Debrecen

[Larry deZeng]

Hi Alex,

Captured B-17s used operationally by the Luftwaffe were flown by 1. Staffel/KG 200. Over the course of 1943-45, a total of 23 B-17s were used by KG 200, almost exclusively for the purpose of dropping agents behind enemy lines. Between 1 July and 1 October 1944, I./KG 200 flew some 100 agent missions, mostly in the East. Something between 600 and 1,000 agents were inserted in this fashion from 1943 to 1945. One of the 1. Staffel agent insertion Kommandos (detachments) was Kdo. "Klara" which flew B-17s and other aircraft from bases in eastern Europe, including Romania and South Poland. From late August through September 1944, 1. Staffel was particularly busy carrying out agent insertion operations "Mob. Tag I/Mob. Tag II" and "Wolf" along the Eastern Front, especially over northwestern Ukraine. Debrecen would have been an excellent base from which to drop agents behind Russian lines east of the Carpathians. Unfortunately, no documentation exists from which to confirm and corroborate that 1. Staffel was using Debrecen at this time for this purpose, but it seems a good bet. So this may be the story behind the B-17 in Luftwaffe markings abandoned at Debrecen.

You can find a full list of all 23 B-17s in KG 200 service on page 66 of:

G.Thomas and B.Ketley – KG 200: The Luftwaffe’s Most Secret Unit (Hikoki Pub. Ltd, 2003)