II./TG 3

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II./TG 3


Formation. (May 43)

Formed 1 May 1943 at Schwerin/Mecklenburg with a Gruppenstab and 5. – 8. Staffel by renaming KGr.z.b.V. 50. The Gruppe had been ordered to Schwerin in March from Crimea to rest, refit and re-equip with a new allowance of Ju 52 transports.[1]


South Russia. (May 43 - Mar 44)

2 May 43: Ju 52 crashed west of Lvov/SE Poland due to engine failure, 70%, 1 crew injured and 6 passengers injured.[2]

7 May 43: Ju 52 damaged taxiing at Fp. Zaporozhye-East, 30%.

11 May 43: at Zaporozhye-East.[3]

Jul 43: still at Zaporozhye-East, but later moved to Dnepropetrovsk.[4]

15 Jul 43: Ju 52 shot down by AA fire c. 60 km SSE of Kharkov, 100%.

7 Aug 43: 6. Staffel Ju 52 crash landed at Fp. Poltava, 30%.

1 Sep 43: Ju 52 crashed near Zlotsov (not located), 100%, crew of 4 killed plus 17 passengers killed and 2 injured.

2 Sep 43: now at Zaporozhye-South.[5]

11 Sep 43: 7.St. Ju 52 struck the ground and crashed west of Tgoryevka (not located), 100%, 4 killed.

11 Oct 43: based at Nikolayev-East after withdrawing from Zaporozhye-South.[6]

21 Oct 43: 8.St. Ju 52 force landed north of Novo Ukrainka/60 km WSW of Kirovograd due to engine failure, 40%.

31 Oct 43: 8.St. Ju 52 crashed NE of Pervomaisk/90 km SE of Uman, 100%, 4 killed and 4 injured.

3 Nov 43: a crew member reported KIA by infantry ground fire 70 km SSW of Kherson.

13 Nov 43: Ju 52 crashed at Fp. Nikolayev due to engine failure, 60%.

19 Nov 43: 5.St. Ju 52 crashed while taking off from Fp. Nikolayev-East, 60%.

1 Dec 43: 8.St. Ju 52 struck the ground and crashed NW of Uman, 45%.

12 Dec 43: ordered to transfer from Nikolayev-East to Zhitomir-North and located there on 1 January.[7]

10 Jan 44: operating from Uman.[8]

16 Jan 44: ordered to transfer to Tiraspol/88 km NW of Odessa to transport supplies to Crimea.[9]

1-20 Feb 44: took part in the air supply of 56,000 German troops cut off in the so-called Cherkassy Pocket between Korsun and Cherkassy on the Dnieper.[10]

2 Feb 44: now at Golta/105 km SE of Uman, but on 4 February the Gruppe returned to Uman.[11]

Mar 44: on conclusion of the Cherkassy operation, transferred to Tiraspol and then later in March returned to Stendal in Germany to rest, refit, re-equip and provide aircraft for parachute training. When this was completed around late May or early June, II./TG 3 was placed directly under OKL for use in special tasks.[12]


Germany. (Mar 44 - May 45)

23 Aug 44: based at Würzburg and Strasbourg-Enzheim with 5. Staffel detached at Kirtorf/12 km WNW of Alsfeld and halfway between Kassel and Frankfurt/M.[13]

24-25 Aug 44: elements of the Gruppe may have been used to evacuate Luftwaffe personnel, especially females, from Romania as the country dissolved in chaos following the Soviet invasion on 19 August and the overthrow of the Romanian government 23-24 August. It then moved to Enzheim around 24-25 August.[14]

26 Aug 44: 5.St. Ju 52 operating from Metz shot down by AA fire near Troyes while on a flight to evacuate German nurses and other personnel from Cognac in SW France.[15]

17 Dec 44: operating from Paderborn and Lippspringe, the Gruppe dropped a reinforced paratroop battalion under Oberst von der Heydte at night between Eupen and Malmedy at the beginning of the Ardennes Offensive (Battle of the Bulge). This was the last German paratroop drop of the war, aside from agent-dropping missions.[16]

Jan 45: at Fürstenwalde/50 km ESE of Berlin under Luftflotte 10.[17]

Feb 45: from around 7 February through April the Gruppe flew 566 air supply flights to the fortress city of Breslau, transporting in 3,770 troops and 657 tons of supplies and evacuating 3,282 wounded at a cost of 52 Ju 52s. Air crew losses for the Gruppe were 21 KIA, 84 MIA and 23 WIA. While the Gruppe was nominally based at Berlin-Werder for the operation, most of the flights to Breslau-Gandau were staged through Dresden-Klotzsche and Jüterbog.[18]

23 Feb 45: 4 Ju 52s failed to return from air supply operations to Breslau, all 100%, 1 KIA, 1 MIA and 1 WIA.

25-28 Feb 45: 3 Ju 52s FTR from supply missions to Breslau, 2 of which were believed shot down by AA fire, crews MIA.

1 Mar 45: 2 Ju 52s damaged in landing collision at Breslau.

11-19 Mar 45: 13 Ju 52s lost in operations related to the air supply of Breslau.

21 Mar 45: 2 Ju 52s destroyed on the ground during low-level enemy attack on Fp. Alt-Lönnewitz.

22 Mar 45: 3 Ju 52s lost in operations related to the air supply of Breslau, casualties included Staffelkapitän Hptm. Wilhelm Neumann and crew.

10 Apr 45: at Berlin-Werder and Jüterbog – Altes Lager.[19]

25 Apr 45: now at Güstrow/33 km SSE of Rostock under Luftflotte Reich with 34 Ju 52s. From there and from Rechlin, the Gruppe flew supplies to Berlin during the last week of April.[20]

1 May 45: airlifted 313 officers and men to Kiel-Holtenau with 15 Ju 52s. It is not known who these people were, but most likely the majority belonged to II./TG 3.[21]

8 May 45: surrendered at Flensburg/Schleswig-Holstein with 15 Ju 52s and 261 officers and men.[22]



FpNs:Gruppenstab (L 36308)

5. Staffel (L 37612)
6. Staffel (L 38464)
7. Staffel (L 20031)
8. Staffel (L 21674)


Kommandeur:

Obstlt. Otto Baumann (DKG) (1 May 43 - 8 May 45)

Obstlt. Hasso von Prince? (acting?) ( ? - ? ) 1943



Also see:

BELZ, Josef, Hptm. (RK). Pilot.

KERN, Karl, Ofw. (RK).

NEUMANN, Wilhelm, Hptm. Staka 6./TG 3. KIA.



© by Henry L. deZeng IV (Work in Progress, 2022).

(1st Draft 2022)


References

  1. ↑ G.Tessin-Verbände und Truppen der Deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS 1939-1945 - Teil 14: Die Luftstreitkräfte.
  2. ↑ BA-MA Freiburg: RL 2 III Meldungen über Flugzeugunfälle…..(Loss Reports – LRs).
  3. ↑ PRO London: AIR 40 Air Ministry intelligence documents based on ULTRA and “Y” Service intercepts; AIR 40/1988.
  4. ↑ Air Ministry intelligence documents-op cit.
  5. ↑ AIR 40/1988.
  6. ↑ AIR 40/1978.
  7. ↑ AIR 40/1974.
  8. ↑ AIR 40/1984.
  9. ↑ AIR 40/1983.
  10. ↑ F.Morzik-German Air Force Airlift Operations.
  11. ↑ F.Morzik-German Air Force Airlift Operations:221-A.
  12. ↑ F.Morzik-op cit:230.
  13. ↑ NARA WashDC: RG 242/T-79 roll 14.
  14. ↑ G.Tessin-op cit.; BNA HW 5 ULTRA intercept.
  15. ↑ AFHRA Maxwell: decimal 512.619 British AirMin P/W interrogations, ADI(K) series, microfilm rolls A5400-05, interrogation ADI(K) 509/44.
  16. ↑ F.Morzik-op cit:281-92.
  17. ↑ G.Tessin-op cit.
  18. ↑ F.Morzik-op cit:272-77.
  19. ↑ PRO London: DEFE 3 ULTRA signal KO1947.
  20. ↑ F.Morzik-op cit:410; Jet & Prop magazine, Heft (issue) 2/1996, pp.50-51.
  21. ↑ ULTRA signal KO1947.
  22. ↑ Jet & Prop 3/1996, p.53.


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