Staka 6.(F)/Aufkl.Gr. 123?

[Larry deZeng]

Doug Stankey and I are wondering if anyone has ever come across the identity of the Staffelkapitän of 6.(F)/Aufkl.Gr. 123, which was based at Cormeilles-en-Vexin from the end of April 1944 to mid-August 1944 when it withdrew via Deelen to Köthen, south-east of Magdeburg, and there disbanded in September. This was a Horch- und Stör-Staffel engaged in highly classified experimental and operational missions controlled by the II. Abteilung of the Ln.-Versuchs-Rgt. at Köthen, and accordingly information about the personnel assigned to it is hard to come by. Any information identifying its Staka or anyone even suspected of being its Staka would be much appreciated.

HLdeZ & DGS

[Nick Beale]

I've got the attached which may be a clue. I don't have the previous message they mention, though.

[Larry deZeng]

Thanks, Nick,that's an interesting intercept and fits in nicely with other material I have on the Staffel. We only have two SCHWEIGLs in our data base and one of them was an Oberstabsarzt M.D. The other fellow is Hans SCHWEIGL, who on 24 June 1943 was an Oblt. with II./LG 1. He was wounded on that date during an Allied air raid on Salonika-Sedes airfield carried out by 49 B-24s from IX Bomber Command. Unfortunately, we don't know the position he held with II./LG 1. An educated guess would be that SCHWEIGL was the T.O. of Aufkl.St. 6.(F)/123 rather than the Staka, but that's just speculation.

Larry

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by Larry deZeng

An educated guess would be that SCHWEIGL was the T.O. of Aufkl.St. 6.(F)/123 rather than the Staka, but that's just speculation.

Larry

For what it's worth, the Staffelkapitäne of 4. and 5.(F)/123 were signing their strength returns at this period. So it's possible that the 6. followed suit.

[Larry deZeng]

Originally Posted by Nick Beale

For what it's worth, the Staffelkapitäne of 4. and 5.(F)/123 were signing their strength returns at this period. So it's possible that the 6. followed suit.

That could well be. I don't have KStN 1123 Fernaufklärungsstaffel (F), 1. Februär 1944, Personalgliederung, BA-MA RL 2/III/573, but it may stipulate that the Staffelkapitän and the technisches Offizier are one and the same as a result of the "Personal Einsparungsmaßnahmen" that were being put into force. I think the T.O. at Staffel-level was an additional duty, anyway, so it could well be the same person here. Thanks,

Larry

[Nick Beale]

Just found a bigger and better set of returns, definitely signed by the TO although there is one Leutnant pilot named this time.