Aufkl. Gr. 122 Sep 1944
Sep 1944 – On several occassions during September (F)./122 was asked to supply photo reconnaissance cover for a number of planned operations to be conducted by special forces against such targets as Ancona.
4(F)./122 and 6(F)./122 were reputed to have each completed their 3000th mission during the month.
A large number of positioning flights were conducted between Ghedi, Bergamo, and to a lesser extent Bettola, during the month. Several movements were identified, by the Allied elint services, of aircraft bearing the staffel letter of 1(F)./122 – it appears that these aircraft were on the charge of 6(F)./122 having been transferred in.
2(F)./122 aircraft aborted missions early due to the appearance of allied fighters.
6(F)./122 finished operating the Ju 88 this month having passed the last of these aircraft to 4(F)./122, 6 now solely operated Ju 188 aircraft. The loss rate for Ju 188Ds went up this month – the prime cause being the failure of Jumo 213 powerplants.
4(F)./122 shed the remainder of it’s Ju 88T-1s and retained only Ju 88T-3s – the Jumo 213 powered model.
Sep – Dec 44 – 1(F)./122 located at Thorn (Torun)/NW Poland under FAGr.2.[1]
1 Sep 1944 – 2(F)./122 sent out two evening missions. Ju 188 F6+LP flew from Ghedi at 2055 and is believed to have landed at Bergamo on completion of it’s mission.
2 Sep 1944 – Lt Klinke and Ogfr. Misch departed Ghedi at 18.27 in an Me 410 (F6+KK) on an early evening sortie to the Adriatic. Two unknown fighters, flying at approximately 9000m, were sighted at one time during the sortie as was a small steamer. Klinke/Misch reported that over the sea there was 4-5 tenths cirrus at 7000m with a strong haze giving visibility to approximately 15 Km.
6(F)./122 lost a Ju 188.
| Date | Unit | Aircraft Type | Code | Wkr.No. | Notes |
| 2 Sep 1944 | 6(F)./122 | Ju 188D-2 | F6+BP | 150234 | Crashed north of Cremona. Two killed (Lt. Alfred Gemsjäger and Lt. Andreas Finke) and one wounded (Ofw Kurt Roeschmann?).[2] |
3 Sep 1944 – 2(F)./122 sent out two early morning and three evening sorties. However, the final evening sortie was a disaster as the Me 410 crashed on take-off killing the crew.
| Date | Unit | Aircraft Type | Code | Wkr.No. | Notes |
| 3 Sep 1944 | 2(F)./122 | Me 410B-3 | F6+KK | 190159 | Crashed on take-off from Ghedi. Ofhr W. Grigolet and Uffz W Habicht killed.* |
6 Sep 1944 – 2(F)./122 and 6(F)./122 active.
8 Sep 1944 – Two Ju 188s were lost to crashes.
| Date | Unit | Aircraft Type | Code | Wkr.No. | Notes |
| 8 Sep 1944 | 6(F)./122 | Ju 188D-2 | F6+GP | 150242 | Crashed at Rovato.Ltn. H. Spousta and crew killed. |
| 8 Sep 1944 | 4(F)./122 | Ju 188D-2 | F6+JM | Crashed 5 Km SSW of Bergamo. Fw. R. Obentheuer and two crew injured. |
9 Sep 1944 – 2(F)./122 Me 410 attacked by aircraft of 112 Sqdn over northeastern Italy.
| Date | Unit | Aircraft Type | Code | Wkr.No. | Notes |
| 9 Sep 1944 | 2(F)./122 | Me 410 | F6+EK | Took of at 18.07, shot down by aircraft of 112 Sqdn and crashed on Treviso airfield at 18.30. Ofw. Jackstadt and Uffz Schütze escaped with minor injuries and were flying again within a short period of time. The aircraft was written-off.* Ofw Jackstadt 2(F)/122 was probably shotdown by F/L R.V. Hearn 112 Sqn, flying a Mustang III. Hearn claimed a Ju88 but it was probably Jackstadt's Me410.(Andy Fletcher) | |
| 10 Sep 1944 | 2(F)./122 | Me 410 | F6+?K | Took off from Bergamo/Seriate at 06.45 and crash landed at 07.32 after being involved in combat with enemy aircraft.* |
12 Sep 1944 – Engine failure claimed another victim.
| Date | Unit | Aircraft Type | Code | Wkr.No. | Notes |
| 12 Sep 1944 | 6(F)./122 | Ju 188D-2 | F6+LP | 150235 | Crashed in foggy conditions, night of 12/13 Sep one engine seen to be on fire by local witnesses, no other details available, the crew of Ltn. Gottfried Heene, Obgefr. Helmut Scheingraber, Uffz. Walter Jesko, Uffz. Franz Wehmeier were all killed they were buried locally in the cemetery at Frabosa Soprana. [3] |
14 Sep 1944 – 3(F)./122 located at Quakenbrück.[4] The Staffel remained there until early April 1945, mainly under Stab/Aufkl.Gr.(F) 123 until mid-February 1945 and then under FAGr.1.[5]
17 Sep 1944 – An Me 410 was attacked by 1 Sqdn SAAF Spitfires while flying at 2000 ft north of Bologna early in the day.
| Date | Unit | Aircraft Type | Code | Wkr.No. | Notes |
| 17 Sep 1944 | 2(F)./122 | Me 410 | F6+CK | Crashed near Lugo following combat with SAAF Spitfires. The crew, Klinka and Misch, were back on operations within a very short time. |
18 Sep 1944 – A 2(F)./122 aircraft, crewed by Schiffels and Meister, aborted two early morning reconaissance sorties in F6+IK.
19 Sep 1944 – 2(F)./122 aborted one sortie but sent out three more during the day. Ju 88 BC+PK was returned by 4(F)./122 to Riem, while a Ju188 ( +CP) of 6(F)./122 was sent out on a mission from Ghedi during the evening.
One of the 2(F)./ 122 sorties was that of Lt Klinke and Ogfr. Misch who departed Ghedi at 18.08 in an Me 410 (F6+GK) on an early evening sortie that would take them over the Ligurian Sea staying well to the north of Elba and Corsica. They effectively prescribed a large circle making landfall to the north of Bonassola for the return flight to Ghedi, landing there at 19.37. During the sortie three hostile fighters were sighted at approx 600m at position 04 Ost 9461 on a course due east. Also four vapour trails were reported sighted at position 04 Ost 9581 heading south.#
20 Sep 1944 – 2(F)./122 sent out a Me 410 (F6+IK) on a single sortie.
21 Sep 1944 – Engine failure claimed another victim.
| Date | Unit | Aircraft Type | Code | Wkr.No. | Notes |
| 21 Sep 1944 | 6(F)./122 | Ju 188D-2 | F6+LP | 150239 | Crashed due to engine failure, all of the crew were killed. |
22 Sep 1944 - Five Ju 188s of 4(F)./122 moved to Ghedi.
23 Sep 1944 – 6(F)./122 s bad luck continued with a further Ju 188D-2 crash.
| Date | Unit | Aircraft Type | Code | Wkr.No. | Notes |
| 23 Sep 1944 | 6122 | Ju 188D-2 | F6+EP | 150043 | Crashed 7 km SE of Bergamo. Uffz H. Kirschner and crew killed. |
27 Sep 1944 - following the disbanding of Luftflotte 2 on this date, Stab./122 came directly under Kommandierender General der Deutschen Luftwaffe in Italien.[6]
28 Sep 1944 – 3(F)./122 reported 9 Ju 188s and 4 Ju 88s on strength - flew both day and night photo recce missions for Luftwaffenkdo. West.[7]
29 Sep 1944 – F6+RK of 2(F)./122 conducted two sorties during the day, an early morning mission and one in the evening. (The evening sortie was aborted and then restarted 5 minutes later). Ju 188 (F6+DP) was moved from Ghedi to Bergamo.
30 Sep1944 – operational strength in Italy was recorded as:-
| Unit | Number of Aircraft | Type of Aircraft |
| Stab/122 | 0 | |
| 2(F)./122 | 6 | Me 410A-3/B-3 |
| 4(F)./122 | 4 | Ju 188D-2 |
| 5 | Ju 88T-3 | |
| 6(F)./122 | 4 | Ju 188D-2 |
| 1 | Ju 188F-1 |
Links
References
- ↑ LdZ - Tessin. * CSDIC (AIR)CMF Rep No A554(FN928)
- ↑ Posting on TOCH by Chris Goss, Nick Beale and Bakerman 4-5 Dec 2008
- ↑ Names from posting by Ed North on TOCH Apr 2009 and location of burial Claudio in postings on TOCH and Luftwaffedata Forum Apr 2009
- ↑ LdZ - ULTRA Signal HP359.
- ↑ LdZ - ULTRA Signals HP2493 and BT2526; Tessin.CSDIC (AIR)CMF Rep No A554(FN928)
- ↑ LdZ - NARA/WashDC: RG 242/T-321:53/003ff.
- ↑ LdZ - ULTRA HP1719.