Sonderverband Einhorn

[hanshauprich]

On what date exactly moved Sonderverband Einhorn from Villa Franca/Italy back to Germany? Did they fly missions during the Ardennenoffensive as they did against Remagen bridgehead in March 1945? (part of III./KG 200). Use they ever the BT 700 by their groundattack missions?

[Doug Stankey]

A brief history of Sonderverband Einhorn:

This unit originated as 2./SG 5
09.44 evacuated with Fw 190F-8 from Finland to Smiltene/Latvia, then to Wesenberg/Estonia
22.09.44 to Hannover-Langenhagen then immediately to Berlin–Staaken for 2 weeks rest.
c. 07.11.44 attached to NSGr. 20 as its 4. Staffel.
12.44 rest and refit concluded, transferred from Berlin-Staaken to Rahmel near Danzig, then to Stubendorf/Silesia for night flying training for missions in the Ardennes offensive (which began 16.12.44).
12.44 after training, returned to Berlin-Staaken.
10.01.45 redesignated as 13./KG 200 at Berlin–Staaken.
02.45 13./KG 200 was incorporated into 11./KG 200 at Twente
08.03.45 trf to Rhein /Main with 9 Fw 190F-8s for attacks on the bridge at Remagen.
c.20.03.45 made repeated attacks on the Remagen bridge.


To answer your questions:
It is apparent that Sonderverband Einhorn was never anywhere near Italy.
It is unknown whether they flew in the Ardennes offensive but clearly they were intended to.
We have found no references to this unit having used the BT type weapon.

The above information came from our book:
“Bomber Units of the Luftwaffe” Volume 2 and from the manuscript for our next book “Ground Attack Units of the Luftwaffe”(title not yet set).

We hope this helps.

DGS
LdZ (notes)

[Doug Stankey]

Larry has alerted me to the fact that the notes I had been consulting were rather old and so he sent me a correction:

15.11.44 (06.11.44?) at Villafranca /0 km SW of Verona in NE Italy by assigning a Staffel number to Sonderverband “Einhorn”, a special attack unit equipped with Fw 190s outfitted to carry heavy caliber bombs weighing 1,000 – 1,800 kg.
18-23 Dec 44: transferred from Villafranca to Bonn-Hangelar for attachment to NSGr.20 and participation in the Ardennes Offensive (Battle of the Bulge) as part of Gefechtsverband “Hallensleben”/II.Jagdkorps.
25 Dec 44: moved to Köln-Wahn due to an Allied air raid on Hangelar, then over the next month successively to Limburg-Linter (around 11 Jan 45) and Germersheim (around 13 Jan) with NSGr.20 flying mainly night fighter-bomber attacks on U.S. forces in the Ardennes, but occasional raids were made on key dumps, railheads and other vital targets in the rear areas such as around Liège.
2 Feb 45: transferred to Twente (Twenthe) in eastern Holland with NSGr.20 and two days later, on 4 February, the Staffel was ordered disbanded with aircraft and pilots incorporated into 11.St. of III./KG 200 at Twente. The Staffelkapitän, Hptm. Robert Schuntermann, and the ground personnel were reassigned back to IV.Gruppe at Prenzlau and then north with the Gruppe to Vejle/Denmark.

So, they were in Italy at a point, and they were involved in the Ardennes offensive.

Sorry about that,
Doug S.

[Nick Beale]

Sorry Doug, but I think you're wrong on several counts (I've been working on Einhorn for 15 years but I wouldn't dare argue with you and Larry where any other KG was concerned!).

Einhorn was formed ostensibly as a "self-sacrifice" unit. That fell through and they gradually morphed into a conventional Schlacht outfit, albeit with heavier bombs than usual.

Their first operation was against the Nijmegen bridges on 28 September 1944, losing the aircraft of Lt. Herbert Leschanz to Spitfires. The unit was then transferred to Villafranca di Verona, Italy, arriving on 19 October. After retraining for night flying they flew three operations in Italy: on 28 November, 2 December and 10 December. Six Einhorn aircraft left Villafranca for Holzkirchen on 17 December , one of them crashing on take-off.

After a few days in Holzkirchen, they joined NSG 20 in Bonn-Hangelar, first appearing in airfield occupancy returns on 23 December (for example, on the evening of 28 December, 3 (0) Fw 190s, 16 other ranks — no officers). In no subsequent report does the number of Einhorn aircraft there exceed five and none seems to be serviceable — so no flying in the Ardennes offensive, although it was definitely the plan originally. By the end of January 1945, both NSG 20 and Einhorn had left Bonn for Twente in Holland.

Einhorn's seven pilots were absorbed into 11./KG 200 (formerly 3./SG 5) in February along — apparently — with their handful of Fw 190 F-8s equipped to carry bombs of 1000 kg and upwards. It was a detachment of 11./KG 200 (including some former Einhorn pilots) which was sent from Twente to Rhein-Main to operate against Remagen (with 1000 and 500 kg bombs) and then American advances around Bad Kreuznach. Sources then dry up for a couple of weeks before all of III./KG 200 appears, making night attacks against the British and Canadian armies in northern Germany through to the last days of the war.

I've found no evidence that the unit ever used a BT weapon in anger.

I've published a few things on Einhorn over the years: a paper for the former Luftwaffe Circle in 1994; "Air War Italy 1944-45" (Airlife, 1996); briefly in "Ghost Bombers" (Classic, 2001); and in "Kampfflieger Vol. 4" (Classic, 2005). Those last two include a photo of a wrecked Einhorn aircraft in Villafranca.

Many of my findings on the unit were also used — with my permission — in Geoff Thomas & Barry Ketley's book on KG 200 (Hikoki). If you read German, I'd also recommend Dr Günther W. Gellermann's book on KG 200 "Moskau ruft Heeresgruppe Mitte" (Bernard & Graefe Verlag, 1989).

I have sources for everything I've said above (Ultra; documents at Freiburg; Allied combat, Sigint and Field Intelligence reports etc.) but my "definitive" Einhorn piece is still some way off, so I don't intend giving too much of it away in the meantime!

[Doug Stankey]

Duly noted.

We should have known and left it to you. We generalists can't compete with you specialists. To us, it's just one unit out of over 2,000 air units.

We look forward to your definitive Einhorn history.

Doug S.

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by Doug Stankey

Duly noted.

To us, it's just one unit out of over 2,000 air units.

Doug S.

But how many of those 2,000 can hold a candle to Einhorn when it comes to consuming so much effort for such limited results?

[hanshauprich]

Doug&Nick: Thanks!!

Nick: I thing I have material from an former member of SG 5 who served with Sonderverband and later KG 200, he was KIA in April 45 at the River Elbe. Cane we talk about that with PN?

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by hanshauprich

Doug&Nick: Thanks!!

Nick: I thing I have material from an former member of SG 5 who served with Sonderverband and later KG 200, he was KIA in April 45 at the River Elbe. Cane we talk about that with PN?

Yes, of course. I look forward to your message.

[ju55dk]

Just a short note to add further confusion about this unit.

According to Dislozierung der Tag- und Nachtjagdverbände Stand. 25.09.1944 the B.T. Staffel II/KG 200 was stationed at Dedelsdorf.

Junker

[jim norton]

hi,
about the last weeks of III./kg 200 a lot of material can be found in the new book "die dunklen jahre" by alexander steenbeck. see www.diedunklenjahre.de.

all the best
jim