Sonderverband Einhorn

[Doug Stankey]

Larry has alerted me to the fact that the notes I had been consulting were rather old and so he sent me a correction:

15.11.44 (06.11.44?) at Villafranca /0 km SW of Verona in NE Italy by assigning a Staffel number to Sonderverband “Einhorn”, a special attack unit equipped with Fw 190s outfitted to carry heavy caliber bombs weighing 1,000 – 1,800 kg.
18-23 Dec 44: transferred from Villafranca to Bonn-Hangelar for attachment to NSGr.20 and participation in the Ardennes Offensive (Battle of the Bulge) as part of Gefechtsverband “Hallensleben”/II.Jagdkorps.
25 Dec 44: moved to Köln-Wahn due to an Allied air raid on Hangelar, then over the next month successively to Limburg-Linter (around 11 Jan 45) and Germersheim (around 13 Jan) with NSGr.20 flying mainly night fighter-bomber attacks on U.S. forces in the Ardennes, but occasional raids were made on key dumps, railheads and other vital targets in the rear areas such as around Liège.
2 Feb 45: transferred to Twente (Twenthe) in eastern Holland with NSGr.20 and two days later, on 4 February, the Staffel was ordered disbanded with aircraft and pilots incorporated into 11.St. of III./KG 200 at Twente. The Staffelkapitän, Hptm. Robert Schuntermann, and the ground personnel were reassigned back to IV.Gruppe at Prenzlau and then north with the Gruppe to Vejle/Denmark.

So, they were in Italy at a point, and they were involved in the Ardennes offensive.

Sorry about that,
Doug S.