Stab/KG.z.b.V 2
Stab/KG z.b.V. 2
Formation. (Aug 39)
Ordered formed (new) 26 August 1939 at Insterburg/East Prussia, purportedly to provide airlift support to Fallschirmjäger-Rgt. 2 for the forthcoming attack on Poland. However, the success of the campaign far exceeded German expectations and it was not necessary to use the paratroops as originally intended.[1]
Poland, West, Balkans and Mediterranean. (Sep 39 - Apr 43)
1 Sep 39: Geschwaderstab and Stabsstaffel listed at Sagan-Küpper in Silesia on the opening day of the campaign in Poland and assigned to support one of the Luftgaustäbe z.b.V. operating in the Luftflotte 4 area. A Luftgaustab z.b.V. was a provisional logistics command tasked to move forward behind the advancing front to establish and stock tactical airfields.[2]
28 Sep 39: Stab now at Celle/NE of Hannover following the conclusion of the campaign in Poland.[3]
Oct - Nov 39: while the four Gruppen (I. – IV.) were disbanded and the aircraft and crews returned to the training schools, the Geschwaderstab remained in existence. Thereafter, all transport missions were flown by independent Gruppen that were temporarily assigned to the Geschwaderstab for operations.[4]
Mar 40: Stab at Lippspringe/8 km NE of Paderborn.[5]
10 May 40: Stab/KG z.b.V. 2 exercised control over the airlifting of elements of 22. Luftlande-Div. in the capture of Waalhaven airfield near Rotterdam on the first day of the attack on France and The Low Countries.[6]
7 Sep 40: Ju 52 crashed at Berlin-Johannisthal airfield due to engine failure, 85%.[7]
3 Apr 41: Stab addressed at Burg bei Magdeburg.[8]
26 Apr 41: Stab at Plovdiv/Bulgaria for the Balkan Campaign that commenced on 6 April. Directed the airborne assault on the Corinth Canal using I. and II./KG z.b.V. 1, I./LLG 1, KGr.z.b.V. 60 and KGr.z.b.V. 102, with KGr.z.b.V. 101 and KGr.z.b.V. 172 in reserve, all of which were assigned to the Geschwaderstab for the Corinth Canal operation.[9]
14 May – 3 Jun 41: airborne and air-landing assault on Crete (Operation “Merkur”). The Geschwaderstab or Stabsstaffel reported just one of its Ju 52s damaged during the operation.[10]
13 Jun 41: Stab at Corinth.[11]
1942 – Apr 43: Stab/KG z.b.V. 2 simultaneously served as Lufttransportführer I (Südost) for most or all of this period and was mainly based at Athens-Tatoi in Greece. Only a few aircraft were directly assigned to the Stab for its own use. As was the case during the Balkan Campaign, various independent transport Gruppen were tactically subordinated to the Stab as operations warranted. (see under Lufttransportführer I (Südost) for additional details).
24 Apr 42: Ju 90 damaged taking off from Leipheim/S Germany, 15%.
c.Jun 42: deployed to South Russia and attached to Luftflotte 4 for the summer campaign; returned to Germany at the end of October.[12]
8 Sep 42: a Kranich hack aircraft assigned to the Stab crashed at Obertraubling due to pilot error, 30%.
25 Dec 42: Kommodore Oberst de Salengre Drabbe along with 2 Hauptleute KIA as passengers when a Ju 52 belonging to I./KG z.b.V. 1 crashed near Padua/N Italy.
13 Apr 43: Stab now at Lecce/S Italy controlling all Ju 90, Fw 200, Me 323 and SM 82 transport operations in the Mediterranean theatre.[13]
1 May 43: renamed Geschwaderstab/TG 2 effective this date.[14]
FpNs:(L 37292, L 36708)
Kommodore:
Oberst Dipl.Ing. Gerhard Conrad (R) (26 Aug 39 - 14 Oct 39)
Obstlt. Karl Drewes (c. 15 Oct 39 - 24 Jul 40).
Oberst Rüdiger von Heyking (DKG) (25 Jul 40 - 9 Sep 40)
Oberst Hans Poetsch (10 Sep 40 - 31 Jan 41).
Oberst Rüdiger von Heyking (DKG) (1 Feb 41 - 7 Dec 41)
Oberst Rudolf Trautvetter (DKS) (8 Dec 41 - 23 Mar 42)
Oberst Karl Drewes, acting (24 Mar 42 - 7 Apr 42)
Oberst Arno de Salengre-Drabbe (8 Apr 42 - 25 Dec 42) KIA
Oberst Walter Erdmann (DKG) (1 Jan 43 - 30 Apr 43)
© by Henry L. deZeng IV (Work in Progress, 2022).
(1st Draft 2022)
References
- ↑ G.Tessin-Tes; Green-Warplanes:408.
- ↑ U.Balke-KG 2/Teil 1:390.
- ↑ K.Kössler-Transporter – wer kennt sie schon!: Die Kennzeichen der Transportfliegerverbände der Luftwaffe von 1937-1945.
- ↑ Tessin-op cit.
- ↑ F.Morzik-German Air Force Airlift Operations:91.
- ↑ F.Morzik-op cit:107.
- ↑ BA-MA Freiburg: RL 2 III Meldungen über Flugzeugunfälle…..(Loss Reports – LRs).
- ↑ BNA HW 5/11.
- ↑ F.Morzik-op cit:115-16.
- ↑ F.Morzik-op cit.
- ↑ BNA HW 5/19.
- ↑ M.Kehrig - Stalingrad: Analyse und Dokumentation einer Schlacht (Stuttgart: Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, 1974), p.120.
- ↑ PRO London: AIR 40 Air Ministry intelligence documents.
- ↑ Document Lufttransportführer beim Gen.Qu. Abt. Ia Nr. 281/43 g.Kdos., dated 21.4.43, reproduced in: [Kameradschaft Ehemaliger Transportflieger], Geschichte einer Transportflieger-Gruppe im II.Weltkrieg:180; H.Boog-Die deutsche Luftwaffenführung 1935-1945: Führungsprobleme, Spitzengliederung, Generalstabsausbildung:25; K.Kössler-Transporter – wer kennt sie schon!: Die Kennzeichen der Transportfliegerverbände der Luftwaffe von 1937-1945.
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