Special flight from Hörsching to Barcelona ordereed 30.04.1945

[Andreas Brekken]

Hi, all

Just stumbled over a message in a KTB, referring to a special secret flight with a Ju 290 of I./KG 200 from Hörsching to Barcelona - with instructions for the crew and how they were to behave if interned in Spain.

Does anyone know who was the passengers of this flight? Almost certainly high ranking nazi officials on the run.

The crew of the aircraft, Ju 290 PJ + PS, was to consist of:

Hptm. Braun 1. Flugzeugführer u.Kommandant
Ofw. Aufdemkamp 2. Flugzeugführer
Oblt. Hasold Beobachter
Ofw. Throne 1. Funker
Uffz. Schlegel 2. Funker
Ofw. Burow 1. Mechaniker
Ofw. Mosblech 2. Mechaniker
Uffz. Krippner Bordschütze
Uffz. Schmidt Bordschütze
Uffz. Etzelsdorfer Bordschütze
Uffz. Titschkus 1. Wart

and it was to fly a group of people selected by OB West.

Regards,
Andreas

[edNorth]

I do not know, many wild stories, but it apparently surrendered in Germany.

0110165 Ju 290 A-4 / V7 - Prototype A-7 - PJ+PS - A3+HB I/KG 200 - PJ+PS surrendred (possibly Flensburg) May 1945 and flown via Paris, Lagens, Bermuda to Wright Field, USA, July 1945 - proved could cruise faster than C-54 enroute lagens - Bermuda. Salvaged (scrapped) 12.1946

[Karoband]

Hi Andreas,

From Geoffrey J. Thomas and Barry Ketley, Luftwaffe KG 200: The German Air Force's Most Secret Unit of World War II, p. 276:

"Hptm. Heinz Braun and his ten-man crew waited at Horsching aerodrome for the 'essential assignment'. On the 30th, after meeting with the acting head of Abt Ic (Intelligence), Maj. Bellmann confirmed Braun's orders in writing and obtained his signature as an acknowledgement of the strict secrecy of the flight plan. The flight was to be made during the next period of suitable weather...
Hearing nothing further, however, Braun telephoned the department on 2 May, and the next day the flight was cancelled by a hand written note from Maj. Bellmann, who recorded that Kesselring had cancelled the order. Two days later Hptm. Braun was instructed to fly the Ju 290 to Koniggratz airfield (Hradec-Kralove in Czechoslovakia) which remained in German hands..."

best regards,

Jim Geens

[RT]

For those interested in these flights, during early 1945, there is a report at Kew, showing routes nd concern of brit. authorities about the difficulties to hinder such flights

Rémi

[RolandF]

The flight was intended to take Vichy-French president Pierre Laval, whose government was interned at Stauffenberg castle, Wilflingen, to Franco-Spain. The flight was scheduled for April 30th but was cancelled in May 03rd. PI+PS afterwards was flown from Hörsching to Königgrätz. May 08th this Ju 290 was returned to München-Riem where it surrendered to US forces. Colonel Harold E.Watson and Hptm Braun flew PI+PS (marked PJ+PS) to Roth a/f close to Nuremberg on May 10th 1945. The trans-ocean flight took place from 28-07 to 01-08, when PI+PS arrived at Freeman Field/US
(Source Kössler/Ott: Die grossen Dessauer and Samuel: Watson's Whizzers)
From memory finally it was a Ju 188 which took Laval from Hörsching to Barcelona.

Regards
Roland F

P.S.: Pierre Laval flew with Ju 188D-1, WNr 230499, F6+DM from Bozen to Barcelona in 02-05. F6+DM was repainted with spurious marking D-CEDM for this purpose. He had to return to Hörsching with the same plane 31st July being expelled from Spain to be rendered up to de Gaulle's France.

[Chris Going]

Interesting thread. The passengers were to include Hitler, Eva Braun, usw. In the chapter entitled “Műller’s Secrets. The Last Days of Hitler” in Thomas and Ketley ‘KG 200, The Luftwaffe’s Most secret Unit’ [2003], Hikoki, ISBN 1 902109 33 3) pp 162-9 there is reproduced an order (p 166), allegedly originating with Heinrich Műller’s office in Berlin. It is dated 20 April 1945 (not 21 April as the caption states), and lists those who were to accompany the Fűhrer on his ‘sonderreise nach Barcelona’, which was to leave Hőrsching at 20.00 hrs on April 26th 1945. It includes all the usual suspects from the Fűhrerbunker.

In the text on p 167 Werner Baumbach’s copy of the order, unissued, is referred to by T&K as being in Muellers file ‘to this day’ but frustratingly no specific Fond, Piece, RG, stack, area, row, or other Archive citation is given. Anyone know it?

Karoband refers to what, from the pagination, must be the Stacpole Books paperback edition, published in 2015 (ISBN 10-0811716619; ISBN-13 0811716611). It has a slightly different title.

Hőrsching AF was snapped several times between 18th April, when the Ju290 arrived, and C 4 May when the AC departed. Might be worth trawling through the negs and prints to see if it spent any of that time in the open.

Best


Chris

[egbert]

Originally Posted by Karoband

Hi Andreas,

From Geoffrey J. Thomas and Barry Ketley, Luftwaffe KG 200: The German Air Force's Most Secret Unit of World War II, p. 276:

"Hptm. Heinz Braun and his ten-man crew waited at Horsching aerodrome for the 'essential assignment'. On the 30th, after meeting with the acting head of Abt Ic (Intelligence), Maj. Bellmann confirmed Braun's orders in writing and obtained his signature as an acknowledgement of the strict secrecy of the flight plan. The flight was to be made during the next period of suitable weather...
Hearing nothing further, however, Braun telephoned the department on 2 May, and the next day the flight was cancelled by a hand written note from Maj. Bellmann, who recorded that Kesselring had cancelled the order. Two days later Hptm. Braun was instructed to fly the Ju 290 to Koniggratz airfield (Hradec-Kralove in Czechoslovakia) which remained in German hands..."

best regards,

Jim Geens

The mentioned Maj. Bellmann - do you know whether it was Maj Jochen Bellmann?

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by Chris Going

The Last
Hőrsching AF was snapped several times between 18th April, when the Ju290 arrived, and C 4 May when the AC departed. Might be worth trawling through the negs and prints to see if it spent any of that time in the open.
Best
Chris

Another possible approach is via the daily Intelligence/operations summaries of Mediterranean Allied Tactical Air Force (from memory, TNA AIR23/6512, 6513, 6514 would cover April and May). At the end of several of the reports is a summary of photo reconnaissance results (for N. Italy, Austria, Bavaria), listing types seen on various aerodromes. I used these to track deployment of 1.(F)/100 Ar 234s between Riem and Lechfeld and you can also see JV 44's build-up for example.

[Karoband]

Hi Egbert,

From deZeng & Stankey, Luftwaffe Officer Career Summaries: Section A - F found on-line:

BELLMANN, Joachim ... c06.05.43 apt Ic/Luftflotte 6, 01.05.44 promo to Maj. 10.44 Maj. Ic/Luftflotte 6 (same 04.45) ...

Jim

[egbert]

Omg it is indeed and no doubt my godfather!
He is dead by now....if i only knew this before you bet i would have interviewed him......a blow to history on my side