2./NAGr. 5
2./NAGr. 5
(Unit Code U2+)
Formation. (August 1943)
Ordered formed in August 1943 at Herzogenaurach/Bavaria (ex-4.(H)/Aufkl.Gr. 23) and equipped with Messerschmitt Bf 109G single-seat fighters outfitted for reconnaissance missions. The Staffel’s Feldpost number was first assigned on 13 October 1943, which would give it an effective date of formation of approximately 1 October 1943.[1]
North Russia, Estonia and Latvia. (January 1944 - May 1945)
(See Stab/NAGr. 5 for more information.)
1 January 1944: Staffel had 2 Bf 109 G-4 and 17 Bf 109 G-6 at the beginning of the month.
14 January 1944: handed over 6 of its Bf 109Gs to other units and transferred from Herzogenaurach to Siverskaya with Stab/NAGr. 5 following the Soviet offensive along the Leningrad perimeter.
25 January 1944: transferred from Siverskaya to Gostkino with Stab/NAGr. 5.
26 February 1944: at Pskov-South, but moved to Idritsa a few days later.
31 March 1944: Idritsa under Stab/NAGr. 5 with 13 Bf 109Gs.
28 April 1944: now at Petseri (Pechory)/south-east Estonia.
1 June 1944: Staffel had 6 Bf 109 G-6/U3 and 8 Bf 109 G-8 on strength.
28 June 1944: transferred to Parafyanovo/170 km east of Vilnius and temporarily attached to Stab/NAGr. 4 in response to the Soviet summer Belorussian offensive that commenced 22 June.
July 1944: as the Soviet offensive gained momentum, especially from 4 July when 1st Baltic Front opened its attack on AOK 16 in the direction of Riga, the Staffel fell back toward the Latvian capital using hastily provisioned landing grounds from which to fly its missions. Mentioned is Laatre/15 km north-east of Valga in south-east Estonia (late July and early August). and Smitten (Smiltene?) in north Latvia (September).
August 1944: released by NAGr. 4, transferred to Latvia and reassigned to Stab/NAGr. 5. Probably based at Smitten (Smiltene?), a landing ground in north Latvia (late August and most of September).
27 September 1944: at Tukums (Tukkum)/60 km west of Riga in western Latvia.
30 September 1944: from its deployment in January to the end of September, the Staffel lost 11 Bf 109s to enemy action and another 17 in crashes and accidents. No losses of any sort were reported for January and May.
3 October 1944: still at Tukums.
October – November 1944: Saldus (Frauenburg)/north-west Latvia under Stab/NAGr. 5.
24 November 1944: Talsi (Talsen)/north-west Latvia with 11 Bf 109s and 1 Junkers W 34.
12.12.44: now at Okte airstrip, near the coast 40 km north-north-west of Tukums.
8 March 1945: Bf 109 G-6 damaged during low-level Russian air attack on Cirava airfield/68 km west of Saldus, 10%.
14 March 1945: Staffel ordered disbanded this date by Luftflotte 1.
28 April 1945: still operational in the Kurland (Courland) Pocket in north-west Latvia under Stab/NAGr. 5 and remained so until the surrender on 8 May.
FpN:2./NAGr. 5 (L 32471).
Staffelkapitän:
Hptm. Siegfried Erzberger ( ? - ? ) 1943-44
Hptm. Hans Gerhardt ( ? - 8 May 1945?) 1944-45
© 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); K.Köhler - “Der Einsatz der Luftwaffe im Bereich der Heeresgruppe Nord von Ende Juni bis Mitte Oktober 1944”, in Meier-Welcker, Hans (ed.), Abwehrkämpfe am Nordflügel der Ostfront 1944-1945 (Stuttgart, 1963), p.137; NARA WashDC: RG 242 (Microcopy T-311 roll 228/491); AFHRA Maxwell: decimal 512.625S (British Air Ministry) OKL document; PRO London: AIR 40/1971, 1979, 1980, 1983; 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.