Luftwaffe Radars on Sicily

[Morten Jessen]

Hi All,

Although this request for information may be a little off topic, I am hoping some of you can help me.

1) I am trying to find out if there were more then two Wassermann radars on Sicily (on near Pachino on the south tip and one near Trapani on the west tip)?

2) Were there any Freya radar(s) on the south coast between Sciacca and Pachino?

I have browsed the HW 5 material for June and July and found some radar locations, but it seems incomplete. Anyone who have this information or know where I can look?

All the best
Morten

[Nick Beale]

I make no promises of success where Sicily is concerned but there is radar material in:

AIR24/3461: MAAF (Int) FIU Signals Reports Nos. 3 to 26 (4 missing)
AIR24/953: Intelligence Summaries, Mediterranean Photographic Intelligence Centre (Aug–Oct 1944)
AIR24/954: Intelligence Summaries, Mediterranean Photographic Intelligence Centre (Aug–Nov 1944)

Also, a search of series AIR51 under "HUSKY" will give you a long list of possibilities.

There is also intelligence material in AIR51/296 which may help you.

[Larry deZeng]

This should be a full account of radar in North Africa and on Sicily to the end of August 1943:

01.42: the first Freya (Gerät F-Lafette [Z] 32) in the Mediterranean was set up under a Leutnant Deleiter to direct the Flak defenses at Tripoli that were responsible for protecting the supply hub and dumps located there. (H-201)
04.42: the first Würzburg-D-Gerät set up on Bomba Bay near Tmimi airfield to the east of Derna and operated by 7.(Flum.)/Ln-Rgt. Afrika. (H-202)
10.42: by October there were a total of 3 Freya (at Tripoli, Benghazi and Derna/Martuba) and 2 Würzburg-D (Benghazi and Gulf of Bomba) in North Africa. (H-204)
30.10.42: Freya site being set up on Pantelleria under an Oblt. Diehl. There was also a radar site on Lampedusa. (H-209)
03.43: Ln.-Abt. 62 was operating Freya in the Kairouan-Sousse area in Tunisia while Ln.-Abt. 63 was doing the same in northern Tunisia. (H-213)
04.43: 15.(l.Flum.)/200 operated fighter-control radar site “Jupiter” at Menzel Djemil near Bizerte/Tunisia. This was a night-fighter radar site.
04.43: 16.(l.Flum.)/200 operated fighter-control radar site “Venus” at Kobra near Tunis. There was also a Freya site “Tulpe” on Cap Kamart just to the north-east of Tunis. This was operated by 18./Ln.-Rgt. 200. (H-215-16)
20.04.43: II.(Flum.Meß)/Ln.-Rgt. 200 at Comiso/Sicily.
27.04.43: 1.(mittl.Flugm.Leit-)/200 at Marsala on the western tip of Sicily.
04.43: the last Siebel ferry to leave Tunisia evacuated a Freya set to Sicily. All the other sets in Tunisia were demolished in the Cap Bone area just before the surrender. (H-213)
01.06.43: after the conclusion of the Tunisian campaign, there were a total of 2 Freya sites and 2 Würzburg-D sites protecting Sicily to the south and west. These were located on Pantelleria, on Lampedusa, on Sardinia and at Cafiari. (H-215-16)
07.-12.06.43: the heavy Allied air attacks on Pantelleria and Lampedusa destroyed the Freya sites there and the Wassermann and Mammut sites on the south coast of Sicily were demolished 10-12 July to keep them from falling into Allied hands. This was the end of all radar sites on or around Sicily that served the Nachtjagdraumführer Sizilien. (H-219)
08.43: According to Hoffmann (p.223-25), there were no radar sites on Sicily after 12 July, but there were a total of 17 Freya sites in the Italian “foot” (toe, instep and heel) plus 5 Wassermann sites. There are a few of those mentioned: 9.(s.Flum.)/200 operating a Freya radar site at Cap Spartivento on the toe of Italy; another Freya site was at Villa San Giovanni/7 km NE of Messina; 10.(s.Flum.)/200 operating a Freya radar site at Cap Vaticano on the Gulf of Gioia; and, 12.(m.Flum.)/200 operating a Freya site at Cap Scalea on the Gulf of Policastro/S Italy.

[Source: Hoffmann, Karl Otto. Ln- Die Geschichte der Luftnachrichtentruppe. Band II – Der Weltkrieg. Teil I: Der Flugmelde- und Jägerleitdienst 1939-1945. Neckargemünd: Kurt Vowinckel Verlag, 1969.]

Hope that helps!

Larry

[Jan Bobek]

I was interested in same topic because of my artical about Georg Amon and US raid against Messina on June 25, 1943.

This overview gives reference to radar stations at Sciacca, Marsala and Licata. Some more radar sets were probably mobile ones.
http://www.milhist.net/usaaf/mto43b.html
... 4th radar location in Sicily known to me is Trapani, but that is generally known.

cheers

[Morten Jessen]

Hi guys,

Thanks a lot for your very quick and helpful replies .. just what I needed :-)

I will find a way to obtain the AIR 24 files. Unfortunately, I just spent three days at NA and looked at HW 18/232 and 233, but they just contained some German naval intercepts.

Thanks again
Morten

[SES]

Hi Morten,
This may also be of interest:
http://www.gyges.dk/Flum%20Med%208.pdf
bregds
SES
www.gyges.dk