Strange Luftwaffe Abbreviation

[Dan History]

Originally Posted by Larry deZeng

a peculiar abbreviation that I have never seen before. Essentially, all 5 pages consist of a formal request from 3./schwere Flak-Abt. 573(v)Gn.

Larry, I am not sure that anyone here will be able to solve an abbreviation riddle that you cannot, but one can but try What if Gn stands for Grenadier? Perhaps this is a nonsensical suggestion, but a list of surviving flak claim reports does suggest to me that the abbreviation following the usual designation (v) for a towed unit could refer to the organisation which provided the personnel for the unit, see below:

"Schwere Flak-Abteilung 573 (v) Gn (Einsatz Ungarn: Budapest)...

Gemischte Flak-Abteilung 593 (v-RAD) (Einsatz Frankreich II./F./593, 13. Febr. 1944 Chartres; 1. und 4./593, 27. Juli 1944 Rumily sur Seine)"
deutsche-digitale-bibliothek.de/item/SQSGIFWPFV3LCQ2MA62IJTVREIESDTMT

The (v-RAD) designation clearly refers to a unit formed with Reichsarbeitsdienst (RAD - Reich Labour Service) personnel, see the following link:

RAD-Flakbatterien der Wehrmacht 1943-1944
wehrmacht-forum.de/index.php?thread/4312-reichsarbeitsdienst-fad-rad/&pageNo=1

Since I do not know of any organisation in the Nazi state which would have been referred to by the letters Gn, I assume that the Schwere Flak-Abteilung 573 could have been staffed with Grenadiere from other units within the Budapest garrison. However, it is worth reiterating that this could just be a loose assumption.

Regards,

Dan