DEFE 3/14
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DEFE 3/14 covers the decryption period between 20th December 1943 and 23rd December 1943– however, some information related to dates outside this period.
In the page below are some notes/summaries gleaned from the pages of DEFE 3/14 I hope that these are of assistance to any fellow researchers.
The link to DEFE 3/14 at the national archives is here.
To download the notes as a pdf document click here
Note the date of the event refers to a date in the message not necessarily the date of the message.
Flifue = FliegerFührer
Note –
- Number of pages refer to “GAF sightings” - these are for the most part not included in the summaries below as they do not refer to specific aircraft types or units.
- Flivos of Divisions are also not included below
- Code “Yoke” appears to refer to “Y” service.
| Page | Date of event | Notes |
| 304 | 18/12/43 | Return to Bulgaria of Bulgarian Do 17 Staffel imminent. |
| 301 | 19/12/43 | Flifue Luftflotte 2 intentions for 20/12/43. Support of Tenth Army |
| 300 | 20/12/43 | Strength returns etc. NAGr 12; 8./ JG 27; 11./ JG 27; I./ LG 1; 13./ SG 151 and Adriatic Staffel. 2 Me 109 of 11./ JG 27 transferred to Mostar on 18/12/43 |
| 299 | 18/12/43 | Flifue Albania for 19/12/45. |
| 297 | 19/12/43 | Fl. H. Kdr Grosseto and Bocoea each instructed to set up detatchments of 30 men for employment at satellite airfield east of Rome and another 4 km north of Colonna |
| 292 | 19/12/43 | Report of 7 Jagd Division. |
| 279 | 19/12/43 | Koflug 9/VII owing to special incidents that day more vigilence required from guards. |
| 273 | 19/12/43 | Airfield photo recce interpretation. |
| 268 | 19/12/43 | Advance detachment III./JG 53 - Villaorba |
| 267 | 18/12/43 | 9./LG 1 Larissa ? |
| 266 | 18/12/43 | Strength III./JG 53 |
| 265 | 19/12/43 | Luftwaffe effort. Ju 88 sea and weather recce NW Benghazi. JU 88 offshore recce Spartivento – Otranto. Ju 88 photo recce of airfields in Gambut area (bad weather prevented completion of mission). Two ME PR Brindisi (not carried out) and Lecce. Also PR or Bari and San Vito, Croatia. |
| 263-4 | 19/12/43 | Fligerdivision 2 – Ju 88 recce area between Balearics and Spain. Toulon AR 196 AS patrol. 1(F)./33 single Ju 88 on security patrol. Further Ar 196 AS patrol south of Toulon. Last aircraft of 1(F)./33 landed 17.15 hrs. (F)./122 sea recce around Corsica. One aircraft sea recce of Tyrrhenian sea to off Palermo – Spartivento (Sardinia) up Sardinian and Corsican coasts to base. Sea recce Adriatic – San Benedetto – Bari – return to Perugia . |
| 262 | 19/12/43 | Flifue Luftflotte – sorties. |
| 260 | 19/12/43 | Strength possibly of II./ KG 76 |
| 259 | 19/12/43 | NAGr 11 addressed Ferrara |
| 256 | 18/12/43 | Rear detachment of 13./SG 151 Podgorica ordered by 13./ SG 151 at Mostar to be ready for transfer |
| 235 | 19/12/43 | III./KG 76 strength return. |
| 227 | 20/12/43 | II./JG77 aircraft carried out recce over Corsica – unbroken cloud so no sightings. |
| 224 | 19/12/43 | Ju 88s of LG 1 to transfer from Podgorica to Eleusis when weather favourable. Remaining personnel to also follow to their unit. Remaining personnel of III./JG 27 to be move by air transport from Devoli to their units. |
| 222 | 20/12/43 | Strength III./JG 53 |
| 208 | 19/12/43 | Luftwaffenkommando Süd-Ost orders for 20/12/43 – Flifue Albania Photo recce of harbours and airfields Alulia especially Brindisi and Bari.Flifue Croatia photo recce of Manfredonia harbour also recce for army operating against guerillas. Recce of island harbours and shipping traffic unchanged. |
| 208 | 20/12/43 | 2 Me 109 on met recce of Bari found 9/10 cloud at 15.00 hrs. |
| 204-206 | 19/12/43 | Flifue Croatia - Schwarm of IV./JG 27 to transfer from Podgorica to Mostar.
Serviceable aircraft to follow after being made serviceable, ground staff to transfer via air transport – subordination on arrival to Flifue Croatia. Flifue Croation to carry out fighter ops with no fewer than eight aircraft – smaller numbers may be used if corresponding Allied aircraft are operating in smaller groups. JG 27 instructed to ferrry aircraft from Wien Aspern and Belgrade. Strength Stab./NAGr 12; 2./ NAGr 12; IV./ JG 27 |
| 202 | 19/12/43 | Transfer of 1./NSGr 7 to Banjaluka completed evening 19/12/43. Strength return of aircraft of NSGr 7 distributed across several airfields. |
| 197 | 20/12/43 | I./JG 27 located at Fels am Wargram |
| 196 | 19/12/43 | Strength Flifue Albania – Stab.//NAGr 12; 1./NAGr12; 8./ JG 27; 13./ SG 151; Adriatic Staffel. |
| 195 | 1-19/12/43 | Fighter losses Flifue Albania |
| 192 | 19/12/43 | Strength 3./126 and 4./126 |
| 182 | 20/12/43 | I./JG53 and I./JG 77 regarding restrictions on travel in Rome area owing to security situation. |
| 179 | 20/12/43 | Luftwaffenkommando Süd-Ost reported attack on Eleusis airfield by 80 Fortresses and 20 Lightnings. Identifies course and damage inflicted. |
| 177 | 19/12/43 | Luftwaffenkommando Süd-Ost – guerilla attack on Goritea airfield near Agram. |
| 173 | 19/12/43 | Transfer imminent of I./SG 3 to Germany |
| 170 | 20/12/43 | No operations by Flifue Luftflotte owing weather and airfield conditions. |
| 168-9 | 20/12/43 | Partial report West Med and Med area. Fliegerdivision 2 – 10 Ar 196 on close support. 2 Ar 196 anti-submarine patrol off Toulon. Ju 88 on security recce. II./JG 77 aircraft scrambled. No ops by III./JG 53. One aircraft of 1(F)./ 122 – sea recce of Adriatic as far south as Gulf of Manfredonia. |
| 167 | 20/12/43 | Luftwaffenkommando Süd-Ost – watch over partisans in NW Greece by one unspecified He 111. 2 Ar 196 with Sifnos convoy. 27 Me 109 scrambled from Kalamaki against an attack on Eleusis. One Junkers on wather recce towards Cyprus and the Nile Delta. One Junkers offshore Otranto – Spartivento. 2 Me 109 wather recce Bari – Brindisi. Two Me 109 from Kalamaki to patrol sea area Hydra – Milos. |
| 160 | 19/12/43 | Recce orders Flifue Luftflotte 2 for 20/12/43 – PR and met recce as early as possible. Area specified opposite 14th Panzer Korps. |
| 155 | 20/12/43 | Ingolstadt informed Aviano of arrival of 9 Ju 88 of KG 76 which left on 19/12/43. |
| 151 | 19/12/43 | Flifue Albania – informed Luftwaffenkommando Süd-Ost of airfiled (possibly Dremova) near Koritea. |
| 150 | 20/12/43 | Orders to Flifue Croatia for recce flights for 21/12/43. PR of Manfredonia Harbour. Recce of “Tito” airfield (nindicatiosn that this is 3Km NNW Travnik. Recce of island harbours; patrol of shipping traffic and other tasks as requested by the army.
Orders to Flifue Albania for 21/12/43 – PR of trhe following airfields: Apulia; Bari, Gicia; Brindisi (sea and land); Lecce; Leverano; San Vito; airfields at taranto (including Sea); Manduria; Grottaglie; Pancrazio. Recce of airfields pointless except before 08.00 Hrs or after 13.00 hrs due to enemy aircraft activity. |
| 139 | 12/12/43 | 22/12/43 – reported on 12/12/43 that Ju 52 that crashed on 13/11/43 was transfer of advanced detachment of SG 3 personnel from Eleusis to Vienna area.
On 12/12/43 Ju 52 urgently needed for transfer of ground personnel of I./SG 3. |
| 137 | 21/12/43 | Flifue Luftflotte 2 intentions unchanged for 22/12/43 |
| 133 | 22/12/43 | Interpretation of recce sortie to southern Cyprus at 09.00 hrs 21/12/43 – Paphos 2 and Akmelia unoccupied. Paphos 1 unuseable owing to construction and therefore unoccupied. At 10.00 hrs Castelorizo unoccupied. PR onl;y partially carried out. |
| 129 | 21/12/43 | No operations by Flifue Luftflotte 2 owing to weather and airfield conditions. |
| 128 | 20/12/43 | Guerilla attack on Goritza airfield. Koflug Agram ordered temporary evacuation as forces not available to hold the airfield. |
| 126 | 20/12/43 | Orders for 20/12/43 to 3./126 – 3 aircraft at a time to protect 3 vessels with german troops sailing 09.00 hrs from Simi to Rhodes (ETA 13.00 hrs). 2 aircraft from 4./126 transfering from Suda to Leros to be employed by Leros staffel, these aircraft to return to Suda the same day. One schwarm of heavy fighters (Ju 88) would screen the convoy from the East. On 21/12/43 AS patrol from Drache to be expected from first light. Aircraft to respect Turkish Territorial waters. |
| 113 | 20/12/43 | Strength returns 2./NAGr 12; IV./JG 27; 13./SG 151 |
| 112 | 19/12/43 | Enquired of Luftwaffe Zara-Nadin if Wassermann (Radar) had arrived and whether it was damaged. Suggested location is thought to be Zara instead of Split. |
| 104 | 21/12/43 | Eleusis opened at 17.00 hrs for take off and Landing on runway. Taxying on hundred metre strip west of runway. Eastern half of landing area still closed. |
| 100 | 16/12/43 | Wasserman (radar) believed destroyed in raid when being unloaded. Arrived Zara on 14/12/43 |
| 96-97 | 21/12/43
|
Luftwaffenkommando Süd-Ost effort - one Ju 88 photo recce southern Cyprus airfields. Two Ju 88 met recce south west of Cyprus and northwest of Benghazi.
(additional to VL2356) recce by unspecified aircraft Scarpanto Attack by 6 enemy aircraft on Simi – Rhodes convoy (arriving Rhodes 13.15 hrs) repulsed by Ju 88 heavy fighters. 3 Hs 126 operating SE of Agram. |
| 92 | 22/12/43 | Ciampino North and South airfields closed for some types of aircraft due to soft ground and subsidence of in-filled craters. |
| 86 | 21/12/43 | Flifue Luftflotte intentions 22/12/43 support of defence of 10th Army with main effort opposite left wing of 76 Korps. Units to be deployed as on 21/12/43 |
| 84-85 | 21/12/43 | Western Med and Med sorties – Fliegerdivision 2 – one aircraft of 1(F)./33 due up 11.00 hrs one landed at 15.00 hrs. Two Ar 196 AS patrol sea area off Toulon-Marseilles. One Ju 88 flew recce sortie Perugia – East coast of Sardinia to Cape Bellavista – returning to Perugia. One Ju 88 sea recce Corsica from Perugia – Cap Corse – Perugia. |
| 82 | 22/12/43 | Luftwaffenkommando Süd-Ost recce orders for Flifue Albania – photo recce of Apulian airfields where not carried out on 20/12/43 and 21/12/43. |
| 79 | 21/12/43 | Further orders to those in VL2344 were issued by Stab./ JG 53 to I./ JG 53 and I./ JG 77 together with an “airfield servicing company”. |
| 76 | 21/12/43 | Flifue Albania strength returns – 1./NAGr 12; 8./JG 27; 11./ JG 27; I./LG 1; 13./SG151; Adriatic staffel. |
| 75 | 21/12/43 | Aircraft ordered transferred to Samos to return 22/12/43 |
| 71 | 22/12/43 | I./SG 3 to transfer to germany, relinquishing present subordinations. Thi sgruppe to bring 13./SG 151 up to 16 Ju 87 and crews. Crews already transferred. 13./SG 151 to be directly subordinated to Flifue Croatia. |
| 69 | 21/12/43 | Strength 1./NSGr 7 |
| 68 | 22/12/43 | From agents report Flifue Croatia aware of landing ground for Allied aircraft 3 km south of Vis, north of the road. |
| 63 | 22/12/43 | II./KG76 had one aircraft in Italy. |
| 58 | 22/12/43 | Intentions Flifue Luftflotte (2?) for 23/12/43 unchanged from previous day. |
| 52 | 22/12/43 | Recce orders to Flifue Croatia for 23/12/43 were unchanged. |
| 51 | 22/12/43 | Orders Flifue Luftflotte for 23/12/43 – support of defensive operations of tenth Army. Main effort in front of left wing of 76 Panzer Korps. II./SG 4 at readiness and bombed up from 07.00 hrs for engagement of ground targets. |
| 47 | 22/12/43 | Orders to Flifue Albania for 23/12/43 – Photo recce sorties to Apulian airfields. |
| 46 | 21/12/43 | 1./NAGr11 subordinated to NAGr 11 – both under control of Flifue Luftflotte 2. |
| 45 | 22/12/43 | Intentions Fliegerkorps 2 for night 22-23/12/43. Screening operation cancelled due to weather conditions. 23/12/43 sea recce weatehr permitting and photo recce of Foggia and Foggia airfield. |
| 42 | 21/12/43 | Luftgau XXX gave fresh instructions regarding despatch of both Freyas menioned in VL2387. These are now intended for Split. |
| 36 | 22/12/43 | Flifue Albania intentions for 23/12/43.Photo recce of Bari, Gioia del Colle, Brindisi (land and sea); Lecce; Leverano; San Vito; Taranto' Taranto sea; manduria; Grottaglie; Pangrazio and guerilla airfields in Albania. 11./JG 27 and 13./SG 151 transfer to Mostar and I./LG 1 to Eleusis. |
| 32 | 21/12/43 | 4./126 strength return. |
| 23 | 22/12/43 | III./KG 76 strength return. |
| 14-15 | 19/12/43 | KG 100 movements – Leck and Eggebeck. |
| 12-13 | 21/12/43 | Luftwaffenkommando Süd-Ost - recce one Junkers photo recce of airfields on southern Cyprus. Two Junkers on met recce south west of Cyprus and north west of Benghazi. Five Ar 196 recce east of Leros. One Junkers off shore Otranto- Spartivento. Four Junkers shadowing convoy north west of Benghazi. Three Ju 88 bombers on operation against the convoy north west of Benghazi, nine aircraft had broken off prematurely owing to technical difficulties. 15 others failed to find the convoy – there were heavy thunderstorms in the area and bombs were jettisoned over the sea. Two aircraft lost one to AA or fighters the other ditched in the Gulf of Corinth. |
| 8 | 22/12/43 | Athens informed Milos on arrival from Skaramanga of three aircraft from 1./126 and three from 2./126 |
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