Air Launched V-1 Campaign Book Request

[hucks216]

Originally Posted by Chris Goss

I have all the NVM for KG 3 and KG 53 for this period so if you have any specifics, PM me

Having never used them before am I right in thinking the NVM just contains the details for those who were killed? If so this particular crewmember survived the war but thank you for the offer.

Thank you Nick with regards to the heads-up about the archives.

[Brian]

Hi Hucks

Have you not seen my DIVER DIVER DIVER? Grub Street. Check Amazon for details.

Cheers
Brian

[Marcel Hogenhuis]

Dear known and (some) unknown friends,

Being a simple Dutch historian, researching the history of Venlo airfield in WW-2 for more than 25 years now, I bought this book of Peter Smith mainly with the intention of getting into a sort of 'reverse engineering': where German records are lost and can no longer describe the amount of sorties with V-1's against the UK, we could try to get an impression of it by studying what was approaching or crashed in the UK.

Yes, somehow Peter Smith had to focus mainly on the British perspective and that was most helpful for me to get an idea what III./KG 3 has done while they stayed at Venlo and Gilze-Rijen between the end of June 1944 and 5th September 1944.
I cannot give a value to the reliability of all information in this book, the most puzzling (and IMHO opinion doubtful) reference found was that of the alleged posting of III./KG 3 in France before this unit came to Gilze-Rijen and Venlo. To do what? We know that the III./KG 3 arrived in Venlo - coming from Hesepe - on 27th June 1944 and they made the first attacks with V-1's on the 7th July 1944, simply because the compass adjusting sheds were not completed before the 7th July.

As I said: a most welcome book describing the British perspective and I had not expected much more. Therefore: who expects a sort of unit history of III./KG 3 (and or I./KG 53) must wait for Chris Goss and Brian Bines joining forces haha!

Nick: intruiging to hear that (some? many?) operations of III./KG 3 show up in the National Archives! Knowing of your marvelous job with ULTRA, can you point us in the right direction: is it in the HW5 files or Air Intelligence files or both?

All the best from Venlo

Marcel Hogenhuis
marcelhogenhuis[at]gmail.com

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by Marcel Hogenhuis

Nick: intriguing to hear that (some? many?) operations of III./KG 3 show up in the National Archives! Knowing of your marvelous job with ULTRA, can you point us in the right direction: is it in the HW5 files or Air Intelligence files or both?
Marcel Hogenhuis
marcelhogenhuis[at]gmail.com

It's not something I've looked hard to find but I've seen relevant material in HW5, quite a lot of it in fact. This is the one I got around to transcribing:

CX/MSS.T324/107

No. 190 signed IA, Ops on evening of 29/9 and addressed to Battle Unit Hallensleben (IA, Ops) IC:-

Report on results night operation of 28–29/9:

1) Target: London.
2) Areas of release: Squares 4325 and 4364.
3) Times of release: 0400 to 0432 hours.
4) A/c employed: 9
5) Releases: 9, including
(A) Released at target: 6.
(B) Failures: 1 (not on full boost).
(C) Emergency releases: none.
(D) Not observed: 2 crews missing.
6) Defence: none.
7) Losses: 2 crews. 2 a/c (including 1 Staffelkapitän’s crew).
8) Special events:
(A) At 0419 hours 1 a/c crashed in Square 2365, flames at point of impact being observed by 2 crews, followed by firing of red distress signals (thought to be the missing Staffelkapitän’s crew).
(B) At 0402 hours in Square 335, 3 red verey lights observed (thought to 2nd missing crew).
(C) At 0315 hours in square 5344 red verey lights were observed.
(D) At 0348 hours in square 5487 a fire was observed (thought to be the scene of an a/c crash).
(E) 1 crew, reported as missing in the report of 26/9, crashed at Hankenberge, about 15kms south-east of Osnabrück. A/C completely destroyed, crew killed.
(F) 1 a/c did not take part in the operation owing to engine trouble at the take off.

NOTE: A previous example of III./KG 3 reporting to Battle Unit Hallensleben was on 25/9 where the Gruppe sent in a crash report to the Battle Unit (T319/10 and notes)