S-ST Go 242

[byron-]

I have a krew, missed at 06.09.42 in Kalamaki (Go 242)

FF. Uffz. Horst Blume, BO. Gfr. Werner Eilet, BM. Ogfr. Anton Herricht

Any Information about the unit ?

[Leo Etgen]

Hello Byron

I can only add this:

6 September 1942: He 111 (W.Nr. 7508) of S.-Staffel/Go 242 crash-landing at Kalamaki due to bad weather, 90% damage, crew wounded. The crew is as you have them. I hope that this helps for what it is worth.

Horrido!

Leo

[byron-]

Thanks Leo,

but ... I never heard of this unit (Staffel).
Was the whole name Seestaffel Go 242 ? Did this Staffel belong to a larger Gruppe or formation ? Since when in GR ?

questions, questions

[Leo Etgen]

Hello Byron

Unfortunately I really can not help you with this particular unit. I do not see it listed among the various Go 242 staffeln listed at http://www.ww2.dk/air/transport/minor.html. However, could it have been Sonderstaffel/Go 242? I believe that there was a unit with this designation perhaps temporarily formed for special or emergency duties. Hopefully someone else with greater knowledge of Luftwaffe transport units can clarify the staffel involved.

Horrido!

Leo

[byron-]

thank you Leo, I understand,

I have the book "die deutschen Transportflieger im zweiten Weltkrieg" writen by Fritz Morzik-Gerhard Hümmelchen, a very good one, but unfortunately nothing about this Staffel is refered there.

Generally, the transport units haven`t been researched thoroughly till now.

[red-star25]

I would say, the the S means Schlepp-Staffel.
This is the unit what tow the Glider Go 242.

Dirk

[byron-]

There was no airport in Lamia Aviator

[Larry deZeng]

But it is listed in the AirMin A.I.2.(b) list for Greece date 7 September 1943:

No. 73 LAMIA 38 52 N - 22 26 E

So at one time or another it may have been used as an emergency landing ground or landing ground. As such, it could have been simply a level field or pasture where aircraft could alight and take off if and when needed.

L.

[byron-]

Hi Larry,

maybe on paper, i don`t know, if you say so, it is so!
But I have a lot of friends in Lamia, one of them from the well known Tsangaris family, he dos`nt live anymore, was an activ member in age of 16 of the resistance.

Frank Meyer is refering of him in his book "Vermißt in Griechenland. Schicksale im griechische Freiheitskampf 1941-1944 .
Ein Vierteljahrhundert forschte der Verfasser nach dem Schicksal seines Vaters, der 1943 von griechischen Partisanen entführt und von der Wehrmacht für vermißt erklärt wurde ." If i remember well, Tsangaris was one of the men who kidnaped the writers father.

http://www.hfmeyer.com/german/veroef...gen/index.html

We talked about that matter of an airport there. He said, he never noticed a single plain starting or landing in that area.
I would like to refer here about a fine german officer who was the commander of the "Stadtkommandantur Lamia". He was Oberst W. Sitzenstock. He saved many lifes during the occupation time, no one citizen was executed aslong as he was in charge.

All this is out of our subject but the stories of the resistance are fascinating.

[Larry deZeng]

Thanks for the very interesting information, Byron. I agree about the resistance: those were some extraordinarily brave people because they knew what would happen to them if picked up and turned over to the SS, Gestapo or the GFP.

As for Lamia, the Luftwaffe always made lists of Notlandeplätze as well as the active airfields for those countries in which they operated. The 7 September 1943 list I referred to identifies 159 "airfields" in Greece and, as you and I both know, there was actually only a small fraction of those that were actually used. So I think Lamia was probably one of the Notlandeplätze. It is entirely possible that it was never actually used during the war years. A Notlandeplatz was just a level area 1,000 meters or more in length that had been inspected and judged usable for emergency landings.

L.