[Peter Cornwell]

Peter,

I well appreciate your confusion, as I have been looking at this question myself in some detail. No two sources seem to agree, but here is what I have prepared on the Waalhaven landings on 10 May 1940 for the forthcoming book The Battle of France Remembered:

First stage of this part of the operation involved drops from 50 Junkers Ju52s of I./KGzbV.1 by about 700 paratroops of II.Batallion FJR1 to the north and south of the strategically important Moerdijk bridges that crossed Hollands Diep south of Dordrecht. The paratroops were to seize the bridges while a second wave of 30 Junkers Ju52s from KGrzbV.172 dropped the bulk of I.Bataillon FJR1, some 400 paratroops, between Moerdijk and Dordrecht to secure the main road to Rotterdam. At the same time, 12 more Junkers Ju52s from KGrzbV.172 were to drop 170 men of 3.Komp FJR2 to take both ends of the bridges crossing the Oude Maas at Dordrecht.

In addition to these landings, 50 Junkers Ju52s of II./KGzbV.1 would drop 700 paratroops of III.Batallion Fallschirm-Jäger-Regiment 1 on Waalhaven airfield which was designated Landing Place IV. With the field secured, 20 Junkers Ju52s of III./KGrzbV.1 would then start air-lifting the first of six waves of 2,500 reinforcements from III.Batallion Inf.Rgt.16.

Co-inciding with the parachute landings at Waalhaven, 50 men of 11.Komp FJR1 were to be dropped by 3 Junkers Ju52s of II./KGzbV.1 around Feyenoord football stadium and fight their way through the Rotterdam suburbs to seize the bridges spanning the River Maas at the Noordereiland. Supporting this objective, 120 troops from 11.Komp.Inf.Rgt.16 with engineers from Pioneer Batallion 22, would directly assault the bridges from 12 Heinkel He59 floatplanes that were to land on the Neuwe Maas river. This assault group was to prevent demolition of the bridges, establish a bridgehead, and await the arrival of 11.Komp FJR1.


On the equally vexed question of losses, III./KGzbV.1 lost 16 Junkers Ju52s on 10 May 1940. Most reliable sources tend to agree overall losses of about 200 Ju52s on the day, and I have 195 listed with 8 more returning damaged. One notable source suggests losses of 231 but this figure suffers from some double-counting.


Now a question for all TOCH members. Who has copies of the Namentliche Verlust Meldungen for the KGzbVs for 10 May 1940? I have partial information only and need the full picture for my research. Anyone who can assist can contact me off-thread. Many thanks.