Luftwaffe - Bomber Units over Metz-Frescaty on 10 May 1940

[Jerome Ribeiro]

All,

Massive bombing missions were performed by the Lufwaffe over the french airfields at the paddle of 10 May 1940.

At 4h20, Luftwaffe bombers attaqued the airfield of Metz-Frescaty in NE of France. This bombing missions lasted 1h30. Damages were reported minors altough an hangar was destroyed with some A/C inside.

Does anyone know which bomber unit(s) carried out this bombing missions over Metz airfield?

Cheers
Jerome

[Horst Weber]

Jerome !

This mission was at least carried out by STUKA's of I.(St.)/186 (T). This new unit was in the late 1939's initially intended to equip the German aircraft-carrrier "Graf Zeppelin", which was then under construction. The Gruppe should be the dive-bombing element of the aircraft equipment of this carrier.

By the beginning of the hostilities in September 1939, the unit was finally handed over to the Luftwaffe and became on November 11th, 1939 a tactical unit in the STUKA-force like al other units, even if the they still carried their unusual (T) like Träger = Carrier).

On May 10th, 1940, the Gruppe was stationed at Hennweiler, about 4 km North of Kirnn, which is located about 65 Km South of Koblenz, Germany. The take-off for the mission to Metz was scheduled for 5:00 hours in the morning and it was carried out that time. The Grupppe was ordered to land after this mission at the front-closer newly constructed airfield of Ferschweiler at the Luxembourg border, which they did at 6:40 hours, only to receive the next order for a new target on those rolling missions those days.

You may gain more information about the preparations prior May 10th, 1940 and the days around that date in the book "STUKA Angriff : Sturzflug" from Helmut Mahlke or in my book "Zielpunkt Südeifel - Ein Tagebuch über die Luftkriegsereignisse in den Kreisen Bitburg und Prüm 1939 - 1945 in zwei Bänden", here Band 1: 1939 - August 1944.

The unit I. (St.) 186/ (T) was renamed on July 2nd, 1940
into III./St. G 1, which completely wiped away their Naval-touch, only to be a normal Luftwaffe unit.

It is possible, that other STUKA units also carried oüt missions that day to Metz airfield, as I./St. G 76, which took off that day from the airfield Köln-Ostheim for a mission to France and occupied for some days the newly constructed airfield Dockendorf, about 10 km East of the Luxembourg border.

In the hope, that helps, best wishes !

Horst Weber

[Dan Gilberti]

Hi jerome, hier you have pictures toward the Hangar zeppelin damaged in Frescaty

http://www.histavia21.net/Tempo/AviaMetz003.JPG
http://www.histavia21.net/Tempo/AviaMetz003b.JPG
http://www.histavia21.net/Tempo/AviaMetz004.JPG
http://www.histavia21.net/Tempo/AviaMetz005.JPG
http://www.histavia21.net/Tempo/AviaMetz007.JPG

Best regards, dan

[Jerome Ribeiro]

Bonjour Dan,

Thank you to provide such photos about the damaged zeppelin Hangar in Frescaty. It's rare to see such photos. It surprise me that minor damages were reported because this Hangar is no more serviceable for short period of time!

During this raid, 5 Amiots 143 were reported destroyed when they were parked under the Hangar. I guess this would be the Hangar but when you are looking closely the photos there are no wreck or french bombers parts. I don't know how this airfield was structured but other hangars could be also damaged.
Maybe you have others photos showing this evidence ie Amiot damaged by the bombs/hangar structure?

Cheers

Jerome

[Jerome Ribeiro]

Hello Horst,

This is really interesting to discover that the main Lufwaffe unit which carried out these bombing raid was Ju 87C Stuka - "navy" version.

You mentionned 2 books of which one is prepared by yoursel. Do you know whether or not they are printed in english?

Also, It is mentionned that potential Luftwaffe groups using Do-17Z coming from III/KG3 & 4/KG2 could participate to this raid altough the primary target was Thionville.
Does anyone could confirm this assumption?

Best Regards

Jerome

[Dan Gilberti]

Hi Jerome,
on my pics we see german's troops working in the Zeppelin hangar and one soldier inside, perhaps french relics are washed before ...
Myself I don't know Metz Airfield, it's possible we have other hangars destroyed ...
i have 2 other pics with one Amiot destroyed, for moment i never can obtain the identification for the Airfield ...Metz ?
If you or one friend on the forum can help ...

http://www.histavia21.net/GallerieDivers/amiot18kc.JPG
http://www.histavia21.net/GallerieDivers/Ami143.JPG
http://www.histavia21.net/GallerieDivers/Ami143-2l.jpg
http://www.histavia21.net/GallerieDivers/18ou12.JPG

Best Regards, Dan

[Jerome Ribeiro]

Hi Dan,

Really interesting your photos about the Amiot143. Please note that the 5 Amiot destroyed at Metz-Frescaty were MSN 40,62,73,84 & 115 from GBII/34. They came from Roye-Amy airfield (sources les Ailes Francaises T3 p6).

These MSN A/C appear different from your photos ie MSN 12 MM "11"or 18 MM "6". According to my file, these bombers was not destroyed in May'40.
I will check your photo in details tomorrow....

Cheers

Jerome

[Jerome Ribeiro]

Good Morning Horst,

You mentionned 2 books of which one is prepared by yoursel.
Do you know whether or not they will be printed in english?

Regards

Jerome

[Horst Weber]

Hello Jerome !

Sory for the delay. Both books are not available in English. The STUKA-book of Helmut Mahlke gives a first-hand description of the events in the first light of the morning on May 10th, 1940 before the mission and over the target Metz, since Hauptmann Mahlke was among the leaders of this mission as Staffelkapitän 3.(St.)/186(T).

In my book "Zielpunkt Südeifel" issue No. 1, the order of battle and the preparations of those air-raids are described, when they were launched or paticipated from an airfield in the German Südeifel-region (Counties Bitburg and Prüm, very close to the Luxembourg-Belgium frontier). This book is also only available in German.

Best regards

Horst Weber