[Hans Weber]

Gents

Is there some more on the Orbat of IV./KG 200 as contained in Gellermann's Moskau ruft Heeresgruppe Mitte:

13. Staffel (Sonderverband Einhorn)
14. Staffel (SO-Männer)
15. Staffel (Schleppversuch)
16. Staffel (Ergänzung)

I'm asking this because the fieldpost numbers seem to imply that the 15. Staffel was the former 5. Staffel, which was aka the SO-Staffel. The former 6. Staffel used the same fieldpost number as 14. Staffel. 6. Staffel was the Kochgerät Staffel according to Randel-Semper and as this unit was involved with glider experiments using Go 242, it would make more sense that their flying personnel would continue as a glider tug experimenting squadron after giving up the paratroopers of their command to the Fallschirm-Jäger Armee. Is there any source confirming my suspicion that 15. Staffel and not 14. Staffel was the SO-Staffel other than Thomas/Ketley KG 200 The Luftwaffe's Most Secret Unit, p. 128 listing Hptm. (Gerhard) Raschke the successor of Lange of SO-fame as squadron leader (albeit with a question mark) and the fact that 15. Staffel seems to have completely vanished by the end of the war from the records (Thomas/Ketley, p. 150), as one would suspect if it was the SO-Squadron, long disbanded by then? And is there on the other hand also proof that the gliders and glider tugs still listed in their inventory were indeed in 15. and not 14. Staffel? I have to point out that the fieldpostnumbers involved here are confirmed only for the period starting with Dec. 4th 1944, switching from II./KG 200 squadrons to IV./KG 200 in January 1945 which is not exactly helpful, because it could imply that we are actually already dealing with the "new" II. Gruppe (Mistel unit, former III./KG 66) here, handing over men to IV./KG 200. This actually seems to have been the case once this passage in P.W. Stahl Geheimgeschwader 200 is corrected: Ebenfalls im November 1944 wurde eine IV./KG 200 aufgestellt. Diese Gruppe sollte nun zuständig sein für das gesamte Schulungs- und Ausbildungswesen des Geschwaders. Das Personal stammte vorwiegend aus der früheren III./KG 200 (recte: III./KG 66), welche II. Gruppe geworden war.
loosely translated:
Also in November 1944, a new IV./KG 200 was formed. This Gruppe was to be responsible for all the concerns of education and training of the Geschwader. Its personnel mainly came from the former III./KG 200 (correct this to III./KG 66), which had became the II.Gruppe.
Cheers
Hans