Soviet raid on Schatalowka airfield, 14 September 1943

[Larry deZeng]

Some data on the two airfields and a few of the units that were stationed there at one time or another:

Schatalowka-West (RUSS) (a.k.a. Shatalovka; today Shatalovo) (54 20 35 N – 32 28 40 E)
General: airfield 55 km SE of Smolensk, 8 km S of the village of Pochinok and 2.5 km S of the village of Gorodok. Just west of the main rail line running south from Smolensk to Roslavl’. A pre-war Soviet air base and one of the Luftwaffe’s principal airfields on the central sector of the Eastern Front from August 1941 to September 1943.
Air Units:
Station Units: Koflug 21/XI (8/41); Fl.H.Kdtr. E 9/VI (8/41); Fl.H.Kdtr. E 35/XI (9/41); Fl.Werkstattzug (mot) 10/II (3/42); Lw.-Bau-Btl. 5/III (8/41); Lw.-Bau-Btl. 10/VI; Res.Flak-Abt. 363 (9/41); le.Flak-Abt. 783 (3/43); le.Flak-Abt. 854(v)(8/43); Werft-Kp. 37 (10/42); Nachschub-Kp. 6/III (8/41); Flugmelde-Funk-Kp. z.b.V. 25 (3/43);
Schatalowka-Ost (RUSS) (a.k.a. Shatalovka-East; today Shatalovo-East or Borovskoye). (54 22 37 N – 32 32 05 E)
General: airfield 55 km SE of Smolensk and 6.5 km SE of the village of Pochinok; adjacent to the village of Borovskoye and 5 km NE of the main airfield at Shatalovka.
Air Units:
Station Units: Fl.H.Kdtr. E 17/I (8/41); Stab/II. Fliegerkorps (9/41); Res.Flak-Abt. 751; Bergungstrupp 17/XI; Lw.-Bau-Btl. 3/XI (8/41);

Many different air units were stationed at these airfields for various period of time. I do not yet have a list of these. Both airfields were attacked numerous times by the VVS between August 1941 and September 1943, according to the daily reports of the Heeres-Armeeoberkommandos responsible for that sector.

Larry