Help to identify which unit this aircraft belonged to.

[oquaig]

Hi everyone,

In the GQM 6 this loss is listed as He 111 H-4 WNr 3243 involved in a Bruchlandung at Orscha on 7 August 1941. The problem is that it is listed as belonging to 3./KG 26. I group KG 26 is based in Norway/Finland, III group was at Bobruisk with Luftflotte 2. Going by the WNr is it possible to determine which unit it really belonged to ?

Thanks in advance
oquaig

[Stig Jarlevik]

Yes that seems to be what the records state, but just like you I am also convinced that
somewhere the III Gruppe was confused with the 3rd Staffel.

Perhaps an oral mistake by someone which made it into print

Cheers
Stig

[Merlin]

or it belonged to 3./KG 28, which operated together with III./KG 26 at that time.

[Stig Jarlevik]

Good point Gerhard

Never thought of that.....

Cheers
Stig

[oquaig]

Or it could be 3./KG 53 which was based in Orscha at the time. I am still hoping someone might know.


oquaig

[Stig Jarlevik]

Originally Posted by oquaig

Or it could be 3./KG 53 which was based in Orscha at the time. I am still hoping someone might know.
oquaig

That, is in my opinion, much less likely.

First of all there must have been a worked out reporting system which prohibited units to get mixed up.
But since mistakes always happen, I can understand that one digit, perhaps scribbled on a piece of paper
could be misinterpreted (26 vs 28), or that a new clerk notes down a 3 instead of III when orally told what to
write, but confusing 26 (or 28) with 53 is much, much more difficult. Close to impossible if you ask me....

Cheers
Stig

[oquaig]

Hi Stig,

The reason I mention KG 53 is this: the aircraft in question was an He 111 H4. I noticed the damage/losses for KG 53 included at least two H-4's prior to this date. KG 26 exchanged all their H-5y's for H-5 and H-6 before flying in the East. KG 28 did fly H-4's with the PVR 1006L external racks for Bomben B and SC 1000 (which they dropped on England and Moscow) and KG 28 did report damage to an H-4 on 29.8.41. My initial guess was that it was a typo and it must have been KG 28. But I want to be sure...


Thanks for the input
oquaig

[Stig Jarlevik]

Good point

However, if that was the case I would favour KG 28 since that would have been a minor mistake by the clerk,
compared to writing KG 53....

Cheers
Stig

[oquaig]

Just as an additional observation, I have seen a number of transpositions over time in various documents. For example: the lageberichte for A.O.K. 16 (NARA T312 R546) for 28.7.41 shows II./KG 77 as having 11 and III./KG 77 as also having 11 aircraft as einsatazbereit for 26.7.41. Where as RL 2 III/714 shows 14 aircraft einsatazbereit for II./KG77 and 11 aircraft available for III./KG 77 on the same day. Just read from the wrong line while typing ?

As for this topic the GQM line 1. above reads K.G. 26 but line 3. underneath reads K.G. 53. So there is a potential for transposition here as well. The accuracy of historical documents may just depend on how much or how little ersatz cafe the typist had that morning...;-)


Cheers
oquaig