TGr 30

Transportfliegergruppe 30

(Unit Code: S3+)

Formation. (May 43)

Formed 1 May 1943 at Diepholz and Hildesheim in N Germany with a Gruppenstab and 1. – 4. Staffel by renaming KGr.z.b.V. 23. Equipped with He 111 bombers outfitted as transports.

France, Italy, Sardinia and Corsica. (May 43 - Nov 43)

4 May 43: transferred to Lorient, Vannes, Beauvais and Toul in France to transport paratroops for practice jumps.

10 May 43: ordered to Foggia/Italy to take part in the last stages of the Tunisian airlift and then to transport personnel and equipment from Naples to Sardinia.

11 May 43: 2 He 111Hs (S3+AH and GL) failed to return from a flight to Tunis, both 100%, 9 MIA.

15 May 43: He 111 damaged its undercarriage landing at Fp. Naples-Capodichino, 10%.

15 May 43: He 111H-5 crash landed at Fp. San Pietro/Sicily, 30%.

19 May 43: He 111H-3 damaged taxiing at Fp. Munich-Riem, 10%.

28 May 43: He 111H-6 damaged its undercarriage landing at Fp. Mourmelon/30 km SE of Reims, 25%.

Jun 43: transferred to Orange-Caritat/S France at the end of May or early June to begin flying troops, equipment and supplies from assembly fields at Avignon, Nîmes, Cormeilles, Istres and Salon to Sardinia, and then from 12 July to Sicily and Italy.

12 Jun 43: He 111H-3 crash landed at Fp. Orange-Caritat, 30%.

19 Jun 43: 3. Staffel He 111H-6 crash landed at Fp. Avignon due to technical problems, 25%.

22 Jun 43: 2 minor He 111 accidents at Fp. Nîmes and Fp. Cormeilles.

25 Jun 43: 4. Staffel He 111H-6 struck an obstacle at St-Esprit, 100%, 6 killed.

30 Jun 43: 4 He 111H-5 and H-6 crash landings at Fp. Milis on Sardinia on 30 June and 1 July, all 25% - 30%.

5 Jul 43: He 111H-6 crashed while taking off from Fp. Avignon-East, 20%.

12 Jul 43: half of the Gruppe transferred to Salon and the other half ordered to Pratica di Mare/28 km SSW of Rome.

12 Jul 43: He 111H-6 ditched in the sea due to engine failure, 100%, 1 injured.

13 Jul 43: He 111H-5 damaged landing at Fp. Istres, 20%.

13 Jul 43: He 111H-5 reported missing on flight Sicily – Naples – Salon, 100%, 5 MIA.

14 Jul 43: He 111H-16 crash landed at Fp. Pratica di Mare, 20%.

28 Jul 43: 1. Staffel He 111H-6 crashed while taking off from Fp. Salon, 25%.

29 Jul 43: He 111H-5 and He 111H-6 bombed on the ground at Fp. Viterbo/68 km NW of Rome, both 100%.

15 Aug 43: 2 He 111s bombed on the ground at Fp. Amiens-Glisy, 80% and 50%.

18 Aug 43: He 111H ditched in the sea east of Olbia/Sardinia, 100%.

30 Aug 43: He 111 crashed at Fp. Pratica di Mare, 40%.

1 Sep 43: He 111 bombed on the ground at Fp. Pisa, 50%.

17 Sep 43: He 111 bombed on the ground at Fp. Pratica di Mare, 50%.

19 Sep 43: 2 He 111Hs bombed on the ground at Fp. Viterbo, 60% and 50%.

29 Sep 43: He 111H-6 damaged landing at Fp. Freiburg, 30%.

20 Oct 43: He 111H crashed at Bobia/Italy due to engine fire, 70%, 1 injured.

21 Oct 43: 1. Staffel He 111 crashed at Pontedora/Italy due to engine failure, 90%, 4 injured.

24 Oct 43: 1. Staffel He 111 bombed on the ground at Fp. Guidonia, 75%.

12 Nov 43: 2 He 111s (S3+AM and FH) failed to return to Pratica di Mare from a flight to Corsica, both 100%, Gruko Obstlt. Schellmann plus 8 others MIA and 2 KIA.

Germany, Russia and Romania. (Dec 43 - May 44)

Dec 43: ordered to leave Italy and transfer to Kaufbeuren/Allgäu at the beginning of December to rest, reorganize and re-equip with newer model He 111s, including H-20s.

Jan 44: approximately half of the Gruppe transferred temporarily from Kaufbeuren to Pskov-West on the northern sector of the Eastern Front during the second half of January to airlift supplies and evacuate wounded along the Leningrad front where the Soviets had commenced a major offensive on 15 January. The Pskov contingent returned to Kaufbeuren on or about 10 February after losing 3 He 111s on operations.

24 Feb 44: as part of the reorganization, 4. Staffel was disbanded and its assets reassigned to the other Staffeln.

Mar 44: again operational, the entire Gruppe transferred from Kaufeuren to Lvov and then to Krosno in southeast Poland at the end of February or first part of March to begin air supply operations along the southern sector of the Eastern Front. Between 26 March and 10 April, the Gruppe flew 1,285 sorties from Krosno in support of Pz.AOK 1, which was cut off and withdrawing around Kamenets Podolsk/SE of Lvov. A total of 11,020 containers were dropped to the surrounded troops at a cost of two He 111s lost to Russian fighters and two more destroyed in crashes.

20 Apr 44: ordered to Buzău/94 km NE of Bucharest to take part in the airlift operation to Crimea, during which it transported 6,240 troops and 280 tons of supplies to the besieged peninsula and evacuated 1,640 men and 12,480 wounded in 765 sorties between 12 April and 11 May. Seven (7) He 111s were lost to various causes during the course of the operation.

Germany and France. (May 44 - May 45)

22 May 44: departed Romania and returned to Kaufbeuren for a brief rest and refit with 3. Staffel detached at nearby Bad Wörishofen. While at Kaufbeuren, the Gruppe’s aircraft allowance was reduced from 16 to 10 He 111s per Staffel.

1 Jun 44: plans called for the disbanding of TGr. 30 with its remaining aircraft and crews to be handed over to I./LLG 2. This plan was canceled 6 or 7 days later as a result of the Allied invasion of northern France, although its aircraft authorization was reduced to 10 x He 111 per Staffel.

10 Jun 44: shortly after the Normandy invasion of 6 June, Stab, 1. and 2. Staffel were ordered to Metz-Diedenhofen and 3. Staffel to Trier to support Luftwaffe operations along the invasion front.

18 Jun 44: moved forward to Paris-Orly and flew supply container-dropping missions to German troops surrounded in Cherbourg and nearby isolated garrisons, such as at St-Malo and on Jersey in the Channel Islands.

Jul - Aug 44: after unacceptable losses to Allied night intruders around Paris and continued attacks on the airfields there, TGr. 30 was forced to pull back to Metz-Diedenhofen in early July. On 6 July. Stab, 1. and 2./30 were at Thionville and 3./30 at Trier-Euren, and then the Gruppe pulled back to Zellhausen in the Frankfurt/M. area in August as the Wehrmacht began retreating from France.

10 Aug 44: reported the loss of 8 x He 111 H-20s that were shot up on the ground by fighters at Étain-Rouvres landing ground.

Sep 44: commenced flying night supply drops to German forces surrounded in St-Nazaire, Lorient, La Rochelle, Brest, Boulogne, Calais and Dunkirk; 6 He 111s were lost to various causes during the month.

Oct 44: lost 14 He 111s during October, including crashes relating to operational flights to the Atlantic fortresses, Dunkirk and Aachen.

22 Oct 44: He 111H-20 (S3+CH) crashed near Malmedy/Belgium during a night supply flight, 100%.

26 Oct 44: 3 He 111s (incl. S3+EK and DL) shot down by light AA fire while dropping medical and ammunition containers at low altitude over Dunkirk, all 100%.

Nov – Dec 44: these night supply operations continued from Zellhausen through March 1945, although the Staffeln were often dispersed at nearby airfields, such as Klein-Welzheim, Gross Ostheim and Oberschenkenbach. During November and December, a total of 19 He 111s were lost to all causes while on night flights to the Atlantic and Channel fortresses, Strasbourg in Alsace and Bastogne/Belgium during the Ardennes Offensive (Battle of the Bulge).

Jan 45: 5 He 111s destroyed or damaged in crashes in Germany and 1 He 111 lost over France.

Feb 45: 4 He 111s destroyed or damaged in crashes in Germany and 1 He 111 lost over France during a night supply flight to La Rochelle.

22 Feb 45: He 111H-6 reported missing, 100%, Hptm. Helmut Pfliefke and crew MIA.

24 Feb 45: He 111H-6 reported missing, 100%, crew of 5 MIA.

March 45: as U.S. forces crossed the Rhein in March and drove east through Central Germany, 1. and 2./TGr. 30 were forced to withdraw to the southeast under Hptm. Otto Langer. 3. Staffel (Hptm. Heinz Breutmann), on the other hand, was detached in the northern part of Germany at Reinsehlen, Ludwigslust and then Rerik. It flew night supply missions over the Ruhr pocket and then Berlin.

3 Apr 45: 1. and 2. Staffel at Laupheim and on 16 April flew supply container missions from there to the 6. SS-Gebirgsdivision “Nord” which was surrounded in a pocket at Bad Orb to the northeast of Frankfurt/M.

15 Apr 45: 3. Staffel in northern Germany was incorporated into Einsatzgruppe Uhl in mid-April after being significantly reinforced with additional He 111s and crews from disbanded units.

17-23 Apr 45: 1. and 2. Staffel moved to Reichenbach and then on 24 April to Holzkirchen where it remained over night.

25 Apr 45: 1. and 2. Staffel transferred to Munich-Neubiberg with 3. Staffel at Rerik.

28 Apr 45: a provisional 4. Lastensegler-Schleppstaffel/TGr. 30 (glider-towing Staffel) formed at Rerik with 19 additional He 111s plus some 25 DFS 230 gliders and pilots. Like 3. Staffel, it was incorporated into Einsatzgruppe Uhl. The purpose of the Staffel was to fly glider-borne supplies into surrounded Berlin in the final hours of the city.

3 May 45: TGr. 30 (less 3. Staffel and the just formed 4. Staffel) had moved to Salzburg by this date and surrendered there to U.S. forces on 8 May.

FpN:Gruppenstab and 1. – 4. Staffel (L 52383)

Kommandeur:

Obstlt. Karl-Heinz Schellmann (1 May 43 - 12 Nov 43) MIA

Maj. Walter Hornung (DKG) (Dec 43 - Jun 44)

Hptm.(Kr.O.) Erich Langer (DKG) (acting)? ( ? - ? ) `1943-44

Maj. Hans Banning (Jul 44 - Aug 44)

Obstlt. Heinz Klamke (Aug 44 - 15 Apr 45) KIA

Maj. Fritz Uhl (DKG) (15 Apr 45? - 8 May 45)

Also see:

BADDE, Bernhard, Lt.

BEHNKE, Johannes (Hans), Hptm./Maj.

BEILHARTZ, Werner, Oblt. POW.

BREUTMANN, Heinz, Hptm. Staka 3./TGr. 30, later Staka 4./TGr. 30.

BRUMM, Helmut, Hptm.

CESCOTTI, Roderich, Oblt. Staka 4./TGr. 30.

DANIELOWSKI, Erich Kurt, Lt. POW.

DOERIE (DOERRI? DÖRIE?), ? , Oblt. Techn.Offz.

FÖRSTER, Hans, Hptm.d.R.

FÜRST, Rudi, Oblt. MIA.

GLIEDEN, Wolfgang, Lt. WIA.

HOPFGARTNER, Oskar, Lt. KIA.

KÖHLER, Erich, Oblt. MIA.

LANGER, Otto, Hptm. Führer of Teilgruppe 1., 2./TGr. 30.

LORENZEN, Hans, Hptm./Maj. Staka 3./TGr. 30.

LUDEWIG, Dieter, Oblt. Pilot. KIA.

MAUÉ, Hermann, Oblt. Adjutant in TGr. 30.

MEININGHAUS, Heinrich, Oblt. Beobachter. KIA.

OLTMANN, Arno, Oblt. Ia in Stab/TGr. 30.

PLIEFKE, Helmut Erich, Hptm. Pilot. POW.

PÖNDICKER, Karl, Lt. POW.

QUENNET, Kurt, Lt. Pilot.

ROSSNER, Siegfried, Lt. Pilot.

SCHAMS, Adolf, Lt. MIA.

SCHARF, Günter, Hptm. Staka 2./TGr. 30.

SCHNECK, Gotthold, Hptm.(Kr.O.). Staka 1./TGr. 30.

SCHOLZE, ? , Hptm. Nafü in Stab/TGr. 30.

SNOYECK, ? , Oblt. Adjutant in Stab/TGr. 30.

STEINBEISS, Herbert, Oblt. (possibly Heer). KIA.

STRUWE, Walter, Oblt.

STUTE, Bernhard, Oblt.?

TESSEN, Wilhelm, Oblt.(Kr.O.). KIA.

WEISHEU, Josef, Obstlt. (probably Heer). Passenger? KIA.

WIEDORN-ROY, Walter, Lt.(Ing.). MIA.

WIRTH, Helmut, Oblt. Pilot.

ZÄHR, Erich, Maj.? Pilot. Verb.Offz.

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

(1st Draft 2022)

References

Return to Transportverbände