II./TG 4

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II./TG 4


Formation. (May 43)

Formed 1 May 1943 at Weimar-Nohra with a Gruppenstab and 5. – 8. Staffel by renaming KGr.z.b.V. 500. Equipped with Ju 52 transports.[1]


Germany, South Russia and Balkans. (May 43 - Dec 44)

May 43: from May to Oct 43 the Gruppe appears to have been split between several theatres, but it has not been possible so far to accurately identify its deployment and bases.

12 May 43: Ju 52 damaged taxiing at Naples-Capodichino, 40%.

24 May 43: Ju 52 ran out of fuel at force landed at Skyros in the Aegean, 80%.

17 Jul 43: Ju 52 crashed due to engine failure – location not reported, 20%.

20 Jul 43: Ju 52 struck an obstacle and crashed at Fp. Seshchinskaya/40 km SE of Roslavl, 40%.

29 Jul 43: main body at Jena-Rödigen with 8. Staffel detached at Belgrade and Niš in Serbia.[2]

1 Aug 43: 2 Ju 52s bombed on the ground at Fp. Naples-Capodichino, both 100%.

12 Aug 43: Ju 52 crashed near Zagreb/Croatia, 100%, 4 killed and 1 injured.

17 Aug 43: 2 Ju 52s bombed on the ground at Fp. Istres/S France, 100% and 35%.

20 Sep 43: Ju 52 shot down by ground fire at Sinj on the Dalmatian coast, 100%, Staffelkapitän Hptm. Johannes Casper KIA and 3 WIA.

24 Sep 43: Ju 52 damaged taking off from Pavlych/Ukraine, 50%.

24 Sep 43: Ju 52 shot up by a fighter and force landed in Pl.Qu. 47632 (SW of Zaporozhye), 100%, 1 WIA.

25 Sep 43: Ju 52 taxied onto a mine at Sinj/Dalmatia, 50%.

27 Sep 43: Ju 52 crashed taking off from Taman at the tip of the Taman Peninsula/N Caucasia due to engine failure, 100%.

27 Sep 43: Ju 52 struck the ground and crashed at Sinj/Dalmatia, 60%.

23 Oct 43: Ju 52 (G6+LS) reported missing on flight between Podgorica and Belgrade, 100%, 5 MIA.

24 Oct 43: Ju 52 bombed on the ground at Fp. Tirana/Albania, 90%.

28 Oct 43: Gruppenstab, 5., 7. and 8. Staffel based at Salonika-Mega with 6. Staffel attached to the Fallschirmjägerschule (paratroop school) at Kraljevo/Serbia.[3]

1 Nov 43: Ju 52 shot down by a fighter south of Podgorica/Montenegro, 100%, Oblt. Gerhard Reinhard + 6 other crew KIA, and 12 passengers KIA.

13 Nov 43: 2 Ju 52s (incl. G6+FP) shot down by AA fire over Leros in the Dodecanese, both 100%, 3 crew MIA and 1 WIA, plus 12 paratroops MIA.

17 Nov 43: 2 Ju 52s bombed on the ground at Athens-Kalamaki, both 100%.

25 Nov 43: Ju 52 crash landed at Fp. Iraklion/Crete, 80%, 1 injured.

30 Nov 43: Ju 52 flew into the ground in heavy fog NW of Jagodina/Serbia, 100%, 3 killed and 10 injured.

1 Dec 43: Ju 52 shot down by a fighter south of Alessio (Lesh)/NW Albania, 100%, 4 KIA and 5 WIA.

1 Dec 43: 7. Staffel at Tanagra/Greece and other elements at Belgrade-Zemun.[4]

3 Dec 43: Ju 52 shot down by a fighter over Gruda near Dubrovnik/Dalmatia, 100%, crew of 5 plus 12 passengers all KIA.

1 Jan 44: Gruppenstab and 5. Staffel at Belgrade-Zemun, 6. Staffel at Kraljevo, 7. Staffel at Tanagra and 8. Staffel at Mostar.[5]

10-13 Jan 44: entire Gruppe transferred to Athens-Tatoi.[6]

20 Feb 44: Ju 52 missing on flight from Rhodes to Athens. Search operations by 4 Ju 88s turned up nothing.[7]

May 44: 8. Staffel disbanded and its assets redistributed to the rest of the Gruppe.[8]

22 May 44: based at Fp. Gross Betschkerek in the Yugoslav Banat but deployed on airfields in the Zagreb area with 40 Ju 52s for Operation “Rösselsprung” (the attempt to capture Marshall Tito in Dalmatia using paratroops and glider-borne infantry).[9]

25 May 44: employing 36 Ju 52s, dropped 200 men of SS-Fallschirmjäger-Btl. 500 on Tito’s headquarters at Drvar at dawn this date, followed by a second drop in the afternoon.[10]

Jun – Sep 44: location and activity unknown; possibly inactive or relatively inactive due to the fuel shortage.

24 Sep 44: participated during September and early October in the evacuation of personnel and equipment from the Aegean islands, Crete and Greece as part of the general withdrawal of Heeresgruppe E and attached forces from that theater.[11]

10 Oct 44: at Polykastron/50 km NW of Salonika - handed over all of its remaining aircraft to I./TG 4 and IV./TG 1 this date and then Gruppe personnel departed Greece for an unknown destination.[12]

2 Dec 44: in Germany without aircraft (high probability at Goslar/Harz to the south of Braunschweig) - ordered by OKL this date to turn over all suitable pilots for conversion to fighters.[13]

Dec 44: disbanded.[14]



FpNs:Gruppenstab and 5. – 8. Staffel (L 40419)



Kommandeur:

Obstlt. Gustav Damm (DKG) (1 May 43 - 15 May 43)

Obstlt. i.G. Werner-Eugen Hoffmann (15 May 43 - c. 24 Feb 44)

Hptm. Joachim Bledow (acting?) (Jan 44 - ? )

Maj.d.R. Emil Herbst (24 Feb 44 - c. Dec 44)

Hptm. Dr.(jur.) Hermann (Ernst-Hermann) Mersmann? (13.05.44 - c. 31.10.44)


Also see:

ALBERTS, Hinrich(Heinrich?), Oblt. Pilot.

BEUTLER, Josef, (rank?).

CASPER, Johannes, Hptm. Staka. KIA.

FLECKENSTEIN, Max, Oblt. Beobachter. Adj. in Stab II./TG 4.

HANS, Heinrich, Hptm.

HEINRICH, Hans, Oblt.

HUYS, Bernhard, Oblt./Hptm.

KEITEL, Gerhard, Hptm. Adj. in Stab II./TG 4.

PETERS, Walter, Lt.(Ing.). KIA.

REINHARD (REINHARDT?), Gerhard, Oblt.(Kr.O.) Adj. in Stab II./TG 4. KIA.

SCHLIERMANN, Herman, Ofw. (R, DKG).

SCHULZ, Günther (Günter), Hptm. Adj. in Stab II./TG 4.

STREIT, Kurt, Oblt. Adj. in Stab II./TG 4.


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

(1st Draft 2022)


Additional Notes and Losses

25.8.44: Located at Athens-Tatoi.[15]


References

  1. ↑ G.Tessin-Verbände und Truppen der Deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS 1939-1945 - Teil 14: Die Luftstreitkräfte.
  2. ↑ PRO London: AIR 40 Air Ministry intelligence documents based on ULTRA and “Y” Service intercepts.
  3. ↑ Air Ministry intelligence documents-op cit.
  4. ↑ PRO London: DEFE 3 ULTRA signal (number not recorded); BNA HW 5/401.
  5. ↑ Air Ministry intelligence documents-op cit.
  6. ↑ BNA HW 5/423.
  7. ↑ BNA HW 5/441.
  8. ↑ AFHRA Maxwell: decimal 512.619 British AirMin P/W interrogations, ADI(K) series, microfilm rolls A5400-05, interrogation ADI(K) 644/44.
  9. ↑ G.Schlaug- Die deutschen Lastensegler-Verbände 1937-1945: Eine Chronik aus Berichten, Tagebüchern, Dokumenten:202; G.Schlaug-“Der Luftwaffen-Einsatz beim ‘Unternehmen Rösselsprung’”, in Luftwaffe im Focus magazine, edition 2/2003, pp.37-43.
  10. ↑ Luftwaffen-Revue magazine, Heft (issue) 3/1992.
  11. ↑ ULTRA signal HP1853.
  12. ↑ ULTRA signals HP3694 and HP3828.
  13. ↑ ULTRA HP8470.
  14. ↑ G.Tessin-op cit.
  15. ↑ Fliegende Verbände und F.B.K. des Komm. Gen.d. Dt. Lw. I. Griechenland – Stand 25.8.44 (dated 27.8.44)


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