Kurierstaffel des Führers

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Kurierstaffel des Führers

Also as: F.d.F.



Formation. (Aug 39)

Formed 26 August 1939, probably at Berlin-Staaken with 12 aircraft to provide courier and liaison services to the Führerhauptquartier (Hitler’s headquarters). The date and place of formation comes from a single source and therefore needs to be confirmed.[1] Another source says it was formed ‘on 20 June 1941 at Rastenburg in East Prussia for transporting high level officials, other leaders and lower ranks with urgent orders to meetings, inspection tours, change of duty stations and other official business.”[2]


Germany. (Sep 39 - Mar 44)

6 May 41: at Berlin-Staaken - sent two of its He 111 D-2s (C3+HK and TT+NX) to Iraq to carry out the initial reconnaissance of the situation there for Sonderkommando Junck.[3]

Jul 41: became a component of or operationally subordinated to Fliegerstaffel des Führers (F.d.F.) in July, although it retained its separate identity. Kurierstaffel des Führers belonged to the Luftwaffe while F.d.F. did not. From this date forward the Staffel was split between the Führer’s command bunker complex in Rastenburg/East Prussia and Berlin-Staaken.[4]

3 Apr 42: a man from the Staffel was reported injured at Fp.Lorient/W France when he was struck by a propeller.[5]

6 Jun 42: a Siebel Fh 104 belonging to the Staffel ran out of fuel and force landed at Vorotinov, 30%.

12 Nov 42: Bf 108 B-1 crashed near Sangershausen, 100%, 2 killed.

30 Dec 42: Ju 52 crashed while taking off from Stalingrad-Pitomnik, 100%, Maj. Noack, 3 crew members and 15 troops all killed. The latter were probably wounded being evacuated.

17 Jan 43: 2 Fi 156s, 1 He 111 and 1 Fh 104 destroyed in a hangar fire at Rastenburg/East Prussia that was probably caused by an electrical short circuit, all 100%.

Sep – Oct 43: on the initiative of Staka Hptm. Bornschein, the Staffel began to equip itself with some day and night fighters. It is not clear whether these were to serve as escort to the courier aircraft or whether they were to replace the courier aircraft.[6]

5 Oct 43: Ju 52 crashed in Italy while on a flight from Berlin-Staaken, 100%, 3 killed.

25 Oct 43: Ju 88 C-6 crash landed at Fp. Breslau-Gandau, 25%.

25 Nov 43: Do 217 E-1 damaged landing at Fp.Heiligenbeil/East Prussia, 20%.

Nov 44: Staffel is said to have been renamed Verbindungsstaffel 7 and the next month it was moved to Ainring and Pocking in Bavaria where it remained until May 1945 when it was disbanded due to the end

of the war. (This entry is questionable and requires corroboration. [7]

24 Apr 45: Staffel at Berlin-Gatow.[8]


FpN:(L 08047)


Staffelkapitän:

Hptm. Kurt Leythaeuser ( ? - ? ) 5/41

Hptm. Walter Bornschein (Jun 43 - Mar 44)



Also see (in: “Luftwaffe Officer Career Summaries”, website www.ww2.dk)

GEISSLER, Maj.

GILLMANN, Dr. (med.) Helmut. Oberarzt. Physician.

GOTTHOLD, Oblt.

GRAUTOFF, Wolfgang. Oblt. Pilot.

NOACK, Alfred. Maj.


© H.L. deZeng IV, 2024

References

  1. W.Dierich-VdL.
  2. Rosch, Barry C. Luftwaffe Support Units: Units, Aircraft, Emblems and Markings 1933-1945. Luftwaffe Colours/Classic Colours series. Hersham: Ian Allan Publishing, 2009. ISBN: (10) 1 903223 64 4.
  3. Jet & Prop magazine, Heft (issue) 3/1991.
  4. K.Kössler/G.Ott-Die großen Dessauer: Junkers Ju 89, Ju 90, Ju 290, Ju 390 – Die Geschichte einer Flugzeugfamilie:200.
  5. BA-MA Freiburg: RL 2 III Meldungen über Flugzeugunfälle…..(Loss Reports – LRs).
  6. Günther Ott e-mail to Chris Goss dated 13 Feb 2002.
  7. Rosch, B., op cit.
  8. Ott, Günther:-“ ‘Unternehmen Reichskanzlei’ - 2. Teil des Reports über die Transportflüge von und nach Berlin im April 1945”; in: Jet & Prop magazine, Heft 4/1995, pages 44.

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