Bf 109 G identity seeked

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by Freddy

Only five days later, March 12, 1945, the NAGr 11 (Kdr Hans Schumann) was disbanded, presumably due to lack of aircraft, and left the airport that, because of heavy bombing, was only partially functional and exclusively used by the Arado 234B-2b of the Sonderkommando Sommer until the end of the war.

Freddy

This is not quite what happened.

On 14 March the Gen. der Aufklärungsflieger's diary says that the disbandment of Stab and 1./NAGr. 11 has been ordered and that Kommando Sommer is to take over the role of 2.(F)/122 and some of the duties of NAGr. 11.

In fact 1./NAGr. 11 existed for another three weeks. The Quartermaster of the Luftwaffe Commanding General in Italy reported on 8 April to OKL's Quartermaster General (6. Abteilung):

… Stab and 1./NAGr. 11 disbanded: 10 Bf 109 G-10/R2 available for OKL Gen. der. Aufklärungsflieger; 4 Bf 109 G-8/R5 given up to Feldwerft Abt. I/90 for exploitation; 3 Fw 190 taken over from Stab by 2./NAGr. 11. Establishment strength was fixed at 16 aircraft, 12 Bf 109 and 4 Fw 190.

2./NAGr. 11 had been subordinated to FAGr. 122 on 4 April. On 22 April it reported a strength 8 (5) Bf 109 G-10/R2, based at Udine II. (The Staffel's Fw 190s had been passed to NSGr. 9). 2./NAGr. 11 continued to operate and was due to withdraw to Bolzano on 27 April but bad weather prevented this. All its Bf 109s were reported destroyed at Campoformido, except one G-8 at Aviano and one at Vicenza. There no NAGr. 11 pilots reported among the aircrew still in Italy at the Surrender.

(See "Air War Italy 1944-45" by N. Beale, F. D'Amico and G. Valentini, Airlife Publishing, 1996).