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Luftwaffe and Axis Air Forces Please use this forum to discuss the German Luftwaffe and the Air Forces of its Allies. |
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#11
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Re: A.D.I. (K) Report No. 398/1945 A Short History of KG 200
Ok, the information on the 15./KG 200 being the former Schleppversuch-Staffel of LLG 1 seems to confirm that the unit commander was indeed Hptm. Gerhard Raschke, the former Ia officer of LLG 1, then with the rank of Oblt. In Schlaug's Die deutschen Lastensegler-Verbände 1937-1945, pp. 209 he is cited describing a training mission for a nightlanding operation with gliders on the Cotentin penisula (Unternehmen Sporturlaub). As Gellermann also mentions him as the successor of Lange on p. 213, chances are that an important contingent of SO-men ended up in 15./KG 200, after all most of these men had a glider background. Others, probably those that had been trained on aircraft in KG 200 by now, ended up with 14./KG 200, as did Lt. Robert Eck, who had started out in 2. Staffel II./KG 200, which is identical with 5./KG 200 (see his Soldbuch on www.dokumentenforum.de.) and became a Flugzeugführer in September 1944. Still others were in 13. Staffel, the former Sonderverband Einhorn. It looks as if the Leonidas men were dispersed all over IV./KG 200.
Cheers Hans |
#12
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Re: A.D.I. (K) Report No. 398/1945 A Short History of KG 200
Quote:
I know the name "Leonidas" is always used in books for the SO-Staffel but have you ever seen a wartime source for it? |
#13
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Re: A.D.I. (K) Report No. 398/1945 A Short History of KG 200
The official term used seems to have been Selbstopfer Staffel and the concept was the socalled Totaleinsatz. Well, in this report I mentioned in the header, Randel-Semper uses the term "Leonidas" Staffel, not exactly a wartime source, but close. I would suppose it was an inofficial term used within KG 200 if the former Ia himself came up with it. Randel-Semper also mentioned that some elements of the Staffel transferred to Italy and operated by night, first with Ju 87, later with Fw 190 and 500-1000 kg bombs against selected targets. I would suppose that he had in mind the Einhorn contingent that was stationed on the VILLAFRANCA airfield training alongside NSG 9. I think NSG 9 indeed used Ju 87. He also mentioned another detachment of the Squadron training at Danzig-Hexengrund (Torpedo testing range) on underwater torpedoes dropping from low flying Fw 190, These men were seemingly taken into SKG 3 (recte SG 5), the later III./KG 200.
Cheers Hans |
#14
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Re: A.D.I. (K) Report No. 398/1945 A Short History of KG 200
I wrote an entire book about NSG 9 and attended six of their Treffen. None of the veterans I met or corresponded with knew anything about Sonderverband Einhorn. I have amassed a lot of evidence that Einhorn only flew the Fw 190 on operations (not the Ju 87). First the pilots had to be trained to fly at night. That training did take place in Italy but the pilot who provided blind-flying training to NSG 9, Ltn. Willi Ferling, did not train Einhorn personnel.
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#15
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Re: A.D.I. (K) Report No. 398/1945 A Short History of KG 200
Interesting. Where elements of Einhorn and NSG 9 on the same airfield in VILLAFRANCA at a given period in autumn 1944?
Cheers Hans |
#16
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Re: A.D.I. (K) Report No. 398/1945 A Short History of KG 200
The new IV/KG 200 were stationed at Fliegerhorst Vejle may 1945, except 14 Staffel that was stationed at Fliegerhorst Tirstrup. 14 staffel was a training mistel pilots. 15 and 16 staffel was training on normal Ju 88 and Si 204. Commanding the unit was the former commander IV/KG 30 Major Wilhelm Kuschke. He confirmed to me his unit only did normal flight training.
Junker |
#17
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Re: A.D.I. (K) Report No. 398/1945 A Short History of KG 200
Yes they were but the aircrews were housed some distance from the airfield itself and the aircraft were in remote dispersals, so it was quite possible to be “at the same base” but never to meet another unit.
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#18
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Re: A.D.I. (K) Report No. 398/1945 A Short History of KG 200
Hello all, sorry to bump in your thread but I have a somehow related question.
I have this crash report of a Ju 252 belonging to I./KG 200 on 26.6.1944 which crashed in a very remote area in the mountains in Romania, it is the only know loss of KG 200 and also the only known loss of a Ju 252 in this area, does anyone happen to know what kind of mission this a/c type flew around here ? Does anyone have extra details to the crash, victims etc ? Thanks in advance |
#19
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Re: A.D.I. (K) Report No. 398/1945 A Short History of KG 200
Hello all
I have the Thomas/Ketley book on KG 200 in front of me. On page 106 there is a reference to a interrogation of a PW of 6./KG 200. Can anybody please guide me to the exact source of this report? I wonder if the POW in question is the same man featured in A.D.I. (K) Report No. 545/1944 captured near ARLON in September 1944 as a member of Kampfgruppe Schäfer, but clearly the Information featured in the Thomas/Ketley book is not from this report. Any help is greatly appreciated. Cheers Hans |
#20
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Re: A.D.I. (K) Report No. 398/1945 A Short History of KG 200
Hans
This ADI(K) concerns miscellaneous units and is a round up of small tidbits from recent interrogations. I'm not sure it would be terribly helpful toy ou but if you PM me, I'll send it to you. Please be forewarned my copy was originally printed off from an AFHRA microfilm so the quality is not the best. Steve |
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