What air Station is this?

[fran]

Found stamped with ink in a flight suit. What air unit flew from there if any? find enclosed pic. Thanks

[Larry deZeng]

Not an airfield. Looks like "Fl. Gr. Höll" = "Fliegergruppe Höll". The name "Höll" is abbreviated so it will be pretty difficult to determine what the name is.

[Geyerfalck]

More likely a "K" instead of an "H"...

[Nordpol54]

Dear Gang,

i do agree with Geyerfalck's interpretation and partially with Larry.
So - just a guess of mine: If it is a capital K and "Köll" an abbreviation, why not talking about "Fliegergruppe Kölleda"? By searching the i-net i've found this:

http://www.luftzeugamt-koelleda.de/main/

Please feel free to have a look in as well.

Best Regards
Norbert

[Larry deZeng]

You guys are right - it's a "K" rather than an "H". And Kölleda has a high degree of probability. But this does raise another question or two. There is no "Fliegergruppe Kölleda" listed in any of the reference works, and there were no flying units based at Kölleda until January 1945. As Norbert mentioned, it was strictly an aviation equipment office (Luftzeugamt) and an air park (Luftpark), and then from 1942 it was also a factory airfield (Industriehafen) for the ATG firm.

As far as I know, the term "Fliegergruppe" was always used in conjunction with a flying unit, and usually during the 1935-36 period only. So, could the abbreviation "Köll" be for a person rather than for an airfield? The use of the Umlaut greatly limits the possibilities. There are only a couple of names that might be candidates: KÖLLER, Max and KÖLLER, Otto. But both of these were Ergänzungs-Offiziere and neither had a flying license.

One other possibility: could "Fl.Gr." actually be "H.Gr." for Horstgruppe instead of Fliegergruppe? But then why would a Fliegerhorstkommandantur that had no aircraft have a flying suit?

Here is some basic information on Kölleda:

Kölleda (GER) (51 11 30 N – 11 13 40 E)
General: airfield (Fliegerhorst) 27 km NNE of Erfurt in Thuringia, 25 km NNW of Weimar and 2.5 km WNW of Kölleda.
History: built 1935-36 and established as a Lw. Fliegerhorstkommandantur by 1 October 1936. Used as an equipment depot and air park from 1938 to the end of the war. From 1942, it was also a factory airfield (Industriehafen) for ATG (a Junkers sub-contractor).
Dimensions: approx. 1100 x 1100 meters (1200 x 1200 yards) and roughly circular in shape.
Surface and Runways: grass surface. No paved runway. Equipped with boundary and obstruction lighting, a flare path, a beam approach system and the short form of the visual Lorenz system for night landings.
Fuel and Ammunition: refueling points were in front of the hangars.
Infrastructure: Kölleda had 3 very large hangars on the NE boundary, and 1 very large, 1 large repair type and 1 medium hangar on the NW boundary, all with paved hangar aprons and interconnected by taxiways. The ATG factory was on the S boundary along with the station buildings and barracks. A branch rail line from Kölleda encircled the airfield serving the hangars at the N end and all the buildings at the S end.
Dispersal: aircraft were parked in open fields off the NE, NW and SE sides of the landing area. There were also a total of 4 large open aircraft shelters including 2 at the SE corner.
Defenses: unknown.
Remarks:
7 Jul 44: bombed by 102 B-17 Fortresses.
20 Jul 44: bombed by 23 B-17s.
24 Aug 44: bombed by 30 B-17s.
Operational Units: none identified.
Reserve Training & Replacement Units: Stab and I./Erg.Aufklärungsgeschwader 1 (Jan – Apr 45).
Station Commands: as Fl.H.Kdtr. Kölleda (to 1943); Fl.H.Kdtr. A(o) 30/III (1944-45).
Kommandant (mainly prior to the establishment of numbered station commands – not complete): Oberst Rudolf Schonger (Mar 43 - 6 Jul 43); Obstlt. Georg Steinsiek (6 Jul 43 - Aug 43); Oberst Paul Dressler (Aug 43 - ? ).
Station Units (on various dates – not complete): Luftzeugamt 1/IV (c. 1938-45); Luftpark Kölleda (c. 1938-43); Werft-Abt. 23/III (1944-45); Werft-Kp 22 (n.d.); Flieger-Geräteausgabestelle (Eis.) 54/XI (Sep 43 - ).
[Sources: AFHRA A5258 pp.684-85 (4 May 44); chronologies; BA-MA; NARA; PRO/NA; web site ww2.dk]

L.

[fran]

Thanks Larry and friends