4.(F)/123, 5.(F)/123 and NAG 13

[Schlageter]

What were the tasks of these three Reconnaissance units in France?
Reconnaissance flights over the UK seem to me a bit difficult, considering the British air defense in 1943 and 1944 as well as the limited range of the Fw 190 and Bf 109.
Or did they perform other tasks such as patroling the coast and the ocean, intercepting Allied bombers and fighters,...

Thanks in advance and best regards

Michael

[Nick Beale]

There are reports in Ultra on Bf 109 reconnaissance flights over the south coast of England in spring 1944, e.g. covering the Dartmouth - Plymouth area.

[Chris Goss]

A logbook I have from a pilot of NAG 13 supports what Nick says. They tended to operate in pairs and did shot down a few Allied aircraft but essentially they were tactical recce aircraft

[Brian Bines]

On 7-3-44 Oblt. Gottfried Bitterlich of Stab/NAG 13 was killed when his Fw 190 crashed North of Guerney Airfield. His may have been one of three 190's engaged by Spitfires of 610 Sqd. south of Start Point.
On 28-3-44 Obfw. Friedrich Geuter of 5(F)/123 was shot down and killed by Allied Fighters near Amiens, while he was returning from a recon. to London and the Thames Estuary,
Regards
Brian Bines

[George Hopp]

The following from the interrogation of Ofrich W. Mayer, W/T operator on a 1(F)/121 Me 410 shot down on the morning of 26 Apr 44:

"Daylight photographic reconnaissance of ports and coastal areas of Southern England by the single-engined a/c of 3./121, based at Bernay, and other similar units has met with a measure of success; the attack on Portsmouth on the night of the 25th April, for instance, was based on cover obtained by a/c of that unit in the early morning of the same day."

Sorry, I now see that you didn't want anything on 3./121.

[Schlageter]

Thank you for your replies.
One last question though; when 5.(F)/123 was disbanded in November 1944, what happened to the pilots, were they transfered to other reconaissance units or to fighter units, I know of a Fhj.-OFw. Schäfer of 4.(F)/123, 150 sorties, who was transfered to JG 2, so maybe 5. Staffel sent their pilots to Jagdgeschwader as well.
And were these pilots retrained like the former bomber, transporter or destroyer pilots?
Where can I find pictures of the three units aircraft, either in a book or the Net?

Thanks in advance

Michael

[Hauptmann]

Hello,

in 1943 to 1944 ( till the invasion ) the 4.(F)/123 flew recce mission over the south Coast of England ( from Plymouth to Hostings) ... From the middle of june 1944 they trasfered from Bernay to Nonancort/Dreux and they flew missions over the invasion front... in july they transfered to Cormeilles-en-Vexin... the 20th of august 1944 they trasfered to Rosaries/Chaulnes flying sorties over Lettavre, Paris, Romilly, Troyes and Montargis... the 26th of august they moved to Douzy/Sedan... the 31st of August they trasfered to Trier-Euren... the 3rd of september they transfered to Niedermendig flying sorties over Aachen, Geilenkirchen, Monschau, Huertgenwald, Wesel, Xanten, Zabern and Muelhausen...
From january 1945 they flew with a double task... flying Jabos sorties and taking some photos at the same time... the 25th of Februar they operated from Limburg... the 27th of Februar Uffz.Lessmann spotted 15 tanks wich had allready crossed the Rine... it was allmost the End... they keept on flying sorties over Frankfurt, Hanau and Aschaffenburg... it looks like one of their last task was to search for a lost division over the Black Forest... later they transfered to Kalden and the last airfield from where they operated was Gottingen...

"We remained a very disciplined and performing unit till the bitter end"

These are the really last words from a diary/photoalbum of a mechanic of this unit...

I hope that I could help...

[Rudolf Hecke]

Hello Michael

Lt. BA/MA Freiburg

7.11.1944 were renamed


1.(F)/121 = 1./NAG 1,
4.(F)/123 = 2./NAG 1,
5.(F)/123 = 3./NAG 1.


Look at my article in Jet & Prop 2/05 "Die Nahaufklärungsgruppen (NAG)
1-16 und deren Verbandskennzeichen (VKZ)".


Rudolf Hecke

[1ELISE]

Hello dear people here

I am new here and currently have an important research.

I have many questions about a FW190 blue15+ in Nomandie December 1943 with 3-Killmarks on siderudder and a ME/BF109 blue2+ both of 4.(F)/123

Who could have flown these machines?

Around Christmas 1943 already 3 shooting marks I think of Schuster Hans DKiG - is that possible and compatible with blue15 or blue2 ?

Please excuse my very bad english, my language is german. I hope you understand my request here...

Friendly greetings from Switzerland
Karl