Eisenbahn staffel

[Chris Goss]

When exactly did 9./KG 1 and 9./KG 3 become 9.(Eis.)/KG 1 and 9.(Eis)/KG 3? First Ju 88C-6 losses for each unit were not until 9 Mar 43 and 18 Feb 43 respectively. Why also was 6./KG 3 not 6.(Eis.)/KG 3-was this because train busting was a secondary task?

[edNorth]

"Why also" part is because 6./KG 1 did not have this purpose in 1943.
(One a/c in all of 1943.)

https://www.ww2.dk/oob/bestand/kampf/biikg1.html

[Chris Goss]

Agreed but these 2 appear to be the only Ju 88 ones with (Eis.) in the title. From what I can see, 6./KG 3 also did similar describing it as "unusual duties" and train busting as a "unit within a unit".

[Larry deZeng]

The KG 1 manuscript written in early 1945 had only this to say on the topic:

31.10.42: III./KG 1 handed over all remaining aircraft to II./KG 1 at Morosovskaya-West and departed for Königsberg-Neuhausen/East Prussia to rest and re-equip.
11/42 - 1/43: during the refitting and re-equipping of III. Gruppe, 9.Staffel was outfitted with a handful of Ju 88C-6s and re-designated 9.(Eis.)/KG 1 to signify its new role as a “train-buster” Staffel assigned to attack railway targets. The C-6 variant of the Ju 88 mounted a nose cannon and was ideally suited for busting up trains. The Staffel also continued to fly A-4s as well.
15-24.1.43: again operational, transferred from Königsberg-Neuhausen back to Dno.

SPOHR, Wolfgang Gottfried (Hptm.) - “Kriegschronik des Kampfgeschwader 1 ‘Hindenburg’”, a 78-page manuscript c.late 1944/early 1945. Hptm. Spohr belonged to Geschw.Stab/KG 1 and used all KTBs and Anlagen. In: BA-MA Freiburg RL 10/529; NARA WashDC T-971 roll 50/f.965-1056; AFHRA Maxwell AFB Karlsruhe Collection K113.408-3.

9.Staffel (L 30674, L 36973, L 54966)

Its FpN was never changed to show the "(Eis.)" suffix.

************************************************** ***

13.4.43: 9.(Eis.)Staffel/KG 3 transferred from Zaporozhye-East to Poltava after a Ju 88C 6 belonging to it was destroyed (80%) during a Russian raid on the airfield. On arrival at Poltava, the Staffel was assigned to attack trains and other railway targets along the Soviet lines of supply in the Donets Basin. At the same time, the rest of the Gruppe transferred to Bagerovo/Crimea for several weeks of operations along the Black Sea coast in North Caucasia.

The Staffel remained organic to III./KG 3 and did not have a separate FpN.

L.

[Chris Goss]

Thanks Larry