KGr.z.b.V. 800
KGr. z.b.V. 800
Kampfgruppe z.b.V. 800
(Unit Code: 8T+)
Formation. (Dec 41)
Formed on or about 16 December 1941 at Heiligenbeil/East Prussia in response to the urgent need for increased transport resources on the central sector of the Eastern Front resulting from the disastrous set-back west of Moscow where the Soviets had launched a powerful counterattack. On 16 December Hitler personally ordered 5 transport Gruppen assembled and immediately assigned to VIII. Fliegerkorps to meet this need. Air crew comprised instructor personnel from a number of FFS C (multi-engine) and BFS (instrument) schools along with Ju 52 transports taken from various units, schools and Luftwaffe establishments. Organizationally, KGr.z.b.V. 800 had a Gruppenstab and four Staffeln (1. – 4.).[1]
Central and North Russia, Germany. (Dec 41 - Jun 42)
17 Dec 41: assembling at Heiligenbeil with 33 Ju 52s (initially).[2]
19 Dec 41: after forming up at Heiligenbeil, the Gruppe was used to fly reinforcements, replacements, equipment and supplies forward to the Smolensk area and east thereof, and by the end of the year was based at Vitebsk.
4 Jan 42: Ju 52 crash landed at Yukhnov/E of Smolensk in bad weather, 100%.[3]
31 Jan 42: Ju 52 crashed near Warsaw – engine trouble, 100%, 3 WIA.
19 Feb 42: transferred from Vitebsk to Korovye Selo to take part in the Demyansk airlift operation. This was a massive effort to fly supplies to II. Armeekorps with 6 divisions totaling 95,000 men that had become encircled on 9 February when Soviet II Guards Rifle Corps cut the last German supply road and the encirclement of the Demyansk pocket was virtually completed. The official, formal start date of the Demyansk airlift was on 12 February. With airlift headquarters at Pskov, 15 transport groups were eventually assembled for the operation, many of the Ju 52s and other aircraft coming from hastily mobilized school assets as well as the active Transportgruppen.[4]
Mar 42: the extent of the Gruppe’s losses during the Demyansk airlift operation are not known, although they were probably significant due to the severe weather conditions and enemy action in and around the pocket.
Apr 42: transferred from Korovye Selo to Schaulen (Siauliai)/Lithuania during the first half of April, and then on 15 April the Gruppe was ordered by Luftflotte 1 to move from there to Wormditt/East Prussia. From Wormditt, KGr.z.b.V. 800 was directed to proceed to Salzwedel/N Germany to rest, refit and re-equip. However, it appears that elements were left behind at Korovye Selo to carry on for another 2 or 3 weeks.[5]
1 May 42: Ju 52 crash landed at Demyansk, 70%.
5-6 May 42: 2 Ju 52s (NK+NF and CK+QC) reported missing in the Korovye Selo area, both 100%, 8 MIA.
May – Jun 42: resting, refitting and re-equipping at Salzwedel. Toward the end of June, the Gruppe was ordered reassigned to the Mediterranean theater for operations under Lufttransportführer Mittelmeer and began transferring from Salzwedel to Brindisi in South Italy.[6]
Italy, Greece and North Africa. (Jul 42 - Apr 43)
Jul – Sep 42: no information has been found regarding the Gruppe’s activities from July through most of September.
27 Jul 42: reported 32 Ju 52s on strength of which only 11 were serviceable.[7]
26 Sep 42: Ju 52 rammed by a landing aircraft at Fp. Brindisi, 30%.
2 Oct 42: transferred from Brindisi to Athens-Eleusis with forward refuelling at Molaoi/150 km SW of Athens for flights to North Africa.[8]
22 Oct 42: Ju 52 bombed on the ground at Fp. Malemes (Máleme)/NW Crete, 100%.
Nov 42: Athens-Eleusis under Lufttransportführer I - flying fuel to Rommel’s Afrikakorps in company with II./KG z.b.V. 1.[9]
4 Nov 42: 2 Ju 52s destroyed in a mid-air collision near Tobruk, both 100%, 8 KIA.
11 Nov 42: unserviceable Ju 52 blown up at Tobruk to prevent capture, 100%.
12 Nov 42: Ju 52 crash landed at Martuba/23 km SE of Derna and then blown up to prevent capture, 100%.
18 Nov 42: Ju 52 shot down by a fighter SW of Benghazi, 100%, 1 KIA.
21 Nov 42: ground personnel belonging to the Gruppe reported injured at Fp. Pomigliano/13 km NE of Naples - reason not given. Although evidence is lacking, it is probable that this is the approximate date that the Gruppe transferred from Athens-Eleusis to Pomigliano.[10]
30 Nov 42: at Pomigliano.[11]
8 Dec 42: Ju 52 struck the ground and crashed at Montecorvino/60 km ESE of Naples, 100%, 6 KIA.
27-29 Dec 42: 2 Ju 52s crashed at Castel Vetrano/Sicily.
Jan 43: moved from Pomigliano to Naples-Capodichino during January and assigned to Stab/KG z.b.V. “N”, to which it had been subordinated in December, for continuing transport operations to North Africa. Most flights refuelled at airfields on Sicily during the roundtrips.[12]
13 Jan 43: Ju 52 bombed on the ground at Fp. Castel Benito/26 km SSW of Tripoli, 60%.
22 Jan 43: 4 Ju 52s bombed on the ground at Tunis and destroyed, 2 @ 100% and 2 @ 95%, 8 KIA.
25 Jan 43: Ju 52 crash landed at Naples-Capodichino, 25%.
28 Jan 43: Ju 52 destroyed in a mid-air collision over Tunis, 100%, 5 KIA.
31 Jan 43: Ju 52 crashed while taking off from Fp. Castel Vetrano/Sicily, 30%.
1 Mar 43: Ju 52 collided with another aircraft while taking off from Tunis, 90%.
2 Mar 43: Ju 52 bombed on the ground at Gabes/SE Tunisia, 100%.
11 Mar 43: Ju 52 bombed on the ground at Tunis, 100%.
28 Mar 43: Ju 52 crashed at Fp. Trapani/W Sicily, 100%, 5 KIA.
4 Apr 43: Ju 52 bombed on the ground at Naples-Capodichino, 10%.
5 Apr 43: Ju 52 shot down into the sea by fighters between Naples and Tunis, 100%, 1 KIA, 1 MIA, 2 WIA plus 5 passengers MIA.
5 Apr 43: 5 Ju 52s (incl. 8T+AM, EM and FL) shot down into the sea by fighters off Cape Bone/Tunisia, all 100%, 5 KIA, 12 MIA, 3 WIA plus 13 passengers MIA.
10 Apr 43: Ju 52 (8T+DK) shot down into the sea by a fighter off Cape Bone, 100%, 1 MIA.
13 Apr 43: 2 Ju 52s bombed on the ground at Fp. Castel Vetrano, both 100%.
18 Apr 43: 3 Ju 52s (8T+FH, EK, BL) shot down into the sea by fighters off Cape Bone, all 100%, 2 KIA, 9 MIA and 1 WIA.
20 Apr 43: Ju 52 bombed on the ground at Bizerte, 15%.
29 Apr 43: Ju 52 reported missing on flight from Naples-Capodichino to Tunis, 100%, 4 MIA.
30 Apr 43: Ju 52 (8T+JL) shot down by a fighter over Sardinia, 100%, pilot Hptm. Schulz plus 4 other crew MIA.
1 May 43: renamed II./TG 2 at Naples-Capodichino.[13]
FpN:Gruppenstab with 1. – 4. Staffel (L 43454)
Kommandeur:
Maj. Wolfgang Kalepky (DKG) (c. 16 Dec 41 - Jan 43)
Maj. Erich Reymann (Jan 43 - 1 May 43)
Also see:
AMECKE-MÖNNINGHOFF, Franz-Kaspar, Hptm. Staka 4./KGr.z.b.V. 800, later Staka 3./800.
AUGERBAUER, Adolf, Lt. MIA.
BÖHMER, Helmut, Oblt. Staka 4./KGr.z.b.V. 800.
BORDELLÉ, Walter, Oblt.(Kr.O.). RK. Staka 4./KGr.z.b.V. 800. WIA.
CARIUS, Friedrich, Lt. MIA.
CIECIER, Alfred, Oblt.(Kr.O.). Staka 2./KGr.z.b.V. 800. KIA.
HAGEMANN, Günter, Oblt. KIA.
HAREN, Herbert, Lt. MIA.
JOCHEM, Herbert, Hptm. Staka 4./KGr.z.b.V. 800.
KÖDITZ(KOEDITZ?), Alfred, Lt.(Kr.O.). RK. Pilot.
MAASKE, Klaus-Otto, Lt.(Kr.O.).
RIEGER, ? , Lt. MIA.
RIEHLE, Arthur, Oblt.(Kr.O.).
RUMMENI, Dr.(Zahnarzt) Ludwig, Stabsarzt. Passenger (in Pz.Jg.Abt. Hermann Göring). KIA.
SACHS, Hans von, Hptm. Staka 1./KGr.z.b.V. 800.
SCHMITZ, Günther, Fw. RK.
SCHMUDE, Helmut, Lt./Oblt.
SCHRÖDER, Heinrich, Hptm.d.R.
SCHUCK, Kurt, Lt. KIA.
SCHULZ, ? , Hptm. MIA.
VOSS, ? , Lt. MIA.
WILHELMY (WILHELMJ), Cuno (Kuno), Maj. Staka in KGr.z.b.V. 800.
© by Henry L. deZeng IV (Work in Progress, 2022).
(1st Draft 2022)
References
- ↑ G.Tessin-Tes; BA-MA Freiburg: RL 20/281-84; WFSt Abt. L. (I Op.) Nr. 442182, 16.12.41 in NARA WashDC RG 242/T-77 OKW 2018 file.
- ↑ BA-MA Freiburg: RL 20/47-51.
- ↑ BA-MA Freiburg: RL 2 III Meldungen über Flugzeugunfälle…..(Loss Reports – LRs).
- ↑ F.Morzik-German Air Force Airlift Operations:137-175.
- ↑ PRO London: DEFE 3 ULTRA signal CX/MSS/895/T2.
- ↑ PRO London: AIR 40 Air Ministry intelligence documents based on ULTRA and “Y” Service intercepts; F.Morzik-op cit:127-28.
- ↑ Price, Alfred - The Luftwaffe Data Book.
- ↑ ULTRA signal QT2527.
- ↑ ULTRA signal QT6622.
- ↑ LR entry.
- ↑ Air Ministry intelligence documents-op cit.
- ↑ AFHRA Maxwell: decimal K113 Karlsruhe Collection; Veteran’s flight log extracts provided to author by Christian Möller on 8 June 2001.
- ↑ Ob.d.L. order Nr. 7794/43 in Bukowski/Trilus-Fliegerhorst Schönwalde/Berlin: Ausbildungs-und Erprobungsstätte der Luftwaffe 1935-1945:115; K.Kössler-Transporter – wer kennt sie schon!: Die Kennzeichen der Transportfliegerverbände der Luftwaffe von 1937-1945; G.Tessin-op cit; N.Kannapin-Feldpostübersicht.
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