vaccinations and checkups, long travel delays, etc. So the historians come along years later and some use the LPA date while others use the date the new guy arrives, sits down at his desk and takes over.

Good luck and best wishes,

Larry deZeng

Fliegerführer Krim
(FpN: none found)

also as: Luftwaffenstab Krim

Fliegerführer:
General d.Flieger Konrad Zander (15 Oct 42 - 15 Mar 43)
Oberst Dr. Ernst Bormann (1 Feb 43 - 30 Jun 43)

Formation and History. (Aug 42 - Jun 43)
Formed o/a 15 August 1942 (ex-Fliegerführer Süd?) or new on 15 October 1942 at Kerch/Crimea and assigned responsibility for air operations there after the front had moved forward into North Caucasia. KStN 320 (L) was assigned to Luftwaffenstab Krim (Fliegerführer Krim), giving it a special table of organization and equipment. Up to the date of his appointment, Konrad Zander had been General der Flieger z.V. des Luftflottenkommando 4, which suggests the line of authority and origin of Fliegerführer Krim. The location of the Stab is not known with certainty, but is believed to have been at Kerch and then possibly at Simferopol. By spring 1943, German forces had been pushed back into the narrow confines of the Kuban bridgehead across from Kerch/Crimea and Stab/I. Fliegerkorps had arrived in Crimea to take charge of air operations. Fliegerführer Krim, now redundant, was disbanded o/a 30 June 1943.

During its existence, Fliegerführer Krim exercised authority over Küstenfliegerstaffel Krim, a coastal patrol squadron of somewhat unclear lineage. This Staffel’s losses from August 1942 to September 1943 were charged to Fliegerführer Krim. Also see Einsatzstab Krim des I. Fliegerkorps (sometimes incorrectly called Fliegerführer Krim).1

© H.L. deZeng IV, 2006

Luftwaffenkommando Kuban
(FpN: L 19134)

Kommandierender General und Befehlshaber:
Gen.d.Flieger Otto Dessloch (7 Feb 43 - 8 Mar 43)

Formation and History. (Feb 43 - Mar 43)
Formed o/a 7 February 1943 in North Caucasia, possibly at Slavyanskaya (ex-Luftwaffenkdo. Kaukasus). This was a short-lived name change resulting from the German withdrawal from deep in North Caucasia into the Kuban Bridgehead in the Taman Peninsula. On or about 8 March 1943 it was re-designated Gen.Kdo./I. Flakkorps.1

© H.L. deZeng IV, 2004

Re: Lw-Stab Krim, I.Fliegerkorps, Lw-Gruppe Kaukasus/Kuban, Gen.d.Fl. Korten and Gen.Lt. Mahncke (Mahnke) Spring 1943

Hello Larry,

Thank you for the answer and for data about the commands.

As to the personalities: decision-makers are interesting for me in this case - Korten, Mahncke and Bormann. I think the Personalakten are hardly useful for the problem in question as they reflects a formal side of the picture. Phone conversations, reports and signatures on the orders seems more relevant.

Mahncke 3.May.43 was on Kuban bridgehead for certain. Maybe forum members who are familiar with Italian theater of war knows when he arrived to Italy.

Best regards,
Andrey