3./Luftwaffen Bau Bataillon 2.VI

[Betty Swollocks]

Hi all,
Im looking for any information on this unit as i'm aware they served at Stalingrad with the 6th Army. I have a Wehrpass to a man in this unit and it shows he served from October 1942 to the end of December 1942 which was when the battle was at its height. I'm really after what this unit did and whereabouts it was stationed during the famous battle. Any help would be appreciated.

Darren

[Spanferkel]

Luftwaffen-Bau-Bataillon 2./VI

• Formed in Winter 41/42 with 3 companies. Served at Stalingrad and Don. Disbanded 1943.
  
  Not a huge amount but at least confirmation of their Stalingrad service.
  
  Jeremy

[Larry deZeng]

Hi Betty -

As you probably already know, nearly all the records of the Luftwaffe ground service and support units were destroyed before the end of the war. Very, very little survived. Accordingly, it is only possible to piece together a few fragments here and there for this units.

The Luftwaffen-Bau units were construction companies and battalions that were mainly used to build airfields and other Luftwaffe installations outside of the Reich. This particular battalion, 2/VI, was transferred from North Russia to South Russia in fall 1942 to help build airfields along the front between Kharkov and Stalingrad. When the Soviets launched their counterattack on 19 Nov 42, these little Luftwaffe units were ordered into the trenches and foxholes where many of the men were either killed, wounded or listed as missing over the next two months.

There is no specific information for your 3. Kompanie for this period. It was ground up and lost in the meat grinder.


Lw.-Bau-Btl. 2/VI

Formed 1939-40 (Feldpost number assigned late spring 1940) in the Luftgau IV area in west-central Germany with a Stab and 1. – 3. Kp.
West
11 Aug 40: 3.Kp. reported casualties at Telgte/8 km NE of Münster near Hendorf in Westfalen.
Baltic States and North Russia
Jul-Dec 41: Baltic States – probably Latvia.
17 Apr 42: Btl. in transfer from Daugavpils/Latvia to Dno airfield just west of Lake Ilmen in N Russia.
17 Aug 42: Btl. reported 1 man WIA during Russian air attack on Dno airfield.
South Russia - Don River Area and Stalingrad Front
22-23 Dec 42: Btl. reported 2 men WIA by enemy artillery and infantry fire at Kantemirovka/355 km WNW of Stalingrad.
Feb-Mar 43: disbanded after being destroyed along the Don River/Stalingrad Front area.
FpNs: Stab (L 08293, L 24198), 1.Kp. (L 24736), 2.Kp. (L 21016, L 26838), 3.Kp. (L 25093).
Kommandeur:
Hptm. Otto Grolich (acting?) (18 Aug 42 - 5 Sep 42)
Hptm. Kurt Maretzky (5 Sep 42 - Feb 43)
[Sources: BA-MA Freiburg: Signatur RL 2 III Verlustmeldungen; Signatur RL 20/68-73; N.Kannapin - Die deutsche Feldpostübersicht 1939-1945. 3 Bde (I – III) (Osnabrück, 1980-82); G.Tessin - Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg 1939-1945, Teil 14: Die Luftstreitkräfte (Osnabrück, 1980).

[Betty Swollocks]

Thanks for the information guys, much appreciated. At least i know a little more about these units now.

Darren