Abbreviation: P.A.D.

[Nick Beale]

Does anyone know what this stands for?

The context is a report of an air raid after which a »P.A.D. Abteilung (mot.)« arrives but their help is not needed as most of the fires have been put out.

[Recceswind]

Maybe it should be RAD-Abteilung (Reichsarbeitsdienst)?

Regards

[Larry deZeng]

A.I./AirMin lingo for the Luftwaffe's 50 or so fully motorized Luftschutzabteilungen d.Lw. P.A.D. = Passive Air Defence. They were numbered 11 - 60 and each consisted of a Stab, 2 x fire-fighting and decontamination Bereitschaften, 1 x repair Bereitschaft, 1 x medical Bereitschaft and 1 x reserve/replacement Staffel. Each Abteilung had 493 officers and men, 18 motorcycles, 19 cars and 75 fire and emergency trucks. Until March 1942, they were called Sicherheits- und Hilfsdienst (S.H.D.) Abteilungen. By the end of 1942, the table of allowance had increased and now called for 38 officers, 571 men and 169 vehicles organized in 2 fire-fighting and decontamination companies and 1 repair company.

There were a few in occupied France and at the Ploesti oil fields in Romania, but the rest were in the Reich. As soon as the Allied bombers dumped on a German city, the nearest LS-Abteilungen raced to the location to assist the local fire departments.

L.

[Nick Beale]

Thanks both of you.

Larry, this was PAD Abt. (mot.) No. 24 and it was in Pommerania in July 1944.

[Larry deZeng]

LS-Abt. d.Lw. (mot) 24, FpN L 13275, spent most of the war in the Dortmund-Marten area in the Ruhr, but in 1944 was transferred to various locations in Pomerania and by March 1945 was mainly based in the Prenzlau area. Its Kdr. was a Hptm.d.R. Alexander Nick (not joking - just a coincidence).

L.