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Re: Fuhrer Kurier Staffel
A short summary:
Kurierstaffel des Führers
Formation. (Aug 39)
Formed 26 August 1939, probably at Berlin-Staaken with 12 aircraft to provide courier and liaison services to the Führerhauptquartier (Hitler’s headquarters). The date and place of formation comes from a single source and therefore needs to be confirmed.
Germany. (Sep 39 - Mar 44)
6 May 41: at Berlin-Staaken - sent two of its He 111D-2s (C3+HK and TT+NX) to Iraq to carry out the initial reconnaissance of the situation there for Sonderkommando Junck.
Jul 41: became a component of or operationally subordinated to Fliegerstaffel des Führers (F.d.F.) in July, although it retained its separate identity. Kurierstaffel des Führers belonged to the Luftwaffe while F.d.F. did not. From this date forward the Staffel was split between the Führer’s command bunker complex in Rastenburg/East Prussia and Berlin-Staaken.
3 Apr 42: a man from the Staffel was reported injured at Fp.Lorient/W France when he was struck by a propeller.
6 Jun 42: Fh 104 ran out of fuel and force landed at Vorotinov, 30%.
12 Nov 42: Bf 108B-1 crashed near Sangershausen, 100%, 2 killed.
30 Dec 42: Ju 52 crashed while taking off from Stalingrad-Pitomnik, 100%, Maj. Noack, 3 crew members and 15 troops all killed. The latter were probably wounded being evacuated.
17 Jan 43: 2 Fi 156s, 1 He 111 and 1 Fh 104 destroyed in a hangar fire at Rastenburg/East Prussia that was probably caused by an electrical shortcircuit, all 100%.
Sep – Oct 43: on the initiative of Staka Hptm. Bornschein, the Staffel began to equip itself with some day and night fighters. It is not clear whether these were to serve as escort to the courier aircraft or whether they were to replace the courier aircraft.
5 Oct 43: Ju 52 crashed in Italy while on a flight from Berlin-Staaken, 100%, 3 killed.
25 Oct 43: Ju 88C-6 crash landed at Fp. Breslau-Gandau, 25%.
25 Nov 43: Do 217E-1 damaged landing at Fp.Heiligenbeil/East Prussia, 20%.
Mar 44: renamed Verbindungsstaffel 7.
FpN: (L 08047)
Staffelkapitän:
Hptm. Kurt Leythaeuser ( ? - ? ) 5/41
Hptm. Walter Bornschein (Jun 43 - Mar 44)
© H.L. deZeng IV, 2003
Sources:
W.Dierich-VdL.
Jet & Prop magazine, Heft (issue) 3/1991.
K.Kössler/G.Ott-Die großen Dessauer: Junkers Ju 89, Ju 90, Ju 290, Ju 390 – Die Geschichte einer Flugzeugfamilie:200.
BA-MA Freiburg: RL 2 III Meldungen über Flugzeugunfälle…..(Loss Reports – LRs).
Günther Ott e-mail to Chris Goss dated 13 Feb 2002.
W.Dierich-op cit; Günther Ott e-mail – op cit.
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