Stab/NAGr. 9
Nahaufklärungsgruppe 9
(Unit Code J3+)
Stab/NAGr. 9
Formation and Background. (April 1942)
Ordered formed on or about 19 April 1942 in the Donets Basin of eastern Ukraine, possibly at Gorlovka. Initially and informally established in January 1942, the Stab was provisionally designated Nahaufklärungsgruppe AOK 17 assigned to control tactical reconnaissance for 17th Army in the Donets area northwest of Rostov. On 19 April 1942 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. 9 with the approximate dates): 2.(H)/Aufkl.Gr. 10 (6/42, 8/42, 11/42; 2/43); 5.(H)/Aufkl.Gr. 11 (5/42, 7/42 to 11/42, 9/43 to c.1/44); 3.(H)/Aufkl.Gr. 14 (11/42); 1.(H)/Aufkl.Gr. 21 (5/42 to 6/44); 3.(H)/Aufkl.Gr. 31 (5/42 to 7/42); 7.(H)/Aufkl.Gr. 32 (5/42 to 8/43).
[Note: unless otherwise stated, the aircraft losses noted below are those of the independently designated Aufklärungsstaffeln that were subordinated to NAGr. 9 at the time of the loss.]
North Caucasia and South Russia. (April 1942 - May 1944)
24 April 1942: a man belonging to Ln.-Betr.Kp./NAGr. 9 WIA in enemy bombing at Gorlovka airfield/96 km south-west of Voroshilovgrad.
16 May 1942: Stab/NAGr. 9 in transfer to Stalino with 5.(H)/Aufkl.Gr. 11, 1.(H)/Aufkl.Gr. 21, 3.(H)/Aufkl.Gr. 31 and 7.(H)/Aufkl.Gr. 32.
31 May 1942: NAGr. 9, assigned to IV. Fliegerkorps, ordered this date to provide reconnaissance support to AOK 17/Heeresgruppe A (17th Army/Army Group A).
7 June 1942: a man belonging to Ln.-Betr.Kp./NAGr. 9 WIA in enemy bombing at Artemovsk airfield/95 km west of Voroshilovgrad.
July 1942: the Stab received 2 Hs 126s during the month and these were retained until October.
8 July 1942: Stab/NAGr. 9 moved forward and now at Sverevo airstrip/north of Rostov to take up position for the advance into North Caucasia which began 14-15 July. Rostov was taken on 23 July and a few days later AOK 17’s divisions crossed the Don, drove 256 km south and took the territorial capital of Krasnodar on 9 August.
18 August 1942: advancing into North Caucasia in support of 17th Army with 2.(H)/Aufkl.Gr. 10, 1.(H)/Aufkl.Gr. 21 and 7.(H)/Aufkl.Gr. 32. Two days later, on 20 August, many of the Luftwaffe’s combat units in North Caucasia were temporarily ordered north to join the decisive battle developing along the Volga west of Stalingrad.
August – 10 September 1942: supported AOK 17’s conquest of the Taman Peninsula and the large Black Sea port of Novorossiisk.
23 September – 18 November 1942: flew tactical reconnaissance for AOK 17’s slow and costly advance down the coastal highway toward the port of Tuapse and into the rugged western Caucasus Mountains. Farther east, the Staffeln of NAGr. 9 covered operations along the Terek River, especially in the Mozdok – Nalchik sector.
30 September 1942: North Caucasia with 2.(H)/Aufkl.Gr. 10, 1.(H)/Aufkl.Gr. 21 and 7.(H)/Aufkl.Gr. 32 - had 25(12) aircraft.
9 November 1942: Stab at Terek airstrip/33 km north of Grozny with 3.(H)/Aufkl.Gr. 14 and 7.(H)/Aufkl.Gr. 32.
13 December 1942: Stab withdrawn north and now at Krasnodar/North Caucasia. On 5 January 1943, the over-extended and under-supplied German forces began a general withdrawal into the Taman Peninsula to form what became known as the Kuban Bridgehead (Kuban-Brückenkopf).
31 January 1943: transferred from Krasnodar to Slavyanskaya/70 km west-north-west of Krasnodar. Soviet forces re-took Krasnodar on 12 February.
15 February 1943: Stab now at Kerch IV airfield/Crimea under VIII. Fliegerkorps and directly across the Kerch Strait from the Taman Peninsula. From here, NAGr. 9 flew tactical recce over the Kuban Bridgehead for the AOK 17 divisions holding defensive positions there until 14 September.
25 March 1943: Kerch, but now under I. Fliegerkorps.
April 1943: the Stab received a single Bf 109 G-4 during the month and generally had 1 to 3 of them on hand to October.
10 July 1943: Kerch - NAGr. 9 with 1.(H)/Aufkl.Gr. 21 and 7.(H)/Aufkl.Gr. 32 reported a total of 22(21) Fw 189s on strength.
23 July 1943: Fw 189 A-3 shot up by fighters and force landed near Gostagayevskaya airstrip/115 km west Krasnodar, 80%, Oblt. Herbert Heusolt (pilot) KIA.
3 August 1943: Fi 156 belonging to Stab/NAGr. 9 crash landed at Temryuk landing ground in the Taman Peninsula, 15%.
7 August 1943: Fw 189 A-2 rammed by enemy aircraft west of Kievskoye (not located but probably on the Taman Peninsula), 100%, 3 MIA.
8 August 1943: Fw 189 A-3 belly landed east of Kerch, 25%.
26 August 1943: a Fi 156 assigned to 1.(H)/Aufkl.Gr. 21 (NAGr. 9) stolen by two Russian civilians at Kerch airfield, 100%.
30 August 1943: Fw 189 A-2 struck the ground at Kerch, 55%.
6 September 1943: Fw 189 struck the ground near Kerch, 95%, 1 killed and Staka Hptm. Wolfram Heinemann (pilot) + 1 injured.
9 September 1943: resolved to drive the Germans off the Taman Peninsula, the Soviets began a strong offensive and on 14 September AOK 17 began evacuating its forces across the Kerch Strait to Crimea. The evacuation concluded successfully on 9 October.
21 September 1943: Fw 189 A-2 shot down by an enemy plane over the Straits of Kerch, 100%, 3 MIA.
21 September 1943: Fi 156 damaged landing at Kerch, 15%.
25 September 1943: Bf 109 G-4 shot down by enemy planes in Pl.Qu.7658 (Straits of Kerch area), 100%, Oblt. Ernst Büttner KIA.
25 September 1943: Fw 189 A-3 crash landed at Kerch, 25%.
October 1943: Stab/NAGr. 9 received 3 additional Bf 109 G-4s bringing its total to 6.
14 October 1943: Fw 189 A-3 shot up by AA fire over Pavkovka at the north end of the
Perekop Isthmus, 70%, 1 KIA and 1 WIA.
14-15 October 1943: along with the rest of I. Fliegerkorps, NAGr. 9 departed Crimea for south Ukraine and assigned to support AOK 6. The identity of the base the Stab was transferred to has not been determined, although Kopani airstrip/30 km south-east of Nikolayev has been mentioned in an unconfirmed source.
26 October 1943: Fw 189 crash landed at Apostolovo airstrip/42 km south-east of Krivoy Rog, 40%.
30 October 1943: Fw 189 A-3 shot up by AA fire over Kherson, 10%, 2 WIA.
6 November 1943: Fw 189 A-2 shot up by a fighter in Pl.Qu.01584 (near Vasil’kov/32 km south-south-west of Kiev), 40%, 1 WIA.
29 November 1943: Fw 189 A-1 shot down by a fighter in Pl.Qu.91671 (c.72 km south-west of Kiev), 100%, 3 KIA.
8 December 1943: Fw 189 A-3 force landed in Pl.Qu.8021 (near Berdichev) due to engine failure, 15%.
12 December 1943: Fw 189 A-2 struck the ground in Pl.Qu.8048 (c.40 km south of Berdichev), 35%.
12 December 1943: Stab/NAGr. 9 returned to Crimea and now at Bagerovo under I. Fliegerkorps with 5.(H)/Aufkl.Gr. 11 and 1.(H)/Aufkl.Gr. 21. For the next 4 months, the Gruppe supported defensive fighting in eastern and northern Crimea where AOK 17’s German and Romanian troops had been unable to prevent Soviet landings.
January 1944: the Stab received more Bf 109Gs and until it was disbanded in June had 9 to 11 G-4s and G-6s on strength.
March 1944: Stab now at Chapayevka airstrip/46 km north-west of Feodosiya in eastern Crimea.
8 April 1944: 4th Ukrainian Front began its offensive to liberate Crimea with 3 armies against German AOK 17 with 5 German and 7 Romanian divisions.
10 April 1944: Stab at Odessa with elements (probably elements of Nahaufkl.St. 1./21) at Chersones/Crimea.
May 1944: NAGr. 9 transferred to Bayreuth-Bindlach in Germany after the evacuation of German and Romanian forces from Crimea on 9 May and disbanded there in June 1944.
FpNs:Stab/NAGr. 9 (L 01336), Stabskp./NAGr. 9 (L 43957), Ln.-Betr.Kp./NAGr. 9 (L 02673).
Kommandeur:
Maj. Paul Lube (26 May 1942 - c.20 March 1943)
Hptm. Klaus Tschirner (3 April 1943 - c.12 August 1943)
Maj. Gustav-Wilhelm Pettenpaul (13 August 1943 - June 1944?)
© 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; roll 701/641 and subsequent rolls to 751, these being the microfilmed records of AOK 17, 1942-44); (Microcopy T-314 roll 485); (Microcopy T-501 roll 235); AFHRA Maxwell: decimal K113 Karlsruhe Collection; PRO London: AIR 40/1966, 1967, 1975, 1982, 1983; 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 40/Kart; M.Kehrig - Stalingrad: Analyse und Dokumentation einer Schlacht. Stuttgart: Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, 1974), p.660; M.Holm-website ww2.dk.