informations about Lw. Baugeräte Zug
 

Hello,
I am from Germany and I am searching about my great-grandfather. He was at the Luftwaffe and he has the rang Oberfeldwebel. I became a letter from WaST about him. His dogtag says: -2- Lw. Bau Ger.Zg. 3/VIII. He was wounded at Tschiglajewka (?) (Smolensk-Roslawl) at 9.10.1941.Are their any airfields in the near?

Now my questions.
Was this "Gerätezug" also in "Luftgau VIII Breslau" ?
What engines, vehicles had such a unit?
Did they only work on/At airfields/hangars?
Can anyone say which unit (Battalion) this Geräte zug was?

I hope somebody can answer some questions.

(sorry for my bad english)

Regards

Re: informations about Lw. Baugeräte Zug
 

Hi Obblgang -

Lw.-Bau-Gerätezug 3/VIII (Feldpost Nr. L 20490) was an independently numbered equipment column that supported the construction of Luftwaffe infrastructure such as airfields that were either built new or rehabilitated after having being captured. The "VIII" means it was raised and formed in Luftgau VIII, probably at the time of general mobilization on 26 August 1939.

The Kriegsstärkenachweisung (KStN) for a Lw.-Bau-Gerätezug was 6345 (L), and it called for an allowance of 2 Unteroffiziere, 18 men, 28 rifles, 1 pistol, 11 wheeled tractors or trucks and 22 trailers (Anhängern).

Tschiglajewka (Chiglayevka) is misspelled, I believe, because I cannot locate it. I also looked at villages between Smolensk and Roslav'l and did not find anything that looked like that.

There were at least 8 airfields in the Smolensk - Roslav'l area so your great-grandfather could have been at any one of them on 9.10.41. But I do know the following for Lw.-Bau-Gerätezug 3/VIII:

2.42: operating in the Roslavl area.
5.42 u. 2.43: operating in the Vyazma area.
19.2.43: transferred from Vyazma/Süd to Vitebsk.
18.10.43: at Vitebsk (Iststärke: 20).
c.11.43: renamed Gerätekolonne Lw.-Bau-Btl. 105/XVII (K). This means the Dt. Mannschaft of the Bataillon were mostly replaced with Kriegsgefangenen (probably russ.).

L.

Re: informations about Lw. Baugeräte Zug
 

Hi Larry,

I`m glad you are back

best regards

Byron

Re: informations about Lw. Baugeräte Zug
 

Hi Byron and thanks. But I don't know for how long because I still have a lot of material to process. I also have a new computer with Windows 7 to set up and learn. :confused::cry:

L.

Re: informations about Lw. Baugeräte Zug
 

Hi,
absolutly amazing what you are writing. I am searching a while for any data about this unit and nobody knows something in other forums and I registred in this english forum and you write back with very good informations in one day. :-) Thank you very much.
Another question: For what is the c at the last date of this unit that you wrote?
Do you have any informations about this unit before 10.41? Because my great-grandfather was wounded in 41 and I wanna know where his unit was till they reach the Smolensk area. (But also thanks for your unit dates after `41!)
Under which battalion was this Bau Ger.Zg 3/VIII? So I can search for books or so about this Lw battalion.
In a other forum somebody says, that Zhigalovka can be the town where my great-grandfather was wounded. Here is a map of this area from 3.10.41: http://www.bilder-hochladen.net/files/5yka-sx-jpg.html

Best regards and thanks again :-)

Re: informations about Lw. Baugeräte Zug
 

Hi Obblgang,

The "c" is for "circa" (approximately auf Englisch, etwa auf Deutsch).

I have no information on the location of 3/VIII before 10.41, but an educated guess would be that it helped build forward airfields between Warsaw and the eastern border with the UdSSR from 01.41 to 07.41 and then moved forward through Belorussia to the Smolensk - Roslav'l area. There were a very large number of Lw.-Bau-Btle. and Bau-Gerätezüge used for this purpose and 3/VIII was probably one of them.

I do not know which Bau-Btle. 3/VIII was attached to, if any. They were independent and were sent where needed, sometimes staying in one place for only a week or two. I strongly doubt if you will find any books that mention the many Lw.-Bau-Btle. and Lw.-Bau-Gerätezüge employed along that sector of the front in 1941. My information all comes from old documents in the Bundesarchiv-Militärarchiv in Freiburg im Breisgau, Signatur RL 20 (Kdo. Flughafenbereiche). The very first mention of 3/VIII is 10.41.

L.