Luftwaffe Radars on Sicily

[Larry deZeng]

This should be a full account of radar in North Africa and on Sicily to the end of August 1943:

01.42: the first Freya (Gerät F-Lafette [Z] 32) in the Mediterranean was set up under a Leutnant Deleiter to direct the Flak defenses at Tripoli that were responsible for protecting the supply hub and dumps located there. (H-201)
04.42: the first Würzburg-D-Gerät set up on Bomba Bay near Tmimi airfield to the east of Derna and operated by 7.(Flum.)/Ln-Rgt. Afrika. (H-202)
10.42: by October there were a total of 3 Freya (at Tripoli, Benghazi and Derna/Martuba) and 2 Würzburg-D (Benghazi and Gulf of Bomba) in North Africa. (H-204)
30.10.42: Freya site being set up on Pantelleria under an Oblt. Diehl. There was also a radar site on Lampedusa. (H-209)
03.43: Ln.-Abt. 62 was operating Freya in the Kairouan-Sousse area in Tunisia while Ln.-Abt. 63 was doing the same in northern Tunisia. (H-213)
04.43: 15.(l.Flum.)/200 operated fighter-control radar site “Jupiter” at Menzel Djemil near Bizerte/Tunisia. This was a night-fighter radar site.
04.43: 16.(l.Flum.)/200 operated fighter-control radar site “Venus” at Kobra near Tunis. There was also a Freya site “Tulpe” on Cap Kamart just to the north-east of Tunis. This was operated by 18./Ln.-Rgt. 200. (H-215-16)
20.04.43: II.(Flum.Meß)/Ln.-Rgt. 200 at Comiso/Sicily.
27.04.43: 1.(mittl.Flugm.Leit-)/200 at Marsala on the western tip of Sicily.
04.43: the last Siebel ferry to leave Tunisia evacuated a Freya set to Sicily. All the other sets in Tunisia were demolished in the Cap Bone area just before the surrender. (H-213)
01.06.43: after the conclusion of the Tunisian campaign, there were a total of 2 Freya sites and 2 Würzburg-D sites protecting Sicily to the south and west. These were located on Pantelleria, on Lampedusa, on Sardinia and at Cafiari. (H-215-16)
07.-12.06.43: the heavy Allied air attacks on Pantelleria and Lampedusa destroyed the Freya sites there and the Wassermann and Mammut sites on the south coast of Sicily were demolished 10-12 July to keep them from falling into Allied hands. This was the end of all radar sites on or around Sicily that served the Nachtjagdraumführer Sizilien. (H-219)
08.43: According to Hoffmann (p.223-25), there were no radar sites on Sicily after 12 July, but there were a total of 17 Freya sites in the Italian “foot” (toe, instep and heel) plus 5 Wassermann sites. There are a few of those mentioned: 9.(s.Flum.)/200 operating a Freya radar site at Cap Spartivento on the toe of Italy; another Freya site was at Villa San Giovanni/7 km NE of Messina; 10.(s.Flum.)/200 operating a Freya radar site at Cap Vaticano on the Gulf of Gioia; and, 12.(m.Flum.)/200 operating a Freya site at Cap Scalea on the Gulf of Policastro/S Italy.

[Source: Hoffmann, Karl Otto. Ln- Die Geschichte der Luftnachrichtentruppe. Band II – Der Weltkrieg. Teil I: Der Flugmelde- und Jägerleitdienst 1939-1945. Neckargemünd: Kurt Vowinckel Verlag, 1969.]

Hope that helps!

Larry