2.(F)/125 (2nd)
2./Aufklärungsgruppe 125 (2d Formation)
(Unit Code 7R+)
Also as: 2.(F)/Aufklärungsgruppe 125
Formation and History. (April 1941 - May 1941)
Formed 1 April 1941 at Kiel-Holtenau (new) using Heinkel He 114Bs and crews from 4./Bordfliegerergänzungsstaffel.[1] Another source states that formation took place on 8 April 1941 at Aalborg/Denmark.[2]
Eastern Baltic. (June 1941 - December 1941)
22 June 1941: at either Fischhausen or Pillau, both near Königsberg/East Prussia, with 9 He 114s under Stab/Aufkl.Gr. 125 for the attack on the Soviet Union beginning this date.
July 1941: began converting to the Arado Ar 196 floatplane, and after conversion was completed, it normally had a complement of 8 to 13 of them.
2 July 1941: at Pillau.
4 July 1941: Ar 196 shot down by Soviet flying boats over the waters off Liepaja (Libau)/Latvia, 100%.
16 July 1941: Staffel reported 6(4) Ar 196s and 3(2) He 114s on strength.
17 July 1941: now based at Liepaja (Libau) flying coastal reconnaissance and anti- submarine patrols over the eastern Baltic.
8 August 1941: Liepaja (Libau).
15 September 1941: now at Haapsalu/Estonia for the amphibious assault on Hiiumaa and Saaremaa, the two large islands off the west coast of Estonia.
8 October 1941: back at Pillau resting and refitting.
26 October 1941: Staffel ordered this date to move to Akkerman, a seaplane base 50 km south-westof Odessa, with 9 Ar 196s and all personnel on completion of rest and refit at Pillau.
22 November 1941: order changed, and Staffel now directed to transfer immediately from Pillau to Constanta-Mamaia/Romania. But due to heavy ice conditions at Constanta, the orders were amended and the Staffel was based at Varna/Bulgaria from early December.
12 December 1941: a small advance detachment of 28 NCOs and men arrived at Athens-Skaramanga this date to begin preparing for the Staffel’s arrival in January.
Greece and Aegean Sea. (January 1942 - May 1943)
6 January 1942: transferred from Varna to Athens-Skaramanga. While the latter was retained as the Staffel’s principal support and administrative services base, it operated equally or mainly from Suda Bay on Crete.
20 September 1942: at Athens-Skaramanga and Suda Bay - Staffel reported 13(5) Ar 196s on strength this date.
27 December 1942: Ar 196 crashed into the sea north of Dia Island off the northern coast of Crete, 100%, 2 killed.
7 January 1943: Staffel now entirely at Suda Bay - flew recce patrols and convoy escort around Crete under X. Fliegerkorps, usually 2 to 6 sorties a day, along with searches for downed air crew. These were the typical missions flown by the Staffel during its service in the Aegean.
26 April 1943: Suda Bay under X. Fliegerkorps with 8(4) Ar 196s.
30 April 1943: Ar 196 A-3 ditched near Cape Krios/south-west Crete due to engine failure, 100%.
May 1943: renamed 2./Seeaufklärungsgruppe 125 at Suda Bay/Crete.
FpN:2.(F) /125 (L 06608).
Staffelkapitän:
Hptm. Rolf Lemp (6 April 1941 - November 1942)
Oblt. Paul Kriebel (November 1942 - May 1943)
Also see:
BERZ, Helmut, Lt.
BÜCKER, Waldemar, Lt.
EDLINGER, Herrmann, Lt.
OTTO, Lothar, Lt.
POLZIN, Johannes (Hans), Oblt.z.S.
ROSENBAUM, Wilhelm, Lt.z.S.
SCHULZE, Konrad, Lt.z.S.
SPAAR, Friedrich-Wilhelm, Lt.
© by Henry L. deZeng IV (Work in Progress).
(1st Draft 2022)
References
- ↑ J.-P.Défieux - Répertoire des Unités Aériennes de la Luftwaffe 1935-1945: Reconnaissance Aéronavale (Nanterre, privately published, n.d. (c 1988-90?); W.Dierich - Die Verbände der Luftwaffe 1935-1945: Gliederungen und Kurzchroniken – Eine Dokumentation; G.Tessin - Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg 1939-1945, Teil 14: Die Luftstreitkräfte (Osnabrück, 1980); N.Kannapin - Die deutsche Feldpostübersicht 1939-1945. 3 Bde (I – III) (Osnabrück, 1980-82); F.Kurowski - Seekrieg aus der Luft: Die deutsche Seeluftwaffe im Zweiten Weltkrieg (Herford, 1979), pp.91, 166-67, 249, 297; J-L.Roba/C.Craciunoiu - Seaplanes Over the Black Sea: German-Romanian Operations 1941-1944 (Bucharest, 1995), p.31; U.Balke - Der Luftkrieg in Europa: Die Operativen Einsätze des Kampfgeschwader 2 im Zweiten Weltkrieg, 2 Bde (Koblenz, 1989-90), Teil 1, p.416; NARA WashDC: RG 242 (T-501 - KTB Befehlshaber Südgreichenland); PRO London: AIR 40/1965, 1976, 1981; PRO London: DEFE 3 ULTRA signals VM805, VM7337, ML447; BA-MA Freiburg: RL 2 III Meldungen über Flugzeugunfälle…..(Loss Reports – LRs); BA-MA Freiburg: RL 40/Kart; BA-MA Freiburg: document Gen.St.d.Lw.-Gen.Qu. 2.Abt. Nr.9281/43g.Kdos., dated 13.7.1943; Flugzeug magazine, Heft 6/1995; M.Holm-website ww2.dk.
- ↑ “Seaplanes” on website http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showthread.php?t=46717.