Kurierstaffel OKH
Kurierstaffel OKH
Formation. (Aug 39)
Formed c. 26 August 1939 at Berlin-Rangsdorf with 9 aircraft to provide wartime courier services to the supreme command of the Army. It went through a confusing number of name changes and transformations, and an attempt has been made to delineate these above, although it is doubtful that it is entirely correct. Equipped mainly with He 111s and Ju 52s.[1]
Germany. (Aug 39 - Oct 43)
Jul 40: Kurierstaffel Ob.d.H now at Zossen/Germany, renamed Kurierstaffel 110.
7 Aug 40: major elements temporarily based at Fontainebleau/60 km SSE of Paris in support of courier requirements between OKH and ground forces in France. This component later received its own Feldpost number (L 30615) as Kurierstaffel OKH Westfrankreich. It is not known how long this quasi-independent detachment continued to exist, although its FpN was deleted in fall 1942.
13 Sep 40: Fw 58 force landed at Étaples le Touquet/23 km S of Boulogne, 60%, Gen.Maj. Cantzler (Heer) plus 2 crew members injured.[2]
Sep 40: all or some of the components based in France returned to Berlin-Rangdorf.
11 Oct 40: W 34 (SD+DV) crashed while taking off from Ypenburg/5 km SSE of The Hague (Den Haag) in the Netherlands, 60%.
18 Dec 40: Ju 52 crashed at Paris-Orly - Staka Hptm Höhndorf KIA.[3]
8 Feb 41: Ju 52 crash landed at Bucharest/Romania.
17 Mar 41: Fi 156 crashed while taking off from a strip at Gornya/Bulgaria, 80%, 1 killed and 1 injured.
Jun 41: Staffel’s main body transferred to Lötzen/East Prussia leaving only a Kdo. (detachment) behind at Berlin-Rangsdorf.
10 Aug 41: Staffel had a total of 14 scheduled courier routes, 12 of which originated in East Prussia to points in Russia and South Finland. The other two were from Berlin-Rangsdorf south to the Balkans and back.
8 Sep 41: all or elements at Lötzen.[4]
11 Oct 41: Caudron C 445 crash landed at Rogajny/34 km NW of Sudauen (Suwałki)/NE Poland, 100%, 2 killed. An accident report also has the following for this date: Lusk, taxiing accident, 15 % damage, no casualties. [5]
Oct (Dec?) 41: Kurierstaffel 110 renamed Kurierstaffel Ob.d.H, returning to its original designation.
24 Oct 41: Ju 52 engine failure near Nisch/Serbia 15%. [6]
12 Nov 41: Ju 52 crashed at Fp. Zwölfaxing/14 km SSE of Vienna, 90%, 1 injured.
18 Nov 41: C 445 force landed at Götzlack/E Prussia in bad weather, 70%, 2 injured.
Dec 41:
23 Dec 41: Ju 52 crashed near Lötzen in bad weather, 100%, 3 killed.
21 Oct 42: at Berlin-Rangsdorf.[7]
15 Nov 42: Ju 52 crashed at Punia/Lithuania due to engine failure, 100%, 3 crew and 4 Army officers killed, 1 crew injured.
1 Oct 43: He 111H force landed in Germany - location not reported, 35%.
1-15 Oct 43: renamed Stab I./Fliegerverbindungsgruppe beim OKH.
5 Feb 45: He 111 H-20 belonging to Kurierstaffel OKH damaged in accident at Fp. Jüterbog-Damm, 15%.
22 Apr 45: Kurierstaffel OKH in transfer from Berlin-Staaken to Rechlin.[8]
FpN:(L 20659)
Staffelkapitän:
Hptm. Martin Höhndorf (Jul 40 - 18 Dec 40) KIA
Hptm. Buchholz? (c. 1942 - Oct 43)
Also see (in: “Luftwaffe Officer Career Summaries”, at website www.ww2.dk):
BARY, Lothar von. Oblt.
GARTNER, Ludwig. Hptm. Beobachter (observer).
HAMES, Herbert. Lt. KIA.
KLINGER, Max. Lt. WIA.
LÖDING, Hans. Lt.
NETZ, Kurt. Oblt.
© H.L. deZeng IV, 2024
References
- ↑ W.Dierich-Verbände der Luftwaffe; N.Kannapin-Feldpostübersicht; S.Wietstruk-Flugplatz Rangsdorf bei Berlin:41-49 (most non-loss entries are from this source).
- ↑ BA-MA Freiburg: RL 2 III Meldungen über Flugzeugunfälle…..(Loss Reports – LRs).
- ↑ J.Foreman-Battle of Britain: The Forgotten Months:193.
- ↑ BA-MA Freiburg: Signatur RL 20/47-51.
- ↑ A.Mitchell: RL 2-III/1178, 30.10.41 pg 4 entry 60.
- ↑ A.Mitchell: RL 2-III/1179 8.11.41 pg 2 entry 30.
- ↑ NARA WashDC: RG 242/T-405 roll 45, frame 668.
- ↑ PRO London: DEFE 3 ULTRA signal KO1203.
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