[Larry deZeng]

Hi Andreas,

I guess we will have to agree to disagree. A Vortrag (enunciation, i.e., announcement or proclamation) appended to an Einsatzbereitschaft der fligende Verbände report does not constitute an official order. That would have been issued by the Organisationsabteilung of the Genst. d.Lw. In fact, the Vortrag clearly says that such action had been "ordered" on or before 01.03.1941. But the devil is in the details and those would be found in the official Organisationsabteilung order that would direct in a number of pages how, why, where and when it would be carried out, list the KStNs involved and cover the assignment of a Feldpost number (if any).

I would find it strange if a new Staffel with an aircraft that was different from that flown by the rest of II. Gruppe and with an independent Staffel number was intended to be an integrated organic component of the Gruppe.

Until more documentary proof, such as the actual Organisationsabteilung order appears, I will continue to believe 10. Staffel was attached to II. Gruppe but was not an organic component of it. The German military was very methodical about things like this and this case would have been a major departure from the norm.

This is why Stankey and I treated 10.(Schlacht)/LG 2 separately in our book: lack of concrete proof that for some strange reason it was integrated into the Gruppe as a component of it.

Best,

Larry