Stab/NAGr. 7
Nahaufklärungsgruppe 7
(Unit Code ??+)
Stab/NAGr. 7
Formation and Background. (April 1942)
Ordered formed on or about 19 April 1942, probably at Kharkov/eastern Ukraine. Initially assembled in January 1942, the Stab had been provisionally designated Nahaufklärungsgruppe AOK 6 and assigned to oversee tactical reconnaissance for 6th Army, which had its headquarters at Kharkov. On 19 April it was ordered formalized under the above designation as part of the general reorganization of the reconnaissance branch of the Luftwaffe.[1]
Staffeln (Aufklärungsstaffeln known to have been subordinated to NAGr. 7 with the approximate dates): 1.(H)/Aufkl.Gr. 10 (5/42, 8/42, 12/42); 4.(H)/Aufkl.Gr. 10 (5/42, 8/42, 11.42); 6.(H)/Aufkl.Gr. 41 (12/42).
[Note: see the Staffeln identified above for losses while subordinated to Stab/NAGr. 7].
South Russia. (April 1942 - February 1943)
20 April 1942: Stab identified in South Russia, probably at Kharkov.
4 May 1942: Stab at Kharkov I airfield with 1.(H)/Aufkl.Gr. 10 and 4.(H)/Aufkl.Gr. 10 and assigned to provide close reconnaissance support to 6th Army.
20 June 1942: Stab/NAGr. 7 had 1(1) Hs 126 assigned to it and likewise on 20 September 1942.
24 June 1942: Stab probably moved forward to Belgorod to support 6th Army's advance toward the Don south of Voronezh and then toward Stalingrad on the Volga.
6 August 1942: a man belonging to the Stab reported WIA in enemy bombing of Bokovskaya airstrip/230 km north-west of Stalingrad, where the Stab was located at the time.
September 1942: Stab now at Oskinski/93 km west-north-west of Stalingrad; flew continuing reconnaissance support in the Stalingrad area for AOK 6 and the corps and divisions subordinated to it.
30 September 1942: Stalingrad front with 1.(H)/Aufkl.Gr. 10 and 4.(H)/Aufkl.Gr. 10 - had 11(5) aircraft.
October 1942: Stab possibly at Golubinskiy airstrip/50 km west-north-west of Stalingrad.
4 November 1942: Hs 126 assigned to the Stab crashed north-west of Uman/west Ukraine due to engine failure, 80%, 2 injured. Plane probably picking up spare parts or on a courier flight.
19 November 1942: NAGr. 7 attached to AOK 6 and specifically in support of VIII. and XI. Armeekorps which were deployed in the frontline between Kotluban’ and the northern districts of Stalingrad - the Soviet winter counteroffensive on the Stalingrad Front began this date and all German and other Axis forces were gradually driven back to the Chir and then to the Donets with great losses.
19-24 November 1942: few reconnaissance missions flown due to abysmal weather conditions with snow showers, clouds down to 100 meters and visibility of less than a kilometer. All three of the Nahaufklärungsgruppen (7, 12 and 16) operating from the so-called Great Don Bend area were ordered to pull back to airfields farther west.
21 December 1942: Stab/NAGr. 7 probably at either Tatsinskaya or Morosovskaya with: 1.(H)/Aufkl.Gr. 10, 4.(H)/Aufkl.Gr. 10 and 6.(H)/Aufkl.Gr. 41. From this date forward, Stab/NAGr. 7 became intermingled with Stab/NAGr. 12 in the Morosovskaya – Tatsinskaya area and these assets were used to set up a provisional formation known as Nahaufklärungsgruppe Fleischmann. No information concerning Stab/NAGr. 7 has been found after this date.
3 February 1943: Stab, Stabskp. and Ln.-Betr.Kp./NAGr. 7 all listed as destroyed in the heavy fighting around Stalingrad and not reconstituted.
FpNs:Stab/NAGr. 7 (L 00861), Stabskp./NAGr. 7 (L 43824), Ln.-Betr.Kp./NAGr. 7 (L 36683).
Kommandeur:
Maj. Kurt Stollberger (8 June 1942 - 30 September 1942)
Hptm. Günter aus dem Bruch (acting) (c.1 October 1942 - ? ) 10/42
Hptm. Werner Fleischmann (October 1942 - c.December 1942)
Hptm. Hermann Herbig ( ? - 14 January 1943?) KIA
© by Henry L. deZeng IV (Work in Progress).
(1st Draft 2022)
References
- ↑ W.Dierich - Die Verbände der Luftwaffe 1935-1945: Gliederungen und Kurzchroniken – Eine Dokumentation; G.Tessin - Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg 1939-1945, Teil 14: Die Luftstreitkräfte (Osnabrück, 1980); N.Kannapin - Die deutsche Feldpostübersicht 1939-1945, 3 Bde (I – III) (Osnabrück, 1980-82); NARA WashDC: RG 242 (Microcopy T-312 roll 568/314-19 document Genst.d.Heeres/Org.Abt.(II) Nr.1483/42g.Kdos., 19 Apr 1942 detailing the creation of the Nahaufklärungsgruppen; (Microcopy T-314 roll 485); (Microcopy T-321 roll 115/001ff); PRO London: AIR 40 Air Ministry intelligence reports and lists based on ULTRA, “Y” Service intercepts, captured documents and PoW interrogations; BA-MA Freiburg: RL 2 III Meldungen über Flugzeugunfälle…..(Loss Reports – LRs); BA-MA Freiburg: Signatur RL 20/274-77; M.Kehrig - Stalingrad: Analyse und Dokumentation einer Schlacht. Stuttgart: Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, 1974), p.660; M.Holm-website ww2.dk.