2./NAGr. 4
2./NAGr. 4
(Unit Code L8+)
Formation. (March 1943)
Formed March 1943 at Jesau/East Prussia (ex-3.(H)/Aufkl.Gr. 13) and equipped with the reconnaissance version of the Messerschmitt Bf 109 single-seat fighter.[1]
Central Russia and East Prussia. (April 1943 - May 1945)
April 1943: in transfer from Jesau to the Orel area on the central sector of the Eastern Front with 16 Bf 109 G-4/U3. From mid-April, the Staffel is thought to have been co-located with Stab/NAGr. 4 at Pankovo, a just-completed field airstrip 20 km south of Orel, and probably remained there until the second half of July when it moved to Subotovo.
21 May 1943: Bf 109 G-4 crashed near Glazunovka/50 km south-south-east of Orel, 100%, pilot KIA.
9 June 1943: Bf 109 G-4 shot up by a fighter over Maloarkhangelsk/70 km south-east of
Orel and force landed, 20%, pilot WIA.
5 July 1943: Bf 109 G-4 shot down by a fighter north of Alexandrovka, 100%, pilot WIA. Operation “Zitadelle”, the massive German offensive against the Kursk salient, began this date.
29 July 1943: Bf 109 F-2 crash landed at Subotovo airstrip (not located, but believed to be between Orel and Bryansk) in bad weather, 60%.
3 August 1943: Bf 109G crashed on take-off from Subotovo, 90%.
12 August 1943: Bf 109 F-4 rammed by another plane at Rechitsa airstrip/40 km west-south-west of Gomel, 30%.
5 September 1943: Bf 109 G-6 shot down west of Yelnya/south-east of Smolensk, 100%, pilot MIA.
10 September 1943: Bf 109 G-2 crashed on take-off from Shatalovka-East, 35%.
30 September 1943: Bf 109 G-6 damaged landing at Orsha-South, 25%.
4 October 1943: Bf 109 G-6 damaged landing at Orsha-South, 25%.
6 October 1943: Fi 156 belonging to the Staffel damaged landing at Dyatel, a tiny village 31 km south-east of Orsha, 30%, pilot injured.
7 October 1943: Bf 109 G-6 ran out of fuel and force landed at Sagvazdino, 20%.
21 October 1943: Bf 109 F-4 damaged landing at Orsha-South, 30%.
6 November 1943: Bf 109 G-4 damaged landing at Orsha-South, 10%.
10 November 1943: Bf 109G shot up by a fighter over Pyl’ki/29 km south of Nevel, 80%, pilot WIA.
12 November 1943: Bf 109 G-6 force landed east of Vitebsk airfield due to engine failure, 90%.
8 December 1943: Bf 109 G-4 shot up by AA fire and force landed at Budy/55 km east-south-east of Orsha, 40%.
December 1943: at Orsha-South under NAGr. 4.
1 January 1944: Staffel reported 12 Bf 109 G-4, G-6 and G-8 on strength.
2 March 1944: Orsha-South under NAGr. 4.
1 June 1944: Orsha-South with 11 Bf 109 G-4, G-6 and G-8 on hand.
25 June 1944: Staffel’s flying component ordered to transfer from Orsha to Mogilev for operations under NAGr. 10, while the Staffel’s non-essential ground servicing personnel ordered to evacuate Orsha and pull back to Boyari/north-east of Minsk. The Soviet summer offensive began on 22 June and quickly took the Orsha area.
28 June 1944: at Zhodino/56 km NE of Minsk under NAGr. 10. The movement to Mogilev was probably cancelled due to the rapid advance of Soviet forces.
July - September 1944: Staffel withdrew in a northwesterly direction via Molodechno, Vilnius, Kaunas, Raczki/13 km south-west of Suwalki in north-east Poland to Lyck/East Prussia as Soviet forces drove rapidly west; remained at Lyck into October.
3 October 1944: Lyck under NAGr. 10 with 15(9) aircraft on strength.
November 1944: transferred to Arys-Rostken/East Prussia for operations under NAGr. 3 and remained there through January 1945.
31 December 1944: had 14 Bf 109 G-6 and G-8 this date. Total losses for all of 1944 were 16 to combat-related causes and a further 22 to non-combat causes. The June – July period were the most costly.
2 February 1945: 2 Bf 109 G-8s and a Bf 109 G-14 failed to return from missions in the
Seerappen-Heiligenbeil-Neukuhren area in East Prussia, 100%, 2 pilots MIA and 1 WIA.
9 February 1945: Staffel now based at Heiligenbeil - several Bf 109s reported
damaged by enemy fighters and AA-fire.
18 February 1945: transferred from Heiligenbeil to Neutief near Pillau.
23 February 1945: at Pillau-Neutief several damaged Bf 109 G-6s and G-8s reported. 26 March 1945: at Danzig-Langfuhr under NAGr. 4 after moving from East Prussia to West Prussia.
April 1945: under Luftwaffenkdo. Ostpreussen - Staffel may have transferred from Danzig to Neubrandenburg/North Germany with Stab/NAGr. 4 on 29 March, but this is not known with certainty.
30 April 1945: ordered to transfer to Schwerin if fuel permits this date. The Staffel is believed to have been dissolved over the next few days.
FpN:2./NAGr. 4 (L 28377).
Staffelkapitän:
Hptm. Herbert Findeisen (2 August 1943 - c.February 1944)
Hptm. August-Wilhelm Boenke ( ? - 16 October 1944) KIA
Hptm. Volker Reschke (c.16 October 1944 - May 1945)
© by Henry L. deZeng IV (Work in Progress).
(1st Draft 2022)
References
- ↑ 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); NARA WashDC: RG 242 (Microcopy T-311 roll 228/491); PRO London: PRO London: AIR 40/1977 and 1979; PRO London: DEFE 3 ULTRA signal KO1931; AIR 40 Air Ministry intelligence reports and lists based on ULTRA, “Y” Service intercepts, captured documents and PoW interrogations; BA-MA Freiburg: RL 2 III Meldungen über Flugzeugunfälle…..(Loss Reports – LRs); BA-MA Freiburg: Signatur RL 4 II/32; BA-MA Freiburg: Signatur RL 40/Kart; M.Holm-website ww2.dk.