Staffelkapitäne / -führer in III./SG3 1945

[yogybär]

Can anyone please provide the names of the leaders of 7., 8. and 9.Staffel of Schlachtgeschwader 3 in 1945?

Also, does anyone know why there was such a quick replacement at the position of the Gruppemkommandeur:
"

• Hptm Siegfried Göbel, 15.10.44 - 25.1.45
• Hptm Fritz Eyer, 25.1.45 - 15.2.45
• Hptm Horst Schnuchel, 15.2.45 - 6.3.45
• Hptm Erich Bunge, 6.3.45 - 25.3.45
• Hptm Hans Niehuus(?), 25.3.45 - 8.5.45

"

I only know one opinion, that one Staffelkapitän was "not a good chap at that place"... maybe he was moved upwards to Gruppenkommandeur and then further up to RLM ?

[hucks216]

Oberleutnant Naumann (I believe that is the correct spelling) was the Staka of 8./SG 3 at the wars end.
His signature is in this soldbuch and also at the end of this Flugbuch to a Feldwebel pilot of 8./SG 3 and as can be seen he was also a witness to a tank kill on combat sortie # 15.

[Doug Stankey]

Regarding the Staffelkapitäne in 1945, the information we have concerning this is sparse, but it suggests:

Staka 7./SG 3:
Hptm. Erich Bunge (DKG, R) (? - 08.05.45). -acting?

Staka 8./SG 3:
Oblt. Hans-Adolf Meyer (DKG, R) (? - 06.04.44 - ?).

Staka 9./SG 3:
Lt./Oblt. Wilhelm Meyn (DKG, R) (03.07.44 - 08.05.45).

We can't help you regarding the reasons for the rapid succession of Kommandeure, but apparently Niehuus was injured while on his way to take up command.


We hope that this helps,

HLdZ
DGS

[yogybär]

For the 8. Staffel, there seems to be some confusion... I can even add more:
- Erhard Jähnert claims in his memoirs that he was Staffelkapitän starting ca. mid November 1944. He also claims that his predecessor was an incompetent alcoholic.
- It looks as if a Hauptmann was meant to sign the Flugbuch shown by hucks216, but then Naumann corrected to "Oberleutnant" and signed himself. This would fit to Hauptmann Jähnert having been Staka maybe until ... some time around capitulation and then becoming a kind of acting Gruppenkommandeur?

Jähnert also mentions Naumann as an "officer pupil" during summer 1944 in a SG10x-school, where he was working before returning to III./SG3.

EDIT: Thank you both for contributing

[hucks216]

Naumann has signed in the soldbuch in April 1945 as a deputising Staka so I'd say that he was deputising in that position until it became a permanent appointment, either officially or by a verbal command during the chaotic last month of the war.

[yogybär]

So maybe Jähnert was deputy for the wounded Niehuus and Naumann was deputy for Jähnert...

PS: Bunge is also not described very positive in Jähnerts "Mal oben mal unten, part 2".

[hucks216]

Not a deputy as such but someone placed in that position on a temporary basis until someone takes over on a permanent basis. So if Officer X left to take up another position and his replacement Officer Y wasn't able to take up the position for another month or so then Officer Z would be placed in the role on a temporary basis until Officer Y took up his command. But it looks like in Naumann's case he went from temporary to permanent in the final month of the war.
He has signed the soldbuch as Stellv Staffelkapitan = Stellvertreter which means ‘deputy’ in the sense that the officer is a stand-in until someone is appointed to the position as opposed to being the 2nd In Command.