Stab/KG z.b.V. 3

Stab/KG z.b.V. 3

Formation and History. (Sep 40 - Apr 43)

Formed (new) on or about 18 September 1940 as a Geschwaderstab without organic Gruppen. Place of formation has not been determined. Independently numbered transport Gruppen were temporarily attached to it as the need arose. In April 1941 in was at Plovdiv/Bulgaria preparing for the campaign in the Balkans, and in late April its attached Gruppen took part in the airborne operation to seize the Corinth Canal under the control of XI. Fliegerkorps. Stab at Wiener-Neustadt with 3 aircraft on 12 May 41 and subordinated KGr. z.b.V. 40, KGr. z.b.V. 60, KGr. z.b.V. 106 and KGr. z.b.V. 172. From 14 May to 3 June it participated in Operation “Merkur”, the airborne and air-landing assault on Crete, with 2 Ju 52s assigned to the Geschwaderstab reported as damaged and Kommodore Gen.Maj. Buchholz WIA on 21 May. After the Balkan Campaign concluded it remained in the Mediterranean and served as Lufttransportführer II Rom (also known as Lufttransportführer II (Italien)). Attached to Luftflotte 4 in South Russia from summer 1942 to the end of October 1942. On 12 Nov 42 it was located in Rome, but its location in South Russia prior to that date is not known. The Geschwaderstab was renamed Stab/Transportgeschwader 3 on 1 May 1943, with effect from 15 May 1943.

FpNs:(L 02144, L 37451)

Kommodore:

Oberst Hans Poetsch (18 Sep 40 - 15 Jan 41)

Gen.Maj. Ulrich Buchholz (16 Jan 41 - 29 Dec 42)

Oberst Theodor Beckmann (R, DKG) (30 Dec 42 - 15 May 43)

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

(1st Draft 2022)

References

KG z.b.V. 3

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