Stalingrad airlift last plane out

[James A Pratt III]

BCRS Vol 4 Page 162 mentions the past German plane out of the Stalingrad pocket as a HE 111 with 19 Injured soldiers and 7 mail bags on 23 jan 1943. Does anyone know what unit ect the plane was from. Also did any other planes make it out this day or night.

A fine book. Thanks in advance.

[robert]

It`s based on a document? Or this is another urban myth? I`m asking because I have an account of a German airman, who states that his Ju 52 was the last plane taking off from the pocket area.

Robert

[edwest2]

More information:

https://www.stalingrad.net/german-hq...irclement.html

[Stig Jarlevik]

What is BCRS?

Cheers
Stig

[Marc-André Haldimann]

Originally Posted by Stig Jarlevik

What is BCRS?

Cheers
Stig

Dear Stig,

IMHO Christer Bergström’s standard setting Black Cross versus Red Star, vol. 4.

Cheers
Marc

[Stig Jarlevik]

Aha

Never come across that short form before

Thanks Marc
Take Care
Stig

[Thomas H]

Originally Posted by edwest2

More information:

https://www.stalingrad.net/german-hq...irclement.html

Thanks for posting Ed, interesting read! I never heard of Stalingradskaya before.

What about the last planes to take of from Pitomnik and Gumrak?

Regards, Thomas

[Brian Bines]

A FELDGRAU article 'CROATIAN VOLUNTEERS IN THE WEHRMACHT IN WWII' states that on the 23rd January 18 wounded Croatian soldiers were flown out of Stalingrad with a Sgt Juric carrying the units diary . Unfortunately no aircraft type or timing given for this . As regards airfields I thought Pitomnik and Gumrak had fallen at this stage and Stalingradskaya was just a strip used in the last days of the evacuation

[Larry deZeng]

Originally Posted by Thomas H

Thanks for posting Ed, interesting read! I never heard of Stalingradskaya before.
What about the last planes to take of from Pitomnik and Gumrak?
Regards, Thomas

See "Luftwaffe Airfields" in the menu at www.ww2.dk"

Stalingrad-Stalingradskij (RUSS) (a.k.a. Stalingrad-Stalingradskiy, Stalingradskaja, Stalingradskaya) (no ZNr. listed) (c. 48 46 N – 44 27 E) (AFHRA)
General: primitive airfield (Fliegerhorst) on the edge of the city 9.25 km NNW of Stalingrad city center. Rated for VFR (visual flight rules) and summer use only.
History: home to the prewar Stalingradskaya flight school consisting of the 7th Flight Training School, a separate specialized flight training school, a Shturman School and an aviation specialty school for aircraft mechanics. All 4 of these schools transferred to Kustanay and Petropavlovsk in summer 1942 as the Germans approached the city. Also see Stalingrad I.
Surface and Dimensions: natural surface of unstated dimensions.
Infrastructure: had hangars, workshops,admin offices, barracks and a full array of service and support facilities.
Dispersal: no details found.
Remarks:
21-23 Jan 43: described as the third and last serviceable airfield within the Stalingrad pocket.
22 Jan 43: of 81 transports dispatched to this field, 26 attempted to land but the majority of these struck bomb craters hidden in snow and crashed.
23 Jan 43: the scene of the last landings and takeoffs in the Stalingrad pocket on 23 January when it was overrun by Soviet infantry. After 23 January, there were no more reported landings in the pocket, just intermittent air drops of ammunition and food until the end.
Operational Units: if any, see above under Stalingrad.
Station Commands: if any, see above under Stalingrad.
Station Units (on various dates – not complete): if any, see above under Stalingrad.
[Sources: chronologies; AFHRA, BA-MA; NARA incl. T-321 roll 239/OKL 903; OKL Flugplatzatlas; PRO/NA; web site ww2.dk]

L.

[Brian Bines]

Looking up 'Last Letters From Stalingrad' it appears the 7 mail bags were seized on landing , the letters were not delivered but used to analyse the morale of the troops .