Luftwaffe Quartermaster files and FlaK

[Larry deZeng]

Tormod -

Here is a rough and very incomplete outline of information I was able to extract from the many Wehrmacht documents from various commands (mostly Heer) in Norway 1940-45:

Kjevik (NOR) (a.k.a. Kristiansand-South?) (58 12 N – 08 05 E)
General: airfield 8 km NE of Kristiansand in S Norway. A civil airport since 1 June 1939 with a 1,000 meter concrete runway. The Luftwaffe lengthened it to 1,600 x 78 meters during the war. Used mainly by fighters. Ration strength 1 Mar 43: 171 Boden, 88 Ln., 173 Flak, 81 Wehrmachtgefolge.
Air Units: (see web site ww2.dk).
School Units: (none).
Erg./Ers. Units: Erg.St. IV.(Stuka)/LG 1 (Jan – May 41);
Station Commands: Fl.H.Kdtr. E 43/III (1940-41)?; Fl.H.Kdtr. A 203/III (Nov 42 – Mar 44); Fl.H.Kdtr. E(v) 202/III (Apr 44 – 1945).
Other: I./Flak-Rgt. 611; Flakwaffen-Werkstatt 9/III; Ldssch.Kp.d.Lw. 5/III; Ldssch.Zug d.Lw. 83/III; Ldssch.Zug d.Lw. 62/IV; Nachschub-Kol.Abt.d.Lw. 6/III; Trsp.Kol.d.Lw. 41/III; Trsp.Kol.d.Lw. 42/III; Trsp.Kol.d.Lw. 48/III; Trsp.Kol.d.Lw. 143/III; mittl.Flugbetriebsstoff-Kol. 502/VIII.


As you can see, there was very little Flak in the Kristiansand area in March 1943 - about one Batterie, I would guess. But units came and went continually, so it is very, very difficult if not impossible to identify all of them. You have a real job ahead of you.

Larry

[Delmenhorst]

Are we talking Luftwaffe flak or naval flak ?? Or even Heeresflak ?

[TormodChristiansen]

Hi Larry,

thanks for the list I have some additions to it regarding the FlaK.
If you should got any comments or corrections to it, please let me know.

All of the FlaK units in this part of the land were coordinated under Flakuntergruppe Kristiansand - Lister (est. ca summer of 1940)

Parts of Flak-reg. 611. arrived in april 1940 and was first used as harbour defence then moved to Kjevik in june, somewhere around december 1940, the battery was moved back to the harbour. Probably there were no further permanent 8,8 cm batteri stationed direct at Kjevik. The Kampfweisung from the local 214. Inf-div shows a 2 cm light and a medium 7,5 cm battery stationed at Kjevik around 1941. Around the same time on the other side of the Topdalsfjord at Kjevik, a heavy Flak battery was established at Justnes (611.??). There were probably at least eight different sites for heavy Flak around Kristiansand, but not all were of course occupied during the same time. many eyewitnesses talks about dummy guns or empty battery sites.

Between 1941 and early 1944 I don't have any kind of maps nor location-named (from the german side of view) placements of units. In March 1944 Flakregiment 641 (v) moves in from Finland and takes part of the Airfield defence, this unit was later renamed to 569. (v) (?) and finished the war manning the light Flak around Kristiansand. For the Heavy Flak, the situation was somehwat different; in late 1944, several new 8,8 batteries were added and laid under the administration of Mar.FlaK 714 as dual purpouse batteries.

In addition to the "pure" Marineflak batteries, you also got a 8,8 cm Alarm-Flak battery at the Batterie Vara (38 cm). This battery was probably operated by Kriegsmarine personell from the Fortress. In addition you also had some Heeresflak units as "Leichte Flak-Zug Gimlemoen".

Do you have a source for the march 1943 ration strenght?

regards,
Tormod

[Larry deZeng]

Tormod -

The strength figures for March 1943 came from a Luftwaffe document that gave these figures for most of the bases in Norway. For example, the ration strength on 1 Mar 43 for Stavanger-Sola/Land was: 269 Boden, 67 Ln., 582 Flak, 200 Wehrmachtgefolge. To search my 100+ boxes of documents for this one would take me several days and I just do not have the time right now. But here are some Flak source citations for you:

Sources noted are all from U.S. NARA Record Group 242, Microcopy T-77, T-321, T-971, etc. The number following the “/” is the frame number.

I./Flak-Rgt. 611:
Apr 40 – Feb 45: Kristiansand (T-971 roll 60; T-321 roll 30; T-77; T-321 roll 50/286; T-312 roll 1070/289).

gem.Flak-Abt. 641(v)
Jun 43: transferred from Kemi/Finland to Kristiansand and still there May 44 (RG 226/PWIS XL10731).
May 44: all or elements now protecting the mine complex at Knaben/Norway (ULTRA intercept KV3301).
1944-45: returned to Germany and sent to East Prussia (Tessin).

gem.Flak-Abt. 569(v)
Formed about March 1944 (Tessin).
2 May 44: at Sauda (NNE of Stavanger) under Flak-Rgt. 92 (ULTRA KV3301).
Feb 45: Stavanger under 29. Flak-Div. (Tessin).

Also see: http://www.ww2.dk/

Larry

[byron-]

@ Tormod

Do you have the TESSIN publication? You can find there very useful infos

[TormodChristiansen]

Thanks again Larry, that covered some more holes! In the Ia files to LXX armeekorps in march 1944 there is a note saying that "16 schweren geschütze" are transfered to the defence of Knaben.

byron-: Tessin are on my "must buy"-list, but sadly also a lot of KTB's....I need to get the right numbers in Lotto in one day ;-)