Questions about K.G.55 and K.G.z.b.v. 5

[Rikwink]

Hope anybody can help me understand the following:

I just acquired a little document grouping concerning an EK1 and EK 2 document. A transport clasp inbronze, a bomber clasp in silver and a Fliegerschutzenabzeichen.
The chap named Petermann got his transport clasp in bronze in Januari 1943. The feldpostnumber mentioned in the stamp is L35674. I read on another forum that this number was for the Geschwaderstab / KG 55. Should he have have been awarded a bomber clasp instead of a transporter clasp because KG55 was a bomber unit.?

He got his bomber clasp in silver and his EK 1 and 2 in Mai 1943. On two of the documents (Bomber clasp and EK 2) K.G.z.b.v. 5 is mentioned. The bronze transporter clasp and the silver bomber clasp are both signed by Oberst Kühl.


When I search on K.G.55 and K.G.z.b.v. 5 the following information turns up.
www.ww2.dk/air/kampf/kg55.htm says the following:


Formed 1.5.39 in Langendiebach from I./KG155 with:
Stab I./KG55 from Stab I./KG155
1./KG55 from 1./KG155
2./KG55 from 2./KG155
3./KG55 from 3./KG155

On 1.5.43 redesignated III./LG1 and moved to Barth:
Stab I./KG55 became Stab III./LG1
1./KG55 became 7./LG1
2./KG55 became 8./LG1
3./KG55 became 9./LG1
Reformed on the same date in Stalino, from KGrzbV.5 <http://www.ww2.dk/air/transport/kgrzbv5.htm> :
Stab I./KG55 from Stab/KGrzbV 5
1./KG55 from 1./KGrzbV 5
2./KG55 from 2./KGrzbV 5
3./KG55 from 3./KGrzbV 5

So K.G.z.b.v. 5 replaced the Stab I/KG55 , 1/KG55, 2/KG55 and 3/KG55 on 01-05-1943.

When I look at the history of K.G.z.b.v. 5 I see the following:

On 1.5.43 redesignated TGr.10 <http://www.ww2.dk/air/transport/tgr10.html> :

Stab/KGrzbV5 became Stab/TGr.10
1./KGrzbV5 became 1./TGr.10
2./KGrzbV5 became 2./TGr.10
3./KGrzbV5 became 3./TGr.10
4./KGrzbV5 became 4./TGr.10

Am I reading something wrong? The same unit K.G.z.b.v.5 was redesignated to KG55 and TGR 10 at the exact same date.
Can anybody explain this to me, where did K.G.z.b.v. 5 go?

Or was K.G.z.b.v. 5 together with TGR 10 always under control of K.G. 55 ?
Are the unitdesignations on the documents who were issued in Mai correct since the K.G.z.b.v.5 got another name?

Thanks.
Rik

[Brian Bines]

KG55 did fly transport missions during the Stalingrad airlift,

Regards

Brian Bines

[Larry deZeng]

Rik -

First, I./KG 55 (1st Formation) and KGr. z.b.V. 5 existed at the same time during 1942 and early 1943 in Russia as two separate units with no connection to one another. Then, on 1 May 1943, everything changed - I./KG 55 goes out of existence until 10 June, KGr. z.b.V. 5 is renamed TGr. 10. On 10 June 1943, TGr. 10 becomes the new I./KG 55. You can see it all play out below:

I./KG 55 (First Formation)

Mar-Apr 43: handed over remaining aircraft to the other two Gruppen of KG 55 and transferred by train to Barth on the Baltic coast in North Germany to rest, refit and re-equip; on 1 May 43 the Gruppe was renamed III./LG 1.

KGr. z.b.V. 5

1 May 43: KGr.z.b.V. 5 was ordered renamed Transportfliegergruppe 10, which in turn became I./KG 55 on or about 10 June 1943.

Transportfliegergruppe 10

Formation and History. (May 43 - Jun 43)
Formed 1 May 1943 at Samorsk/28 km NW of Kerch in eastern Crimea by renaming KGr.z.b.V. 5. On 5 May it reported a He 111H-6 shot up over the tip of the Taman Peninsula across the strait from Kerch with 10% damage. During May it moved to Stalino in eastern Ukraine where it was renamed I./KG 55 on 10 June 1943. This Gruppe had all German personnel and is not to be confused with TGr. 10 (Italien).

I./KG 55 (Second Formation)

Formation, Refit, Training and Special Operations. (Jun 43 - Aug 43)
Formed 10 June 1943 at Stalino in eastern Ukraine by renaming Transportfliegergruppe 10 (ex-Kampfgruppe z.b.V. 5), a former transport unit. Equipped with Heinkel He 111H bombers. The Gruppe’s movements and activities over the next several months are somewhat unclear, but it is known that it transferred to Wiesbaden in Germany on 20 May (still as Transportfliegergruppe 10) for home leave, refit, re-equipping and training. This presumably took place after handing over its remaining Heinkels at Stalino to the other Gruppen of KG 55. On 28 July it was ordered to Landsberg/Lech in South Germany and from there flew clandestine reconnaissance flights over northeastern Italy as part of Gefechtsverband Sigel. These flights were made to identify the march route possibilities for German troops following the overthrow and arrest of Mussolini on 24 July, and then continued to mid-August. Immediately after that the Gruppe began transferring from Landsberg to Dnepropetrovsk and then Zaporozhye in eastern Ukraine.

L.

[Rikwink]

Thanks Brian and Larry

[Pawel Burchard]

Some additional information -
http://yogysoft.de/pawel/index.html