Erg.Fernaufkl.Gr.
Ergänzungs-Fernaufklärungsgruppe
Unit Code: (F2 + ) ?
Formation
Ordered formed on or about 10(14?) April 1942, possibly at Weimar-Nohra (Neuruppin/Brandenburg?) by renaming Erg.Aufkldrungsgruppe (F) Ob.d.L., eventually with a Stab, Stabskompanie and 1. - 5. Staffel. [1]
Germany and Greece
7.4.42: Ju 88 D-5 damaged landing at Fp.Neuruppin, 40%.
14.4.42: several Ju 88 A-5 and D-5 accidents at Fp.Neuruppin.
5/42 - 1/43: no details - however, it is known that the Gruppe moved to Weimar-Nohra during 1942 and then in mid-January 1943 all or elements began transferring to Salonika-Sedes in northern Greece. Ob.d.L./OKL had issued a new policy that called for the stationing of Ergänzungs (replacement and training) units in areas where they could be used operationally, at least to some extent.[2]
8.4.43: at Salonika-Sedes flying anti-submarine patrols over the Aegean with Ju 88s.[3]
26.4.43: Salonika-Sedes tactically under X.Fliegerkorps - Gruppe reported 37(21) Ju 88s and 2(1) Do 215s on strength.[4]
3.5.43: 1.St. - Ju 88 crashed and burned at Fp.Salonika-Sedes, 100%, Oblt. Alfred Rogati (observer) + 2 killed.
3.5.43: 3.St. - Ju 88 crashed and burned at Fp.Salonika-Sedes, 100%, 3 killed.
5.5.43: 2.St. - Ju 88 A-2 (F2+LK) failed to return from a flight over the Aegean, 100%, 4 MIA,
14.5.43: still at Salonika-Sedes with 36(21) Ju 88s.[5]
29.5.43: Ju 88 D-1 ran out of fuel and belly-landed NE of Kraukeln/Germany, 30%.
6/43: returned to Germany at the end of May/beginning of June; also, the Erg.Nachtaufkl. Staffel based at Brieg/Silesia was incorporated into the Gruppe as 4.(Nacht)/Erg.Fernaufkl.Gr.
10.6.43: Ju 88 A-5 crashed at Sabac/Serbia, 100%. Aircraft was enroute back to Germany.
29.6.43: 4.(Nacht) St. - Do 17M crashed at Fp.Brieg, 100%, 3 killed.
16.7.43: Ju 88 A-5 belly-landed at Fp.Weimar-Nohra, 15%.
9/43: Gruppenstab and 1.-3.Staffel transferred from Weimar-Nohra to Posen (Poznan) in northwest Poland, although this was considered part of Germany at the time, and remained there to the end of 1944, Stations then for the entire Gruppe were:
Stab and 1.-3.St. at Fp.Posen, 4.(Nacht-) St. at Brieg/Silesia and 5.(See) St. at Rahmel-Putzig/25 km NNW of Danzig on the Baltic coast. While 1.-3.St. provided replacement crews for the main-force long-range reconnaissance Staffeln, 4.(Nacht) did the same for the Nachtaufkldrungsstaffeln (1.(F)/Nacht - 4.(F)/Nacht) and 5.(See) for the Westa (weather reconnaissance) and maritime recce units. [6]
21.9.43: 5.(See) St. - Ju 88 D-1 force-landed at Wolfeltsried, 30%.
21.9.43: 4.(Nacht) St. - Do 17P crashed at Jenkwitz, 100%, 3 killed.
12.10.43: 1.St. - Ju 88 D-1 force-landed near Graudenz/West Prussia, 30%.
13.10.43: 5.(See) St. - Ju 88 A-4 damaged at Fp.Rahmel-Putzig, 15%.
22.10.43: 4.(Nacht) St. - Do 217M damaged taxying at Fp.Brieg, 50%, 1 injured.
12.11.43: 4.(Nacht) St. - Do 17P force landed at Fp.Sprottau/Silesia, 50%.
6.12.43: 5.(See) St. - Ju 88 D-1 crashed and burned SW of Rahmel, 100%, 4 killed.
1/44 - 12/44: at Posen (to 8/44), Brieg and Rahmel as noted above, but no details, mainly due to the absence of loss reports for all of 1944.
8/44: Stab with 1. – 3.St. transferred from Posen to Prag-Rusin in Czechoslovakia. [7]
11/44: Stab (only) moved from Prag-Rusin to Pütnitz. [8]
8.1.45: renamed II.(F)/Erg.Aufklärungsgeschwader 1. [9]
FpNs: Stab and 1.-4./Erg.Fernaufkl.Gr. (L 55905),
5.(See)/Erg.Fernaufkl.Gr. (L 51529).
Kommandeur
Maj. Klaus Pritzel ( ? - ? ) 3/43, 5/43
Obstlt, Hans-Günther von Obernitz (16.12.43 - 15.1.44) killed in crash
Oberst Gerhard Kopper (1/44 - 27.12.44) 6/44
1./Erg.Fernaufkl.Gr.
14.4.42: Weimar-Nohra (to 15.3.43)
16.3.43: Salonika-Sedes (to 7/43)
7/43: Posen (to 8/44)
8/44: Prag-Rusin (to 11.9.44)
Staffelkapitän
Hptm. Viktor von Moller (14.4.42 - 7.12.42)
Oblt. Hans Rührschneck (15.3.44 - 11.9.44)
2./Erg.Fernaufkl.Gr.
14.4.42: Weimar-Nohra (to 31.7.43)
1.8.43: Posen (to 8/44)
Staffelkapitän
Hptm. Erich Marquardt (14.4.42 - 25.2.43)
Hptm. Hans-Otto Heindorff (26.2.43 - 8.4.44)
Hptm. Hans Ketscher (15.8.44 - 14.10.44)
3./Erg.Fernaufkl.Gr.
14.4.42: Weimar-Nohra (to 31.7.43)
1.8.43: Posen (to 8/44)
8/44: Prag-Rusin (to 11.9.44)
Staffelkapitän
Hptm. Dr. Albert Niggermann (14.4.42 - 15.12.42)
4.(Nacht)/Erg.Fernaufkl.Gr.
10.5.43: Brieg (to 25.6.44)
Staffelkapitän
Hptm. Erwin Köck (15.2.44 - 29.11.44)
4.(See)/Erg.Fernaufkl.Gr.
7/43: Rahmel (to 10.1.45)
Staffelkapitän
Hptm. Karl-Gustav Schmidt (26.2.43 - 13.1.44)
Maj. Hugo Löhr (14.1.44 - 10.1.45)
© by Henry L. deZeng IV (Work in Progress, 2022).
(1st Draft 2022)
References
- ↑ Carlsen/Meyer: Flugzeugführer-, Band II, pp.507-15.
- ↑ AirMin based on ULTRA, other Sigint and P/W interrogations.
- ↑ ULTRA VM8929
- ↑ ULTRA ML447
- ↑ ULTRA ML1935
- ↑ BA-MA RL 2 III document, undated; ADI (K) 127/44; ADI(K) 249/44
- ↑ Carlsen/Meyer, op cit.
- ↑ Carlsen/Meyer, op cit.
- ↑ KTB Gen.d.Aufkllrungsflieger in: BA-MA RL 4 11/32