Fliegerhorst Reichshof

[Richard Mills]

Can anyone please point me in the right direction to find out some details concerning Fliegerhorst Reichshof?

I am in particular interested in the role of the airfield and the units that operated from there in mid 1944.

Any help will as always, be very well received indeed.

Regards Richard.

[Larry deZeng]

Reichshof (POL) (e. Rzeszów) (a.k.a. Rzeszów-Jasionka) (c. 50 06 35 N – 22 01 30 E) (AFHRA)
General: field airstrip (Feldflugplatz) and then an airfield (Fliegerhorst) in S Poland 154 km E Kraków, 9 km NNE of Rzeszów and 1.5 km NNW of the village of Nowa Wieś on the W side of the main road just to the SW of Jasionka.
History: a pre-war Polish airfield captured by the Germans on 7 Sep 39. Home to the HQ and staff of Luftflotte 4 at the start of the attack on the USSR on 22 Jun 44, then relatively inactive until the beginning of 1944, except for transient aircraft stopping to refuel en-route to and from South Russia. Additionally, Reichshof was a telephone and teletype switching center and a training center for airfield defense platoons (Landesschützenzüge). Transport units arrived here in late Mar 44 to drop supplies to Pz.AOK 1 cut off in the Kamenets Podolsk area to the southeast of Lvov, and in Jul 44 it became a frontline airfield as Soviet forces drove west from Lvov.
Dimensions: approx. 825 x 825 meters (900 x 900 yards).
Surface and Runways: grass surface. In spring 1944 it had a single runway measuring 1235 meters (1350 yards) in length and aligned E/W.
Fuel and Ammunition: ample fueling facilities were available.
Infrastructure: hangars, workshops and other buildings but no additional details. Barracks area SE of the airfield perimeter. An aero engine plant, possibly operated by Henschel, was located approx. 3.25 km SSW of Rzeszów.
Dispersal: had organized dispersal areas off the landing area but these were not equipped with aircraft shelters or blast bays.
Defenses: unknown.
Remarks: none.
Operational Units: 4.(F)/Aufkl.Gr. 122 (Jun-Jul 41); Verbindungsstaffel 4 (Jun-Jul 41); Wekusta 76 (Jun-Aug 41); II./JG 52 (Nov-Dec 43); Wekusta 76/2 (Feb 44); I./TG 1 (Mar-Apr 44); I./TG 4 (Mar-Apr 44); 2.(F)/Aufkl.Gr. 11 (Mar-Jul 44); Stab, 2./NAGr. 2 (Jul 44); Stab, I., II./SG 77 (Jun-Jul 44); 13.(Pz.)/SG 9 (Jul 44).
Station Commands: Fl.H.Kdtr. E 12/VII (Sep-Nov 41); Zwischenlandeplatz 4/VIII (c. Jul 42 – Mar 43); Fl.Pl.Kdo. C 6/VIII (Mar 43 – ? ); Fl.H.Kdtr. E 41/XI ( - Mar 44)?; Fl.H.Kdtr. E(v) 217/VIII (Apr 44 - ?).
Station and Town Units (on various dates – not complete): Stab/Luftflottenkdo. 4 (Jun-Jul 41; c.Apr-Jun 44); Stab/I. Flakkorps (Apr 44); Koflug 3/VIII (c.Apr-Sep 41); Koflug 1/VIII (Sep 41 – Jan 43); Frontreparaturbetrieb GL 3654 (Daimler Benz) (1941-42); II./Flak-Rgt. 38 (Mar 44); Stab and I./Ln.-Rgt. 4 (Jun-Jul 41); 15./Ln.-Rgt. 4 (Mar 44); 17.(Ers.)/Ln.-Rgt. 4 (Jul 43); Stab V.(Flum.Res.)/Luftgau-Nachr.Rgt. 8 (1943 – Jun 44); 13.(Flum.Res.)/Luftgau-Nachr.Rgt. 8 (Jan 43); Ln.-Abt. (mot) 101 (Apr 44); Ln.-Fernsprecher-Bau-Kp. FFK 401 (Jan 41); Ln.-Fernsprecher-Bau-Kp. FFK 402 (Bilgoraj, Jan 41); Lw.-Bauamt 1/VIII (1941-44); Lw.-Bau-Btl. 14/XIII (Sep 41); Nachschub-Kp. d.Lw. 16/VI ( ? – May 42); kl.Flieger-Betriebsstoff-Kolonne 1/XIII (May 42 - ? ); Traktorenzug 64 (Sep 41); Fahrkolonne d.Lw. 18/VIII (Nov 42); Ldssch.Zug d.Lw. 462/VI (Apr/May 42 – training); Ldssch.Zug d.Lw. 463/VI (Apr/May 42 – training); Ldssch.Zug d.Lw. 464/VI (Apr/May 42 – training); Ldssch.Zug d.Lw. 3/VIII (Jul 40, Sep 41); Ldssch.Zug d.Lw. 8/VIII ( ? – Feb 43); Ldssch.Zug d.Lw. 10/VIII ( ? – Feb 43).
[Sources: AFHRA A5263 p.1087 (Jul 43) and p.1124 (15 Apr 44); chronologies; BA-MA; NARA; PRO/NA; web site ww2.dk]

[Richard Mills]

Larry that is a truly exhaustive and detailed reply!

Many thanks indeed for your help and exactly what I was looking for.

Regards Richard.

[Pesel##]

Hi Richard and Larry,
A small comment to Rzeszów. This aerodrome had no pre-war history. In Polish sources it is described as being "under construction, II class airfield, state owned". 2nd class means the surface at least 800x800 meters, able to keep fighter, recce and liaison units. A nice aerial shot taken at 15.08.44 by Luftwaffe recce plane can be viewed here: http://www.wwii-photos-maps.com/targ...%20%20026.html. I have no idea how to shorten the URLs, can anybody help?). After viewing, compare your conclusions to that, what Larry posted: had organized dispersal areas off the landing area but these were not equipped with aircraft shelters or blast bays. Was it from AFHRA Larry?
Cheers,
Pawel

[Tomas Brezina]

Hi Pesel, your link is not working. Try http://goo.gl/.

regards, T.

[Larry deZeng]

Pawel: everything I posted is from the A.I.2.(b)/British Air Ministry airfield sheet for Reichshof. AFHRA just has paper and microfilm copies of it.

L.

[Pesel##]

Hi,
Tomas - the link is reedited and fully working now, sorry, my mistake.
Larry - thank you for information. From the other hand I wonder what they had the data from? In example, the same source reported Gleiwitz as "probably abandoned" afer two reconnaissance flights, though -as we all know - is far from being truth.
Cheers,
Pawel

[Larry deZeng]

Pawel -

They used all of the various intelligence sources - whatever was available from aerial reconnaissance, to agent and refugee reports, to signals intercepts. The information is less than perfect. But they produced sheets for over 6,000 European airfields and it is the only consolidated central source for details on these wartime airfields. I am sure that nearly 70 years later there are researchers in Poland who can improve on the data for the airfields there. But can the Polish researchers also improve on the details for Kirkenes airfield in Norway, or Bari airfield in Italy, or Bordeaux-Marignac airfield in France or El Djem airfield in Tunisia, or the other 6,000 ranging from Stalingrad to the tip of Brittany and from Finnish Lapland to central Libya? Probably not. The Air Ministry collection is really all we have.

L.

[Pesel##]

Hi Larry,
I can try to do with Bordeaux. Incidentally I have some sources, and I have visited this aerodrome. The only remaining hangar still proudly shows "Rauchen Verboten" on it's inner wall.
We are running out of topic, but...
As for airfields, or better: landing grounds, located in Poland, I can do as well, though many Polish historians can't. The clue is, what one's interested in? I belive that none air force in the world can exist without airfields and surrounding infrastructure. For this reason I have started my own research on Luftwaffe's presence in Poland some 10 years ago. I analyze all available and reliable sources I can put my hands on. Eventually, I try to visit these places in person.
Just to sum up: it will my pleasure to share the results of my research here, on TOCH.
Cheers,
Pawel

[Larry deZeng]

We will be looking forward to your contributions, Pawel.

L.