Sonderkommando Totenkopf

[Larry deZeng]

Don P. –

The unit was designated Panzerjägerstaffeln Bü 181. It was a very complicated unit to unravel and piece together, but (immodestly) I think I have written the best account of it yet. It will be covered in one of the chapters of our (deZeng/Stankey) two-volume wook currently being published by Chevron/Ian Allan ( http://www.ianallanpublishing.com/product.php?productid=67389&cat=0&page=1 ). In the meantime, here are the main sourcing citations for the unit and the chapter:


[1]R.Chapman/K.Kössler-“The Bücker with the Panzerfaust”, in: Scale Models magazine, Mar 1982 issue, pp.142-45.
[1] Greppmeir, Werner-“Das letzte Aufgebot (Panzerjägerstaffeln Bü 181)”, in: Jet & Prop issue 6/1998, pp.20-23. (Note: the designation used by these two “Gruppen” may have been discarded shortly after they were formed in favor of Panzerjägerstaffel Bü 181).
[1] PRO London: DEFE 3 ULTRA signal KO118; U.Saft- Das Bittere Ende der Luftwaffe: “Wilde Sau” – Sturmjäger – Rammjäger – Todesflieger – “Bienenstock”:157; G.Cordts-Junge Adler:226 and 230.
[1] ULTRA signal KO83.
[1] Dierich-VdL:272; G.Cordts-op cit.
[1] ULTRA signal KO709.
[1] ULTRA KO844.
[1] KO1176.
[1] Dierich-op cit:272.
[1] KO1487.
[1] KO1476.
[1] W.Greppmeir-op cit.
[1] Chapman/Kössler-op cit.
[1] G.Cordts-op cit. (Note: Cordts states that Rick Chapman and Karl Kössler co-authored an article entitled "Die Bücker mit der Panzerfaust" that appeared on page 13 in a 1982 issue of Modell Magazin, and mainly concerned itself with the operational missions of the 3. Panzerjägerstaffel in the Kaufbeuren area.
[1] W.Greppmeir-op cit.

In all this material, there is no mention of "Falke", so we must assume that Dickfeld was talking about something else.

Oops!
Red-Faced Postscript:
It has been 6 years since I read my own material and I have just looked at it again. Indeed, Dickfeld was the instigator behind this project:

“This entire project (to form and command these Staffeln) was apparently under the command of Oberstlt. Adolf Dickfeld, who carried the official title General für Nachwuchs-Luftwaffe, which was a component branch of the Luftwaffenpersonalamt.”

Although I still did not find any reference to “Falke”, that may have been a code word used for the various numbered Staffeln. For example, 3. Tiefangriffsgruppe Bücker 181 may have been referred to by radio as “Falke III”, but that’s just a guess. Incidently, this 3rd Gruppe is the one that was employed in Bavaria against the U.S. truck columns that were using the Dillingen bridge.