Partial Skz for He 59

[Adam]

I recently sourced a picture showing an He 59 of Seenotzentrale Boulogne that was beached have been damaged after slipping its moorings on 2.8.1940. Under the port wing is TA, which I assume to be part of the Skz. On the nose is the letter D, which I take to be part of the Vkz from its service with 3./906.

So my question is, does anyone know the complete Skz for ??+TA and its WNr for this aircraft?

regards

Adam

[ianatheling]

Hi Adam

The only __+TA He59 that I can find is NE+TA WNr. 1848. This is reported to have been with Seenotbezirkstelle (L) Cherbourg (Seenotkommando 3) on 15 Sept 1940. Its not impossable that your aircraft moved from Boulogne to Cherbourg?...perhaps connected to the damage it had received..

Ian

[Adam]

Hi Ian,

thanks for the quick response. The aircraft was formerly of either 3./706 and/or 3./906 given the emblem on the nose.

Adam

[Seaplanes]

This aircraft was as stated W.Nr. 1858, an Arado built He 59D.
First reported by Luftzeug Gruppe See 14.12.1939 as ex. 8L+UL of 3./906 reserved for Seenotdienst. On 10.08.40 reported transfer as NE+TA from Kiel to Norderney after being rearmed. On 12.08.40 transferred from List via Amsterdam to Boulogne and Seenotflugkdo.3. On 17.09.40 reported by Seenotflugkdo. 3 30% damaged in Boulogne after being hit by a German submarine while moored. Last reported on 19.06.1944 by L.In. 16 (Seenotdienst) as being kept in reserve.

[Seaplanes]

Sorry, the correct W.Nr. should of course be 1848.

[Adam]

As always, many thanks for the additional information.

I don't suppose you know which U-boat and under what circumstances the accident occured on 17.09.40?

[Edit]: Just realised that the Skz and Vkz do not support the inclusion of a "D" on the nose (below the observer's position). I have a pre-hard-drive crash (and thus unfortunately un-referenced) note that the aircraft was previously 6I+DL of 3./706... Perhaps an assumption?

[Norbert Schuchbauer]

Hi All,
what is L.In. 16?

Regards,

Norbert

[ianatheling]

Hi Norbert

L.In 16 is Luftwaffeninspektion 16 which was the title given to seenotdienst (air-sea-rescue) in July 1940.


regards
Ian

[Stig Jarlevik]

Sorry Ian

I can understand that L.In stood for Luftwaffeninspektion, but that in itself cannot have had anything to do with the Seenotdienst.

I have no knowledge of German (never studied the language as such), but the word looks much more likely to stand for some kind of Inspection Unit which was checking out if an aircraft would be SOC or sent for repairs etc.

Cheers
Stig

[ianatheling]

Hi Stig

As you have observed, Luftwaffeninspektion would translate as Air-Force Inspection. There is nothing in the name which directly relates it to air-sea-rescue. It was simply the title given to the bureaucratic ‘headquarters’ unit which was given the task of overseeing/inspecting/administering the operations of the seenotdienst.


Cheers


Ian