He 114 - Pinguin - Hilfskreuzer

[Merlin]

The listed sources are incomplete, there are seven loss reports for He 114 aircraft with 1./SAGr 125 in the time frame July to September 1941.

[Seaplanes]

After 1940 the main user of the He 114 was 1. and 2/Aufkl.Fl.Gr.125. The following aircraft has been recorded, mainly in National Archives Kew HW5/22 and the KTB of Gen.d.Lw.b.Ob.d.M./O.Qu.
Aircraft of 1./Aufkl.Fl.Gr.125
He 114B 2548
He 114B 2549 7R+BH Ex. 2./125 7R+BK.
He 114B 2550 Ex. 2./125 7R+CK. 22.09.41 10% Pernau. Damaged by fire from Soviet fighters.
He 114B 2559 From 2./125 on 19.07.41. Ex. 7R+AK.
He 114B 2560
He 114B 2561 7R+DH Ex. 2./125 7R+DK.
He 114B 2562 Ex. 2./125 7R+EK.
He 114B 2572 From 2./125 on 19.07.41. Ex. 7R+IK. 15.09.41 30% Pernau. Damaged by enemy flakduring attack on the seaplane station Papiari on
Ösel island.
He 114B 2573 7R+FH Ex. 2./125 7R+FK. 24.09.41 20% Location not reported. Damaged by fire from enemy fighters.
He 114B 2574 Ex. 2./125 7R+GK. 18.07.41 40% damaged by enemy fire while on a recce sortie
He 114B 2575 Ex. 2./125 7R+HK.

Aufkläsrungsfliegergruppe 125 was established on 29. March 1941 with Stab, 1.Staffel (He 60), 2. Staffel (He 114) and 3. Staffel (Ar 95). The 2./125 was formed in Aalborg with aircraft and crews drawn from the 4./Bordflieger Ergänzungsstaffel based there. This was done on 8. April 1941. In July 1941 the 2./125 converted to Ar 196 and their remaining He 114's transferred to 1./125 and operated alongside this units He 60 aircraft.
In November 1941 1./125 transferred to List and began conversion to BV 138C-1. While operating from Tromsö in Norway, 1./125 was redesignated Küstenfliegerstaffel 2./706 on 26. May 1943 and again redesignated 2.(F)/S.A.Gr.130 on 5. July 1943.
A new 1./S.A.Gr.125 with BV 138 and Ar 196 was formed in Sewastopol on 26. May 1943 mainly with aircraft handed over by 3./125.

During the autumn of 1939 the following units operated the He 114 in a mix with other aircraft like He 60 and He 59: 1./306, 1./506, 1./706, 1./196 and 5./196.
On 25. October 1939 some of these units were redesignated:
1./306 became 3./806
1./506 became 1./806
1./706 became 1./906
1./196 and 5./195 retained their designations.

[sveahk]

Thanks Merlin, RolandF and Seaplanes - you opened my eyes to the complexity in the numbering of the Seaplane units during the war, and especially the role the He 114 played therein!!

But I've to come back - a last time - to my first question:
Do you know if the two He 114 B, belonging to 5./Bordfl.St.196 that were aboard the HSK PINGUIN, had any kind of penguin-marking - like the one we see in the photo above? Or, because of their sometimes clandestine role out on the oceans, they were left without any special markings?

Greetings
Hans K

[Seaplanes]

Sorry, forgot about that. The crew on board "Pinguin" came from Bordfliegerstaffel 5./196 so if the aircraft came from the same unit, they would most likely carry the unit crest of this Staffel, an old type sailing ship with three sails on top of waves. However, many of the aircraft on board the raiders were either neutreal without markings or even painted up as Allied aircraft to mislead crews on Allied ships. The Pinguin crest was used by 1. and 3./Aufklärungsfliegergruppe 125. I believe that the 2. Staffel had another crest.

[andrus]

Originally Posted by Seaplanes

He 114B 2550 Ex. 2./125 7R+CK. 22.09.41 10% Pernau. Damaged by fire from Soviet fighters.

I have following text for 22.9.:

Fliegerführer Ostsee, Oberst von Wild, griff an diesem Tage persönlich Batterie Abruka mit Bomben und Bordwaffen an und konnte sich in zwei Luftkämpfen mit 1 I-16 und 2 I-153 mit seinem Seeflugzeug (He 114) dem Gegner ohne wesentliche Beschädigung seiner Maschine entziehen.

Damage by enemy aircraft was done probably near insel Abruka (Abro in german), if it is the same plane. http://www.wwii-photos-maps.com/targ...%20%20010.html

He 114B 2572 From 2./125 on 19.07.41. Ex. 7R+IK. 15.09.41 30% Pernau. Damaged by enemy flakduring attack on the seaplane station Papiari on Ösel island.

Location probably Papisaare: http://www.wwii-photos-maps.com/targ...%20%20019.html


http://www.luftwaffe-zur-see.de/Seel...n/Jahr1941.htm gives one additional He 114 loss for SAGr. 125:

09.09.41 He 114 A 2533 75% Aufkl.Gr. 125 (See) Überführungsflug, Führungsfehler wegen Glattwasser und Sonne.

I have also picture from expired e-bay action (see attachment), probable location is given as Pärnu / Pernau. Is more about this accident known? Can it be the same plane?
Attachment 14278

[Seaplanes]

Sorry, forgot that one. However, there are some doubts as to the actual Werk-Nummer for this airceraft. In the KTB for Gen.d.Lw.b.Ob.d.M./O.Qu. for September 1941, the W.Nr. is stated as 2333. In the Gen.Qu. 6.Abt. loss and damage lists the W.Nr. is given as 253. Is there a third source that could clear this problem.