I./KG 51 1944

[Karoband]

Hi Chris,

Jan Horn, in Das Flurschaden-Geschwader, (2010), pp. 10-11, has for the night of February 20/21, 1944, a raid of 200 bombers planned to take-off at "20:00 Uhr". He lists the crews of II./KG 51 that took part and adds this on p. 11:

"Auch Oblt. Werner Pape, Kapitän der 1./KG 51, fliegt diesen Einsatz mit. Diese Besatzung startet um 20:45 Uhr in der 9K+FH von Saint-Andre-de-l'Eure aus ... Während Pape um 23:00 Uhr in Soesterberg landet ...". I presume Horn got the date and times from the flugbuch of either Pape or his bordfunker.

best regards,

Jim

[Nick Beale]

The British Air Operational Watch reports don't seem to mention KG 51 at all on any of the January or February Steinbock raids, meaning the Y-Service picked up nothing to identify them. Not until on 21/22 February was there traffic from an "unidentified unit", including aircraft "G", DQ+XV and DQ+XW, the latter two:

"identified as Me 410's, operated with Orly. Previous history shows these a/c to be connected with Orly and not with V./KG 2. It is suggested that the unit is equipped with Me 410's and located at Orly."

[Chris Goss]

Interesting. Oblt Eberhard Winkel/Fw Adolf Schwachenwald of 1./KG 51 were reported as flying a mission to London. If Pape was 1 St Kap (who had until recently been Unrau), who were 2 (Müller?) & 3 (Gutzmer?) St Kap as I do not have Jan's book