Fieseler Fi 156 P

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by Seaplanes

The unit responsible for air operations against partisans (or as the Germans expressed it: Bandenbekämpfung) was the SS controlled FliegerGeschwader z.b.V. 7. On 10. January 1945 the unit had the following Fi 156 in Italy: Fi 156C-3 W.Nr. 5138 DH+MZ at Gardone. This Aircraft was found at Bolzano on 6. May 1945. Fi 156C-3 TH+AG W.Nr. not known, at Monza. Both were detached from the 7. Staffel at Brod. Also possibly in Italy at a place named Papa, the unit had FW 58 CM+AV.

On 10. January Fl.G.z.b.V. 7 had no less than 50 Fi 156 aircraft in addition to many FW 58, Ju 87, FW 189, Si 202 and a single Ju 52 (CT+EW W.Nr. 130549)

As per BA-MA RL2 III/66, aircraft of Fliegergeschwader z.b.V 7 on 10 January 1945:

5. Staffel: Fw 58 C2+YH at Ainring ("to be scrapped")
6. Staffel: Fw 58 9Q+TA at Oslo; Fi 156 9Q+FE, 9Q+AK, 9Q+NL, 9Q+HY (all at Oslo); Fi 156 9Q+MW (Bergen-Herdla); Fi 156 9Q+TW (at Gol).

Also the 5. Staffel had an »Außenstelle« (out-station) at Verona.

On 9 January, the Stab was renamed Fliegerverbindungsstaffel Reichsführer-SS.

(I wrote this down at Freiburg in 1990, I knew it would come in useful eventually!)

Anti-partisan work in Italy was also undertaken at one time or another by NSG 9 (the reason it was originally formed) and by Flugbereitschaft Luftflotte 2.

P.S. from memory, the only place named Papa that I've encountered while researching was in Hungary (cf. the DeZeng/Stankey airfield lists).