09.09.1940 - Wetterkungdunsstaffel Kdo Flughafenbereich Morlaix

[Henofred]

Hello/Bonjour,

Two burial cards or Gräberkarteikarten found on the Fold3 website question me.

The Oberfeuerwerker PALFNER Klaus and Flieger DALLAMAHSL Johann belonging to the Wetterkungdunsstaffel Kdo Flughafenbereich Morlaix are killed on September 9, 1940 at a place given as being an airfield but there is no airfield at this place - the nearest being at Quimper (Pluguffan). The place of death is the Flughafen Ploneour-Lanvern (about 20km south south-west of Quimper). A landing strip? I am thus looking for any information regarding these two deaths and Wetterkungdunsstaffel.

Best regards,
Frederic

[Chris Goss]

VDK says Flughafen Plonevur. Would appear to be an accident and no sign of any air attack

[Henofred]

Bonjour Chris,

I had also checked to see if these deaths were due to an air raid but it is the airfield's name who is quite strange.

Best regards,
Frederic

[Laurent Rizzotti]

There are three cards for this death date and the search term Morlaix:
Dallamaßl, Johann (G-C 036/0052)
Palfner, Klaus (G-A 669/0332)
Dollamahsl, Johann (G-A 076/0875)

The first and the third are the same gay, whose name on VDK is Dallamahsl, Johann. The names above are probably misreads by the program used by fold3 to "read" the images.

The two last cards have "Unfall" written in the death details, indicating it was an accident.

All say that it happens in a Flughafen that fold3 reads as "Ploneour-Lanvern". A Flughafen is a seaplane station. There was one in Lanveoc, and VDK says that Dallamahsl was killed in Lanveoc. There is sadly little possibility that the Lanvern above could be a misread Lanveoc, as all card have the burial place written is Lanveoc, with a clear difference in writing with Lanvern.

[Henofred]

Hello Laurent,

Thank you for your answer. Yes, I read that it was an accident but it is the place of death that is intriguing. You will note that each headings are clear as well as the entry for each of these headings (Ort des Todes for Place of death = Flgh. Ploneour-Lanvern) and (Lage und Nr. des Grabes, also Grablage for Location and No. of grave also Grave location = Ehren Friedhof. Brest[Süd]-Lanveoc), and these places are several kilometres away. So I really don't think there is a mix with the place names.

Best regards,
Frederic

[Merlin]

Lanveoc was called by the Luftwaffe Brest-Süd, which was the home base of Wekusta 2 Ob.b.d.L. since July 1940.

[Henofred]

Hello Merlin,

Then, probably men belonging to this unit because the Wettererkungdunsstaffel Kdo Flughafenbereich Morlaix doesn't tell me anything. Thank you for this message.

Best regards,
Frederic

[Laurent Rizzotti]

My guess is that these men were Luftwaffe "ground troops" rather than airmen, and were probably killed in a road accident. Maybe you can find something in French gendarmerie reports ?

[Henofred]

Hello Laurent,

I thought about this assumption and I will check someday if there is a Gendarmerie report in the archives, but where most cards only mention the name of the place, why did they wrote Flughafen? A road accident does not justify it. A nice enigma.

Best regards,
Frederic

[John Vasco]

Flughafen.

Doesn't that translate literally into English as Airport.

In English we say airfield or airport; in German is there not only Flughafen?

Correct me if I'm wrong, please...