Last ditch Fi 156 unit in April 1945

[Seaplanes]

I just recently came across some entries in translates of Luftwaffe signals traffic intercepts in AIR 40 for April/May 1945. In mid. April 1945 Jafü Nord-Ost became aware that in the areas behind the Allied front line, were only thinly occupied. This would give good possibilities for Fi 156 Storch aircraft to land at night behind Allied lines with marauder-teams to cater for anything from blowing up bridges and use panserfausts against tanks and railway locomotives. Shortly after an ad-hoc unit under the name of Sonderkommando "T" was formed with a number of Fi. 156 Storch Aircraft. Their first opertion seems to have taken place during the night of 25.-26.4.45 with 5 aircraft, each with a two-man team. The aircraft was to return immediately, but the sabotage teams were expected to return within two days. Two of the five aircraft were detailed to block the road and railway
between Rottweil and Tuttlingen. Four aircraft returned, two of them damaged, and one was missing.
The following night nine Störche were sent off to the area of Dillingen, departing between 01.45 and 02.30. Only four returned to base between
04.15 and 04.35. Five aircraft went missing.

Can anyone give some more details about this unit, like bases, aircraft
and crews.

[Larry deZeng]

Sonderkommando “Bienenstock”

also as: Sonderkommando “Totenkopf”

Formation and History. (Apr 45 - May 45)
Formed 16 April 1945 at Pocking/25 km SSW of Passau in Bavaria as a special last-ditch sabotage unit on the orders of Oberst Hajo Herrmann from some 70 survivors of Sonderkommando Elbe, together with additional volunteers from both the Luftwaffe and the Army (Heer). While half of the force remained at Pocking, the other half moved to Munich-Fürstenfeldbruck on 20 April with 12 Fieseler Fi 156 Storch liaison aircraft for assignment under Luftwaffenkdo.West. The Kommando operated at night with each Storch taking a two-man sabotage team behind Allied lines to ambush tanks and supply columns with Panzerfaust anti-tank rockets, and blow up bridges and supply dumps with demolition charges.

The first mission was flown during the night of 24/25 April in several areas of South Germany, particularly around Dillingen and Donauwörth to the northwest of Augsburg. Under the tactical control of 7. Jagddivision, the two-man-teams were either flown back the same night, or a night or two later,-if possible. For cover and deception purposes, the Kommando used the Allied code name “Special Detachment
Meredith”. The second was flown on 25/26 April with 9 Störche inserting teams into the Dillingen area during the early morning hours. Several bridges were blown up in Günzburg, but 5 of the Fi 156 Störche failed to return.

Operations were continued on a reduced scale over the next several days: on 27 April, 3 Siebel• Si 204 twin-engine aircraft were dispatched from Fürstenfeldbruck to demolish several bridges around Metz/France, with one of these crashing and exploding on take-off and the other two failing to return; on 28 April, 2 Bü 181 trainers took-off from Pocking to destroy bridges at Regensburg and were never seen again. As U.S. forces approached Munich from the west, the Kommando transferred on 28 April from Fürstenfeldbruck and Pocking to Klagenfurt-Zollfeld in South Austria. Now under Luftwaffenkdo. 4, plans called for a mass sabotage attack on U.S. 15th Air Force bomber bases around Foggia/Italy, but this was called off due to bad weather conditions. Over the next few days “Bienenstock” was divided into two groups of 40 pilots and 20 planes each, and on 5 and 6 May the first group was sent out to blow up railway bridges around Pápa and Lake Balaton in Russian-occupied Hungary. All but two of these were lost. The other group never came to action and was disbanded at Klagenfurt on 8 May.

FpN: none assigned

Kommandeur:
Maj. Otto Köhnke (c.16 Apr 45 - 8 May 45)

[Sources: U.Saft - Das Bittere Ende der Luftwaffe: “Wilde Sau” – Sturmjäger – Rammjäger – Todesflieger – “Bienenstock” (Langenhagen, 1992), pp.155-66; H.Herrmann - Eagle’s Wings: The Autobiography of a Luftwaffe Pilot (Osceola (WI), 1991), 259-66; PRO London: DEFE 3 ULTRA signals K01349 and K01543.]

L.

[Seaplanes]

Thank you Larry for a most speedy and enlightening reply. This unit was New to me.

Best regards