[Dan History]

Igor and Monaco,

Thank you both for some interesting information. Monaco, you have a private message.

The torpedo-bomber units of the Luftwaffe, with the exception of the small He 115 force, were moved from Norway to the Mediterranean in the autumn of 1942, as a reaction to the collapse of the Axis position in that theatre. This was just one part of a broader process of the switch of the Luftwaffe's focus towards operations against the Western Allies, which had been developing throughout 1942 and would mean that the forces on the Eastern front were decisively weakened. Here is what the Luftwaffe's 10-day strength reports contain concerning the two active torpedo-bomber Gruppen of KG 26 at this time:

31.10.1942
I./K.G. 26 equipped with He 111 LT - in Verleg. zum O.B.S (Grosetto) befohlen - i.e., ordered to deploy to Supreme Commander South
III./K.G. 26 equipped with Ju 88 A4 LT - Verl. zum Einsatz O.B.S befohlen - ordered to deploy for operations in area of Supreme Commander South

10.11.1942
I./K.G. 26 - M. u. A. - Mediterranean and Africa
III./K.G. 26 - M. u. A. (Teile) Teile noch nicht im Einsatz O. B. S. eingetroffen - Mediterranean and Africa (Elements). Elements not yet in action, have arrived in area of Supreme Commander South

Therefore, if KG 26 was involved in the attack on Dekabrist, it would have been one of the last operations by this unit in the Arctic before its move south. It is notable that the Chronik does mention KG 30, but is silent about KG 26, though that is not a definitive source. An He 111 H-6 of 1./K.G. 26 was lost in action in the Arctic on 5 or 6 November 1942, so there is evidence that not all aircraft of KG 26 had been redeployed by that time. It would be a very interesting case if either He 115s or He 111s had in fact torpedoed Dekabrist. Can any of the Scandinavian members of this forum contribute further information?

The "Hope island" that Igor mentioned above is known in English as Hopen, it forms the south-eastern edge of the Svalbard archipelago.

Kind regards,

Dan