Fuhrer Kurier Staffel

[kaki3152]

I 've seen some night fighter claims by pilots of this unit.

What was it and why would night fighters be assigned to this unit?

[Larry deZeng]

A short summary:

Kurierstaffel des Führers

Formation. (Aug 39)
Formed 26 August 1939, probably at Berlin-Staaken with 12 aircraft to provide courier and liaison services to the Führerhauptquartier (Hitler’s headquarters). The date and place of formation comes from a single source and therefore needs to be confirmed.

Germany. (Sep 39 - Mar 44)
6 May 41: at Berlin-Staaken - sent two of its He 111D-2s (C3+HK and TT+NX) to Iraq to carry out the initial reconnaissance of the situation there for Sonderkommando Junck.
Jul 41: became a component of or operationally subordinated to Fliegerstaffel des Führers (F.d.F.) in July, although it retained its separate identity. Kurierstaffel des Führers belonged to the Luftwaffe while F.d.F. did not. From this date forward the Staffel was split between the Führer’s command bunker complex in Rastenburg/East Prussia and Berlin-Staaken.
3 Apr 42: a man from the Staffel was reported injured at Fp.Lorient/W France when he was struck by a propeller.
6 Jun 42: Fh 104 ran out of fuel and force landed at Vorotinov, 30%.
12 Nov 42: Bf 108B-1 crashed near Sangershausen, 100%, 2 killed.
30 Dec 42: Ju 52 crashed while taking off from Stalingrad-Pitomnik, 100%, Maj. Noack, 3 crew members and 15 troops all killed. The latter were probably wounded being evacuated.
17 Jan 43: 2 Fi 156s, 1 He 111 and 1 Fh 104 destroyed in a hangar fire at Rastenburg/East Prussia that was probably caused by an electrical shortcircuit, all 100%.
Sep – Oct 43: on the initiative of Staka Hptm. Bornschein, the Staffel began to equip itself with some day and night fighters. It is not clear whether these were to serve as escort to the courier aircraft or whether they were to replace the courier aircraft.
5 Oct 43: Ju 52 crashed in Italy while on a flight from Berlin-Staaken, 100%, 3 killed.
25 Oct 43: Ju 88C-6 crash landed at Fp. Breslau-Gandau, 25%.
25 Nov 43: Do 217E-1 damaged landing at Fp.Heiligenbeil/East Prussia, 20%.
Mar 44: renamed Verbindungsstaffel 7.

FpN: (L 08047)

Staffelkapitän:
Hptm. Kurt Leythaeuser ( ? - ? ) 5/41
Hptm. Walter Bornschein (Jun 43 - Mar 44)


© H.L. deZeng IV, 2003

Sources:
W.Dierich-VdL.
Jet & Prop magazine, Heft (issue) 3/1991.
K.Kössler/G.Ott-Die großen Dessauer: Junkers Ju 89, Ju 90, Ju 290, Ju 390 – Die Geschichte einer Flugzeugfamilie:200.
BA-MA Freiburg: RL 2 III Meldungen über Flugzeugunfälle…..(Loss Reports – LRs).
Günther Ott e-mail to Chris Goss dated 13 Feb 2002.
W.Dierich-op cit; Günther Ott e-mail – op cit.

[Johannes]

I do have a few claims for this unit, mostly I don't known the forenames but:-
25th April 1944 Oblt Anders Lembcke unknown type at 0209 hrs
27th July 1944 Fw (can't read name, but "Kon...") Pe-2 1032 hrs
8th August 1944 Fw Klaus Dietrich Pe-2 0825 hrs
16th August 1944 Oblt Klenk Pe-2 1014 hrs
28th August 1944 Oblt Gotthold Boston 1020 hrs
5th September 1944 Ofw H.Schmitz Pe-2 1125hrs
29th September 1944 Oblt Klenk Pe-2 1352 hrs
28th October 1944 Ofw Wolkenstein Pe-2 1354 hrs

Regards

Johannes

P.S don't know fates of pilots, or why so many Pe-2's.

[Larry deZeng]

Perhaps the Pe-2s are explained by the Staffel being divided into two components - a Kurier-element and a Jagd-element - with the latter operating in East Prussia during summer-fall 1944? The Staffel had a strong connection to the Führerhauptquartier at Rastenburg and part of it was based at the airfield there from June 1941 to August 1944. But why only Pe-2s? That's a good question.

L.

[Schlageter]

With which types of aircrafts was the Jagd-element equipped?

Thanks in advance and best regards

Michael

[Larry deZeng]

Here is the unit continuation. These obscure Kurier- and Verbindungsstaffeln are difficult to find information about. One of the big questions is whether it continued to use the Kurierstaffel des Führers designation or was redesignated Verbindungsstaffel 7. There seems to be no proof that it did, only unsubstantiated statements in the postwar literature. Several of the members here have the NVMs and the Summarische Verlustmeldungen for 1944 that might give more information regarding the aircraft allocated to this Staffel and its true designation during 1944-45.


Verbindungsstaffel 7

Formation. (Mar 44)
Formed March 1944 at Berlin-Staaken and Rastenburg/East Prussia by renaming Kurierstaffel des Führers. Staffel equipped with day and night fighters as well as courier/liaison aircraft.

Germany. (Mar 44 - May 45)
25 Apr 44: the Staffel filed a claim for shooting down an RAF Lancaster bomber near Dachau/N of Munich at 0209 hours. Unfortunately, there are no further details.
27 Apr 44: Ju 88C-6 lost in the Schweinfurt area during a night fighter mission, 100%, Staffelkapitän Hptm. Bornschein and 2 others KIA.
Apr 45: at Neuburg/Donau with at least some He 262 jets. The Staffel was supposed to move to Lechhausen along the Munich-Augsburg Autobahn and use the Autobahn as a runway.

FpN: none.

Staffelkapitän:
Hptm. Walter Bornschein (Mar 44 - 27 Apr 44) KIA
Hptm. Paul Talk (May 44 - 8 May 45)

© H.L. deZeng IV, 2003




Sources:

Jet & Prop magazine, Heft (issue) 4/1994:43-50; Günther Ott e-mail to Chris Goss dated 13 Feb 2002.
BA-MA Freiburg: Luftwaffen-Personalamt L.P.(A)5(V) (OKL Chef für Ausz. und Disziplin). 18 rolls of microfilm consisting of partial daily log sheets and summaries of Luftwaffe enemy aircraft victory claims as reported by both air and antiaircraft units to the end of 1944, many of the entries being extremely difficult to read. The material has been keyed to a database and can be found at website tonywood.cjb.net under the short title “O.K.L. Fighter Claims”.
G.Ott-op cit.
M.Jurleit-Strahljäger Me 262 im Einsatz: Alle Geschwader, Gruppen und Kommandos:116.

[Johannes]

Hi Guys

Can't identify claimer for 25th April 1944, but can tell you it was an Oberleutnant who's name look something like "Leubcke" but U's look like N's e.t.c

Regards

Johannes

[Chris Goss]

This is the difficulty-some say Bornschein was flying a Do 217 N, others a Ju 88 C-6.

Larry:

Bornschein's NVM dated 27 Apr 44 still has the unit at Führerkurierstaffel not Verbindungstaffel 7. His personnel documents say likewise as did his tombstone

[Larry deZeng]

That appears to be correct, Chris. There were no Kurierstaffeln or Verbindungsstaffeln with the number 7 after October 1943 as far as I can determine. Perhaps it was a cover name for the He 262 detachment or Staffel that was being cobbled together in April 1945. More information is needed.

L.

[O.Menu]

Hi Larry,

Do you mean He 162 or Me 262 ?