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Luftwaffe and Axis Air Forces Please use this forum to discuss the German Luftwaffe and the Air Forces of its Allies. |
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![]() Dear members,
Further to my other two questions posed yesterday, 14 August: 1. http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showthread.php?t=65253 2. http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showthread.php?t=65254 A third and final query, also about the Luftwaffe in the East in 1945. This concerns a unit of Luftwaffenkommando Nordost, called Kampfgruppe Freiheit, subordinated to Gefechtsverband Helbig. In the middle and second half of April, it reported that it had about 30 Ju 88 bombers on strength, but only five or so crews. Does anyone know what was the original identity and operational task of this unit, or anything else about it? It appears not to have been a unit of either LG 1 or KG(J) 30, the two obvious possibilities. Everyone is welcome to either reply here, or contact me by private message. Regards, Dan
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My research paper - How were German air force resources distributed between different fronts in the years 1941 to 1943 - http://www.ww2.dk/Luftwaffe Research.html |
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Re: A mystery Luftwaffe unit in the East in April 1945 - Kampfgruppe Freiheit
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I consulted a few secondary sources and found some useful information about "Kampfgruppe Freiheit". Essentially, the unit consisted of volunteers who responded to an appeal from Goering for pilots willing to fly 'Selbstopfer-Einsätze' (aka 'SO-Einsätze' or 'Total-Einsätze') against Oder river crossings. These were true suicide missions because there was no chance of survival, as opposed to the ramming attacks flown by "Schulungslehrgang Elbe" volunteers against American bombers on Apr 7 1945. The 'Freiheit' missions were flown from Jüterbog on Apr 16/17/18 against bridges and pontoons on the Oder. Surprisingly, I could only find three occurrences of the name "Kampfgruppe Freiheit" or "Operation Freiheit":
- The most detailed information is in the 'Todesflieger' chapter in Saft's "Das bitter Ende der Luftwaffe." It also contains a chapter on the "Leonidas" Staffel (an 'SO' element in KG 200), which served as the ancestor/precursor to Kampfgruppe Freiheit. - Schulze's book is another good resource. It draws heavily on Saft and includes some additional details. It also provides thorough coverage of the "Leonidas" Staffel. - The Griehl, Taghon, and Göppel books don't have much detail on the 'SO' missions, but they do contain some useful background info on the unit's formation. - The "Begleitschutz" article in Jägerblatt describes how Edward Kraas (JG 4) flew escort for the 'SO' mission on Apr 16. - The Rose book provides much information about the origins and types of 'radical' approaches employed by the Luftwaffe in the late-war years. - The Price book contains just a couple of paragraphs on the Apr 16 mission. It states that the 'SO' pilots were all from SG 104, which doesn't jibe with the info in Saft, Schulze, Griehl, or the SG 104 article in Jägerblatt. - The Wehrmachtsberichte volume contains a brief reference to the suicide bomber attacks against the Oder bridges in its entry for Apr 17 1945. Hope that helps, Leon Venter |
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1945, eastern front, ju 88, kampfgruppe freiheit, mystery |
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