DEFE 3/18
DEFE3/18 covers the decryption period between 5th January 1944 and 8th January 1944 – however, some information relates to dates outside this period
In the page below are some notes/summaries gleaned from the pages of DEFE 3/17 I hope that these are of assistance to any fellow researchers.
The link to DEFE 3/18 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 |
309 | 31/12/43 | Recce intentions Flifue Luftflotte for 01/01/44 – if weather suitable photo recce of inundation area (indications Fondi) |
299 | 31/12/43 | Orders Flifue Luftflotte for 01/01/44 – Ground attack aircraft to be at one hours readiness for operation against ground targets with SD 500 and AB 500 munitions. I./ JG 53 and I./JG 77 to be at readiness from dawn for escort fighter thrusts and defence. |
296 | 31/12/43 | Orders to Flifue Albania for 1/01/44 – Photo recce of airfields and harbours Apulia. Met recce of Bari-Brindisi area to establish possibilities of attack for bombers of Luftwaffenkommando Süd-Ost |
292 | 23/12/43 | Radar train in operational position at Traian. Traian is 30 KM from Braila on line to Buzau. This train is one of a group of three the others are also located in Romania. |
291 | 31/12/43 | Luftwaffenkommando Süd-Ost recce orders for Flifue Croatia include photo recce of Manfredonia – Termoli. |
290 | 19/12/43 | Stab, I'II and III./ZG76 under Jagddivision 7. Stab at Ansbach (indications also that I./ZG 76 and III./ ZG 76 are also at Ansbach). II./ZG 76 at Neubiberg. |
281 | 1/1/44 | Three Ar 196 to take off at 05.00 hrs for AS patrol. |
279-280 | 31/12/43 | Luftwaffenkommando Süd-Ost – sortie count. One Junkers weather recce SW of Cyprus. Two Junkers Turkish recce with photo recce of Castelorizo and sea recce east of Rhodes. One Junkers weather recce northwest of Benghazi. One Junkers off-shore Spartivento-Otranto. Two Me PR of Bari. Fighter sorties. Twelve Ar 196s with air transports; eight Ar 196s with convoy in the Aegean; nine Ar 196s on AS patrol and convoy escortin naxos area. Junkers heavy fighter sorties.Transport sorties. Me recce of Dalmatian Islands. |
260 | 31/12/43 | Strength return 4./126 |
259 | 01/01/44 | II./ZG 76 or elements at Wertheim. |
241 | 30-31/12/43 | Luftwaffe station Banjaluka on readiness as large group of partisans approaching. |
235 | 01/01/44 | Flifue Luftflotte 2 intentions for 02/01/44. Support defensive fighting of X Armee at point of main effort. If airfields are usable II./SG 4 at half hours readiness.I./JG 53 and I./JG 77 readiness from first light for escort, freelance patrol and air defence. |
234 | 01/01/44 | (F)./122 serviceable aircraft – 4 Ju 88 including two Hohentwiel equiped and three Me 410 available. |
228 | 01/01/44 | Flifue Luftflotte – no operations due to weather and state of airfields. No operations by Luftflotte 2 on the night of 31/12/43 – 01/01/44 |
218 | 31/12/43 | 18.00 hrs 18 Ju 88 made glide attack on Augusta Harbour and shipping after illumination of the target. Five aircraft missing. Large fire observed and presumed storage tanks hit. Also burnig steamship of approx 3000 tons |
213 | 31/12/43 | Luftwaffenkommando Rumania - list of airfields under control. |
209-211 | 01/01/44 | Luftwaffenkommando Süd-Ost total sortie count. One Ju 88 recce sortie probing Alexandria (provides course). One Ju 88 recce sea south west of Rhodes. One Ju 88 met and sea recce Spartivento- Ortranto. Two Me 109 Met recce Bari- Brindisi. Two Ar 196 and two Ju 88 heavy fighters with convoy – escort broken off due to weather conditions. Transports: two Ju 52 Greece area. Six Ju 88 sea rescue (search) for aircraft missing from sorties on night of 31/12/43 – presumably from above mentioned raid on Augusta. Six W34s on supply dropping sorties in Krapnoa (?) (NW of Agram) and Zara areas. |
211 | 31/12/43 | Supplementary – Six Me 109 recce Dalmatian coast south of Split.Two Hs 126 recce of area NNW of Banjaluka. Seven Me 109 escort for warships in sea area of Dalmatian Islands. |
205-206 | 31/12/43 | Western Med sorties – one Ju88 of Fliegerdivision 2 security recce, gives area. One Ju 88 of 2(F)./122 on sortie from Pontedera – Perugia, gives course. Recce of Adriatic Coast and harbours broken off owing to weather conditions. |
206 | 01/01/44 | Ju 88 of Fliegerdivision 2 security recce as on 31/12/43. One Ju 88 of Westa 26 due to sortie at 18.00 hrs for screening west coast. |
175 | 02/01/44 | Luftwaffenkommando Süd-Ost – Photo recce of Apulia not possible owing to bad weather. |
170 | 01/01/44 | Strength returns for III./JG 27 and IV./JG 27 aircraft and pilots. |
168 | 02/01/44 | Recce orders from Flifue Luftflotte 2 for 03/01/44. Battle recce for ground attack operation on right wing of 5th Mountain Division and in front of Parachute Division. Support for offensive fighting of 10thy Armee. |
166 | 01/01/44 | Luftwaffenkommando Süd-Ost – two Me 109 scramble. Three Ar 196 and two Ju 88 convoy escort, task abandoned due to weather conditions. |
165 | 01/01/44 | Luftflotte 2 – no operations |
165 | 01-02/01/44 | Recce including sea area off Gulf of Naples |
158-159 | 02/01/44 | Luftwaffenkommando Süd-Ost – Total of 48 sorties. One Ju88 on weather and sea recce Dodecanese, SW Greece. Two Me 109 weather recce Bari area. One Ju88 off shore Otranto- Spartivento. 2 Me 109 photo recce guerilla airfields east of Tirana. One Hs 126 Banjaluka area. Fighter sorties from Kalamaki, patrol in Milos area. Me 109s scrambled from Maleme against recce aircraft in the Milos area. 18 escort sorties – 10 Ar 196 with air transport. 6 Ar 196 and two Ju 88 escort and AS partol for convoy due to arrive at Pireaus. 11 Ju 52 Greece-crete-Rhodes-Croatia. 2 Me 109 sea rescue Sporades area. 3 W 34 dropped amunition. |
157 | 02/01/44 | Orders to (F)122 for night 02-03/01/44 and day 03/01/44. Night search recce with two aircraft Adriatic and Tyrrhenian including offshore area. Day tasks unchanged. Preparations to be made for the use of Ju88D aircraft on AS (recce). Completion of equiping and number of aircraft to be reported. Gulf of Genoa to be the primary operational area. |
152 | 01/01/44 | Aircraft available – 2(F)./122 – one Ju 88 and four Me 410. 1(F)./123 – one Ju88 . Met staffel (Westa 26?) - two Ju 88 Hohentwiel. |
146 | 03/01/44 | Intentions Flifue Luftflotte for 03/01/44 unchanged as for 02/01/44. |
143 | 03/01/44 | Luftwaffenkommando Süd-Ost - Recce orders to Flifue Albania unchanged. |
131 | 02/01/44 | Fliegerkorps X requested 45 tonnes aircraft fuel for immediate transport by sea to Leros. |
127-8 | 02/01/44 | At Neuburg elements of NJG 101, detatchment of NJG 200 with 15 Ju 88. At Ingolstadt elements of KG 54. Four gruppen of NJG 101 identified under 7. JD - unknown which of above elements belong. Of NJG 200 only 2; 4 and 5 staffel known, all operating in south Russia.
Elements of NJG 101 unable to leave Neuburg until the KG 54 elements leave Ingolstadt. (Comment III./ KG 54 transferred to Ingolstadt in Oct 1943. Has since moved further north. Stab there in December.) KG 1 requested that Neuburg be cleared of other units so that training should not be interfered with – IV./ KG 1 to be equiped with He 177. |
121 | 02/01/44 | According to Flifue Albania following guerilla airfields not established by PR sorties the same day – Martanesh (32 km ENE Tirana and Mavrovo 24 km NE of Debah. |
120 | 02/01/44 | Western Med some sorties of Fliegerdivision 2 – One Ju 88 security recce between 0515 hrs and 0745 hrs between Cossica and own coast. One Ju 88 from 12.00 hrs to 1615 hrs security recce in same area but with differing boundaries.
6 Ar 196 close escort Italian area. One Me 410 recce of Adriatic from San Benedetto to Bari (2(F)./122?) One Ju 88 Adriatic recce if Italian East coast as far as Brindisi ((F)./122). One Ju for Italian West Coast Recce ((F)./122) |
118 | 14/12/43 | Further 1 officer and 135 other ranks of I./KG 30 arrived in the Hamburg area. |
117 | 03/01/44 | Luftwaffenkommando Süd-Ost – operations include photo recce of airfields in the Mersa matruh area and photo recce of Brindisi – both tasks broken off. Photo recce or Bari took place. |
113/114 | 02/01/44 | Flifue Albania intentions for 03/01/44 – Met recce Bari and Brindisi. Photo recce of Bari; Giola del Colle; Brinisi; Lecce; leverano; Vito dei Normanni; Taranto; Manduria; Grottaglie; San Pancrazio as well as guerilla airfields at Berane and Kolashin. Photio recce airfields Tirana; Devoli; Podgorica and Scutari.
Leaflet drops east and north east of Tirana. Transfer of 13./SG 151 to Mostar. Servicability return of 1./ NAGr 12; 13./SG 151 and Adriatic Staffel. |
109 | 02/01/44 | Luftwaffe effort in Croatian area. |
106 | 02/01/44 | Serviceable aircraft and available crews for III./ JG 27 |
106 | 03/01/44 | Serviceable aircraft and available crews for IV./ JG 27 |
105 | 02/01/44 | From Flifue Croatia – units that took part in Operation “Nabob” are to reform for Operation “Jackass” |
102 | 03/01/44 | Luftflotte 2 recce orders at 16.00 hrs for night of 3-54 Jan and day of 4th Jan. Gruppe 122 night Hohentwiel search recce of Adriatic and Tyrrhenian Sea committing two aircraft. Day tasks unchanged. Close co-operation recce to take place according to weather conditions. |
93 | 03/01/44 | Intentions Flifue Luftflotte 2 at 19.00 hrs for 4/01/44. Battle recce on left wings of 14 and 76 Korps. Photo recce near front in front of 29 PG Div and 1 Parachute Div. Ground attack units at 30 minutes readiness for direct support of the army. |
92 | 03/01/44 | II./JG 77 addressed Lagnasco on third. (previous evidence showed that the Gruppe was loacated here on 11/11/43. |
85 | 03/01/44 | Luftwaffenkommando Süd-Ost – situation Banjaluka easier town and airfield firmly in German hands |
82-84 | 02-03/01/44 | Luftwaffenkommando Süd-Ost – total sorties for 03/01/44. Photo recce of airfields in the Matruh area not carried out due to cloud. One Ju 88 carried out met recce in sea area towards Matruh and Tobruk. One Ju 88 night recce offshore Otranto – east of Catania. Two Me 109 photo recce Bari. Two Me 109 photo recce Brindisi broken off owing to altitude sickness. Two Me 109 met recce Bari-Brindisi. One Hs 126 armed recce Banjaluka. Four Me 109 scambled from Maleme against reported fighter sweep, contact made with five Beaufighters north of Rethimon of which one claimed near Cape Spatha. Escort of 12 Ar 196 for convoy. Six Ar 196 escort for transports, 12 Ju 52 Greece, Agean Islands, Serbia, Croatia and Vienna.
Additional sortie information for 02/01/44 – Four Me 109 islands south of Split.Four Hs 126 area Oleve (NNE Sarajevo). Four Me 109 attacked shipping island of Brac. Eight He 46 attacked a column south east of Oleve. Sixteen me 109 scramble for a defensive partol over Dalmatian islands. |
80 | 03/01/44 | Operations Flifue Luftflotte 2 to 17.30 hrs. Attack on large tented camp west of Venafro (previously identified by photo recce) – one Fw 190 missing. Sixteen fighters on escort, fifteen fighters scrampled in Tiber estuary area without contact. Another fifteen fighters scrampled, contact with 125 B-17 and 60 P-38, one german pilot bailed out and saved by Sea Rescue service (six aircraft on Sea Rescue) Twelve aircraft on Photo and battle recce in front of 14 and 76 Pz Korps. |
72 | 03/01/44 | (F)./122 advised that the following airfields were serviceable – Forli, Viterbo Pisa Giusto and Aviano. Jesi was serviceable but without artificial horizon or directional searchlights. |
65 | 03/01/44 | Eleven Me 109 aircraft arrived at Osoppo from Neubiberg (presumably replacement aircraft). |
47-50 | 03/01/44 | Western Med sorties.
Fliegerdivision 2 – One Ju 88 from 12.00 to 16.15 hrs visual recce between 3 and 8 degrees East, southern limit 40 degrees North. Ten Ar 196 05.30 hrs to 16.30 hrs close escort. (F)./122 one aircraft performed early morning recce, no sightings in sea area off Pontine islands. One Me 410 went up at 07.00 hrs for a photo reconnaissance sortie covering the area between Ponza and Ischia. One me 410 took of at 09.15 hrs for photo reconnaissance of the airfields around Foggia. One Me 410 up at 11.00 hrs on route south-east of Nettunia via Sezze Romano to northwest of Frosinone to Pescara and to the guerilla north-east of Foligno. An aircraft was up at 13.00 hrs with task photo recce east of Viterbo to Sulmona, just south of Frosinone. One Ju 88 of Westa 26 flew from 17.30 hrs to 21.45 hrs for an offshore recce east of Italy. One Ju 88 of Westa 26 from 18.45 hrs to 21.00 hrs screening of Spezia – Elba – Perugia.
|
35 | 02/01/44 | Strength of Luftwaffe units in Rumania. |
11 | 04/01/44 | Luftwaffenkommando Süd-Ost – appreciation at 13.30 hrs. raid by fairly strong Allied force of 40-50 aircraft including some 4 engined, from Apulia area via Northern Albania into Sofi area at 11.30 hrs. Apparently target not found due to low clouds. Up to the time of the appreciation no bombs recorded as being dropped. Return flight to South west last reported south of Skoplje. |
6 | 04/01/44 | Flifue Luftflotte intentions for 05/01/44. Battle recce main effort before centre and right wing of 14 Pz Korps to establish presence of second American corpsbrough up there, also photo mosaic of probable area of appraoch. Battle recce before 5 Mountain Div and 1 Parachute Div according to the development of the situation. Ground attack unchanged as on 04/01/44 but on 1 hour readiness. Fighters unchanged as of 04/01/44. |
2 | 04/01/44 | Photo and met recce of Bari from Luftwaffenkommando Süd-Ost. Broken off due to strong fighter defence. |
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