Glider Towers lost on Budapest supply flights

[Brian Bines]

Is there any confirmation/details of the loss of a Do17 and a Ju87 on supply flights to Budapest 28-12-44 to 15-02-1945. Would the Do17 have belonged to 1/Schleppegr.2 and was the Ju87 also was engaged on a glider towing mission ? I could not find these in the available GQM returns for the period, appreciate any help on this,

Regards

Brian Bines

[ju55dk]

You have to look in the KTB LFK 6. Thre are at least some metioned.

Junker

[Larry deZeng]

Schleppgruppe 2 was disbanded on 18 October 1944. Schleppgruppe 3 was disbanded in September 1944. Only Schleppgruppe 1 still existed during the Budapest air supply operation, but it was re-equipping at Koethen SE of Magdeburg and did not participate.

[Source: Schlaug, Georg. Die deutschen Lastensegler-Verbände 1937-1945: Eine Chronik aus Berichten, Tagebüchern, Dokumenten. Stuttgart: Motorbuch Verlag, 1985. ISBN: 3-613-01065-8. Hb. Dj. 296p. Illus. Maps. Appendices. Glossary of abbreviations. Bibliography.]

[Nick Beale]

A quick look through the QMG lists show DFS 230 losses from "Schleppgr. 1 (Vordruck II)" and "Schleppst. z.b.V Reich" or "Schleppgr. z.b.V. Reich".

Schleppgr. 1 reported three Ju 87 G-2 lost at Detmold (14.01.45) and 12 more at Posen on the 31st. Also an He 111, two more Ju 87 and five Go 242 at various locations in February.

[Larry deZeng]

Staffel z.b.V. Reich
Formed at Giessen in October 1944 from 2./LLG 1. During Dec 44, it reported 18 Do 17s and 18 DFS 230s on strength. Ordered to Papa in W Hungary on 6 Jan 45 from where it flew hundreds of glider resupply flights to Budapest. Its last mission to Budapest was on 11 Feb 45 during which it flew 73 DFS 230s towed by Do 17s to the city, 41 of these landing successfully. At the end of Feb 45 it was transferred to Alt-Lönnewitz and incorporated into Schleppgruppe 1 as its 4. Staffel. Staka throughout was Hptm. Klaus-Dieter Reich.

[Source: Schlaug, op.cit.]