4.(F)/123, 5.(F)/123 and NAG 13

[Schlageter]

What were the tasks of these three Reconnaissance units in France?
Reconnaissance flights over the UK seem to me a bit difficult, considering the British air defense in 1943 and 1944 as well as the limited range of the Fw 190 and Bf 109.
Or did they perform other tasks such as patroling the coast and the ocean, intercepting Allied bombers and fighters,...

Thanks in advance and best regards

Michael

[Nick Beale]

There are reports in Ultra on Bf 109 reconnaissance flights over the south coast of England in spring 1944, e.g. covering the Dartmouth - Plymouth area.

[Chris Goss]

A logbook I have from a pilot of NAG 13 supports what Nick says. They tended to operate in pairs and did shot down a few Allied aircraft but essentially they were tactical recce aircraft

[Brian Bines]

On 7-3-44 Oblt. Gottfried Bitterlich of Stab/NAG 13 was killed when his Fw 190 crashed North of Guerney Airfield. His may have been one of three 190's engaged by Spitfires of 610 Sqd. south of Start Point.
On 28-3-44 Obfw. Friedrich Geuter of 5(F)/123 was shot down and killed by Allied Fighters near Amiens, while he was returning from a recon. to London and the Thames Estuary,
Regards
Brian Bines

[George Hopp]

The following from the interrogation of Ofrich W. Mayer, W/T operator on a 1(F)/121 Me 410 shot down on the morning of 26 Apr 44:

"Daylight photographic reconnaissance of ports and coastal areas of Southern England by the single-engined a/c of 3./121, based at Bernay, and other similar units has met with a measure of success; the attack on Portsmouth on the night of the 25th April, for instance, was based on cover obtained by a/c of that unit in the early morning of the same day."

Sorry, I now see that you didn't want anything on 3./121.

[Schlageter]

Thank you for your replies.
One last question though; when 5.(F)/123 was disbanded in November 1944, what happened to the pilots, were they transfered to other reconaissance units or to fighter units, I know of a Fhj.-OFw. Schäfer of 4.(F)/123, 150 sorties, who was transfered to JG 2, so maybe 5. Staffel sent their pilots to Jagdgeschwader as well.
And were these pilots retrained like the former bomber, transporter or destroyer pilots?
Where can I find pictures of the three units aircraft, either in a book or the Net?

Thanks in advance

Michael