Gefechtsverband Helbig/Hallensleben/Kowalewski

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by Jaap Woortman

For my research on Me 262 operations over the Netherlands during 1944/45 I am looking for information about Gefechtsverband Helbig/Hallensleben/Kowalewski. This unit was controling several NSGs and the Me 262s of KG 51.
The information of Holm, Balke, Brütting and Peter C. Smith is known.
Are there studies known about this unit?

Jaap Woortman
Secr. Study Group Airwar 1939-1945.

I hope you didn't expect a simple answer!

None of these was really a unit, just a Geschwader HQ that was adapted to co-ordinate a number of different units:

GV Helbig (first version): controlled the bombers of Luftflotte 2 in the first half of 1944 (Helbig was LG 1's Kommodore). Operations agaisnt the Anzio beach head etc.

September 1944: most bomber Gruppen in the West taken out of the line. Stab formations put to alternative use, so...

Second version of GV Helbig: 7 September "Stab LG 1 is placed under Luftflotte 3 command with immediate effect and will operate the following units as "Gefechtsverband Helbig":

(a) III./KG 51
(b) NSG 2
(c) Ops. Detachment I./KG 51 (until the arrival of an Me 262 Gruppe)
(d) Remaining units of Einsatzgruppe KG 101 (Mistel Staffel)

(Source: National Archives AIR20/7704: No. VII/89 "War Diary of Luftflotte 3 (Western Front) September 1944")

(Ultra HP 602): According Luftflotte 3 evening 18th [September], Stab KG 6 to replace Stab LG 1 in control of Battle Unit. Thus in certain arrangements (comment: of which no details) for conduct of ops by Luftflotte 3, Battle Unit Hogeback (comment: Kommodore KG 6) to replace Battle Unit Helbig.

20 September (Ultra HP 1250): According to Luftwaffenkommando West on 20th, Geschwaderstab KG 2 instead of ditto KG 6 employed as substitute for Geschwaderstab LG 1 to lead this Battle Unit. Battle Unit Hallensleben therefore to be substituted for Battle Unit Hogeback.

Daily report 20 September 1944: Stab KG 2 to take over with immediate effect from Gefechtsverband Helbig. [To be known as] Gefechtsverband Hallensleben. (AIR20/7704: No. VII/89 "War Diary of Luftflotte 3 (Western Front) September 1944")

16 October: Kommodore [sic] of NSG 1, Bönninghardt, ordered to report to Gefechtsverband Hallensleben. (National Archives AIR40/2687).

18 November (Ultra HP 7352): From 18th Battle Unit Hallensleben subordinated for ops directly to Luftwaffenkommando West, not to Fliegerdivision 3 (comment: as intended on 14th in HP 6781).

It was around this time that III.KG 51 was renamed NSG 20. NSG 1 was transferring in from East Prussia bit by bit. NSG 2 gained a new 2. Staffel at some point (the "old" one had since become 3./NSG 9 in Italy)

III./KG 3 seems to have dropped out of the picture when it was incorporated into KG 53 for air-launch operations at the end of October. KG 53 is then mentioned separately from Hallensleben in Ultra messages.

NSG 20 took KG 200's Sonderverband Einhorn (about 5 Fw 190s) under its wing in late December 1944 after the unit returned from Italy.

NSG 20 left Hallensleben during January 1945 when it completed its transfer from Bonn-Hangelar to Twente-Enschede.

Gefechtsverband Hallensleben disbanded on 15 March 1945 and its units were subordinated to 15. Fliegerdivision — Luftwaffe Führungsstab papers for March 1945, Bundesarchiv-Militärarchiv, Freiburg-im-Breisgau, Federal Republic of Germany. RL2 III/68.

GV Kowalewski: ad hoc formation set up in March 1945 to co-ordinate attacks on the Remagen bridgehead. Seems to have included KG 76 Ar 234s, KG 51 Me 262s and the Fw 190 F-8s of 11./KG 200 (previously with NSG 20 in Holland). Only in existence for a couple of weeks?

GV Helbig (Mark Three!): established on 5 March 1945 to co-ordinate missiosn against the Oder bridges. Included Stab LG 1(as HQ), II./KG 200, Versuchskommando KG 200, II./LG 1 and III./KG 53.

Three more that you didn't ask about but they did operate over Holland in late September 1944 under 3. Jagddivision:

“Gefechtsverband JG 4” (Stab/JG 4, I./JG 3, III./JG 300, II./JG 77, III./JG 53)
“Gefechtsverband Spaete” (III./JG 11 and IV./JG 54, Jabo missions)
"Gefechtsverband JG 11" (Stab/JG 11, II./JG 27, I./JG 76)

These crop in Ultra but I don't know if their compositions were fixed or variable, nor how long they lasted.

[Jaap Woortman]

Dear friends,

This is far more then I expected.
Norbert may I come back to you via P.M.?

Nick, I was not expecting your survey from NA (for me still PRO).
More or less I was hoping that someone else has done the analysis about this unit and then the answer could have been simple. Thanks for all your information. I have to study it carefully.
Living in the Netherlands and have been studying the airwar over the Netherlands the three GVs during Market-Garden were known to me but are outside my scope. Just as the first GV Helbig.
Interesting is that you have mentioned the Mistels of KG 101.
Was KG 3 with the He 111 and V-1s not involved in GV Hallensleben from the beginning of this unit?
And what about an Aufklärungs unit? If I was in charge of the GV, I would like to know what the results have been.

Furthermore I would like to understand the reason for this GV.
Can I see it as an effort to control the units of the Luftwaffe in the West after the IX.Fliegerkorps has received the order to coordinate the transfer of the KGs to KG(J)s?
And was the number of units involved too small for a Division and therefore they have called it a GV?
Looking forward for your ideas.

Jaap

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by Jaap Woortman

Dear friends,

This is far more then I expected.
Norbert may I come back to you via P.M.?

Was KG 3 with the He 111 and V-1s not involved in GV Hallensleben from the beginning of this unit?
And what about an Aufklärungs unit? If I was in charge of the GV, I would like to know what the results have been.

Furthermore I would like to understand the reason for this GV.
Can I see it as an effort to control the units of the Luftwaffe in the West after the IX.Fliegerkorps has received the order to coordinate the transfer of the KGs to KG(J)s?
And was the number of units involved too small for a Division and therefore they have called it a GV?
Looking forward for your ideas.

Jaap

III./KG 3 began air-launch operations in July 1944, so there wasn't a Gefechtsverband controlling it at that time, so far as I know. Its operations are listed in the diary of Luftflotte 3.

The sources I've seen don't mention direct control of a recon unit in Autumn 1944, just bombing formations. There were recon formations in the west supporting the bombing effort. E.g. Ultra XL 9944: "Orders 17.00 [GMT]/11 [September] of Kommandeur (strong indications FAG 123 to fair indications 1.(F)/121) night P/R of bridgehead at Beeringen on Albert Canal. German bombing attack intended there."

On 7 September the order was given for IX. Fl.Kps. to be transferred to airfields in the Reich together with a list subordinate bomber Gruppen, many of which (but not all) became KG(J)s.

I have no idea how many units you needed to form a Fliegerdivision. My impression is that in the last months they just used whichever staffs were available to command forces in a given area. I'm no kind of expert on command structures though.

[Jaap Woortman]

Originally Posted by Nick Beale

18 November (Ultra HP 7352): From 18th Battle Unit Hallensleben subordinated for ops directly to Luftwaffenkommando West, not to Fliegerdivision 3 (comment: as intended on 14th in HP 6781).

And suddenly there was Fliegerdivision 3.
What is this unit doing in the command structure of Lw.Kdo West and GV Helbig/Hogenback/Hallensleben?
I know this unit was formed for the second time in 1943 in Koningberg.
It looks like this was controling close support units and was send to the West in September(any dates available?) 1944.
Was GV Helbig operating under 3.Fliegerdivision and 3.Fl.Div. under Lw.Kdo.West?
According to Holm, I./KG 51 was operating under: first 3.Fl.Div. and later II.Jagdkorps.
Is there any information in those Ultra messages about this 3.Fl.Div. and his relation to I. and II./KG 51?

Jaap

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by Jaap Woortman

And suddenly there was Fliegerdivision 3.
What is this unit doing in the command structure of Lw.Kdo West and GV Helbig/Hogenback/Hallensleben? ... Was GV Helbig operating under 3.Fliegerdivision and 3.Fl.Div. under Lw.Kdo.West?
According to Holm, I./KG 51 was operating under: first 3.Fl.Div. and later II.Jagdkorps.
Is there any information in those Ultra messages about this 3.Fl.Div. and his relation to I. and II./KG 51?

Jaap

About all that I remember seeing on Fl.Div. 3 is that it was going to take over a number of units and that within a couple of days that order was cancelled. The units under Hallensleben varied over time and ended up as just NSG 1 and NSG 2. From memory, KG 51 was operating under II. Jagdkorps by about the time of the Ardennes offensive. Since I reading Ultra for information on the NSG units, I didn't take much notice of KG 51 though.

[Horst Kube]

Hi Nick - and all the other involved,

when you talk about "Hallensleben", I wonder, if you mean Major Rudolf Hallensleben (former Hauptmann, Staffelkapitän Stab KG 76) and if we speak about the same "Kowalewski", the later Ar 234/KG 76 commander??

If it's like that, why do you only mention the KG 51??

Did I misunderst the pilots names??

Cheers, Horst

[Andreas Brekken]

Hi, Horst.

I think you have to re-read the first message by Nick Beale, where indeed KG 76 and Ar 234's are mentioned, along with a multitude of units used to form these ad-hoc units.

Regards,
Andreas

[Jaap Woortman]

Oberstleutnant Hallensleben was Geschwaderkommodore of KG 2 before he became in command of Gefechtsverband Hallensleben.
According to Balke his first name was Rudolf.
D.K.i.G. 17.10.41
Ritterkreuz 5.11.43
Died 19.4.45
I have not been able to find information about him at the VDK site.

My reason for asking these questions is because I want to know the command lines of Kdo Schenk(3./KG 51) and later I./ and II./KG 51 when they were operating in the West with their Me 262s.

Jaap

[Horst Kube]

[quote=Jaap Woortman]Oberstleutnant Hallensleben was Geschwaderkommodore of KG 2 before he became in command of Gefechtsverband Hallensleben.
According to Balke his first name was Rudolf.
D.K.i.G. 17.10.41
Ritterkreuz 5.11.43
Died 19.4.45

-------------------------------------

Jaap,

Rudof Hallensleben was the best friend of my father, Rudolf Kube from Stabsgeschwader/I. KG 76 "Florian Geyer", during their war-times together at the Krim.

I can certify their friendship with several, never seen before photos from those times.

Rudolf Hallensleben sadly lost his life very short before war's end. I know all the circumcances about his death - but his history may be not so very interesting for some clients of this board...

Cheers, Horst

[Horst Kube]

[quote=Jaap Woortman]Oberstleutnant Hallensleben was Geschwaderkommodore of KG 2 before he became in command of Gefechtsverband Hallensleben.
According to Balke his first name was Rudolf.
D.K.i.G. 17.10.41
Ritterkreuz 5.11.43
Died 19.4.45

-------------------------------------

Jaap, after your words, I know Rudof Hallensleben, which was one of the best friends of my father Rudolf Kube, I. Stabsgeschwader during their together-times in the KG 76 at the Krim war.

Rudolf Hallensleben sadly lost his life very short before war's end and the circumcances about his death may be not so very interesting for some honorourable clients of this board...

He left his wife and his son, Thomas Hallensleben, whom I formerlylost out earned to know in Franfm wIf this board has other, more
Because I do not want to discuss here and now the indignant gcircumstanstaces which led to Halli's death, I only want to listen your words about him via e-mail to me personally.

Cheers, Horst