Luftwaffe Signals Regiment 40 - end 1941

[AndreasB]

Hello all

I am interested in some background on the flying company of LN Regiment 40, in particular its role in North Africa, where it was posted during CRUSADER. I believe this was an ELINT unit, but I really have no further info on it.

I know that on 6 Dec 41 it was under Fliegerfuehrer, and reported a strength of 2 transport a/c, with 2 operational. Another 5/4 were in Fliegerkorps X.

Many thanks in advance!

All the best

Andreas

[Larry deZeng]

Andreas B. -

10.(Flieger)/Ln.-Rgt. 40 was assigned to X. Fliegerkorps along with the rest of the Regiment. It was formed in Dec 40 - Jan 1941, when Ln.-Rgt. 40 was ordered from Norway to the Mediterranean with X. Fliegerkorps, using the Feldpost-Nr. (L 28578) that had belonged to 9./Ln.-Rgt. 38 (VIII. Fliegerkorps).

Jan 41: 10.(Flieger)/Ln.-Rgt. 40 based at either Taormina/Sicily with Stab/Ln.-Rgt. 40 or 60 km farther south at Catania where there was more maintenance support for the aircraft. But its aircraft were dispatched to wherever they were needed in support of X. Fliegerkorps operations.
16 Jan 41: Ju 52 crash-landed at Benghazi, 30%.
27 Jan 41: Ju 52 damaged by a storm at Maritsa airfield on Rhodes, 5%.
16 Feb 41: Ju 52 destroyed by a sandstorm at Mellaha near Tripoli, 80%.
Jan 42: 10.(Flieger)/Ln.-Rgt. 40 based at Benghazi.
Early 1942: 10.(Flieger)/Ln.-Rgt. 40 moving to Crete.
03.04.42: Ju 52 crashed near Liegnitz due to iciing, 100%, 6 killed.
29.09.42: Ju 52 shot up by 3 fighters and force landed near Marsa Matruh/Egypt, 100%, 1 crew and 1 passenger killed.
18.12.42: Do 17 crashed south of Tymbakion/Crete due to engine failure, 100%, 3 crew and 1 passenger killed.
27 Apr 43: 10.(Flieger)/Ln.-Rgt. 40 based at at Athens-Kalamaki.
27.06.43: 4 aircraft destroyed or damaged on the ground by bomb explosions at Athens-Kalamaki during an Allied air attack: 1 Ju 52 (100%), 1 Ju 52 (15%), 1 He 111 (20%) and 1 Fi 156 (100%).
14 Aug 43: 10.(Flieger)/Ln.-Rgt. 40 became Flieger-Kp./Ln.-Rgt. Südost in Jul 43 and a new 10.(Flieger)/Ln.-Rgt. 40 (FpN: L 54023) was in formation at Athens-Kalamaki this date.
13.09.43: Ju 52 (TH+UE) shot down by Italian AA fire over Corfu, 100%, 4 MIA.
10 Apr 44: 10.(Flieger)/Ln.-Rgt. 40 still based at Athens.
25 Oct 44: 10.(Flieger)/Ln.-Rgt. 40 had evacuated Athens along with all other German forces and was now at Skoplje/Macedonia.
[This is the last entry I have for it].

10.(Flieger)/Ln.-Rgt. 40 would not have had its own signals intelligence capability. This was the function of 9.(Funkh.)/Ln.-Rgt. 40 which was formed at the same time and operated hand-in-hand with 10.(Flieger)/Ln.-Rgt. 40 as needed. So the airborne signals intelligence function would have been carried out by both companies - 10.(Flieger) Kp. providing the aircraft and crews, and 9.(Funkh.) Kp. providing the intercept operators. Could some airborne intercept operators have been assigned directly to 10.(Flieger) Kp. at some point? Anything is possible, but I think it would only have been on a temporary duty basis because the KStN for 10.(Flieger) Kp. would not have had had any permanent job slots for airborne radio intercept operators. I suspect they would have installed the radio intercept sets in one or more of the Ju 52s as needed and then temporarily attached the trained intercept operators from 9.(Funkh.) Kp. or from personnel assets in the Reich.

Larry

[AndreasB]

That's a great help Larry, many thanks. In fact, on re-checking, the chaps in North Africa were with the Signalabteilung (mot) Nordafrika, which I would guess was a mixed grouping of LN Rgt 40, including planes and intercept personnel and equipment, as you indicate.

All the best

Andreas