Wetterflugstellen
Wetterflugstellen
[Meteorological Flight Station]
KStN: 5790
Set up in both the German Reich, in the occupied territories and in the combat zones, those in the latter two locations were also called, informally, Frontwetterflugstellen (Front-WeFlugSt.). They provided support and backup for the regional Wetterbezirkszentralen and the mobile Wettererkundungsstaffeln and performed many of the same weather data-gathering functions. In general terms, they made surface and upper air observations by visual means and by instrument that included temperature, precipitation, wind speed and direction, atmospheric pressure and cloud cover over a wide area. Weather maps were then produced from these readings. From 1933-34, they came under the just-formed Reichsamt für Wetterdienst (Reich Meteorological Office), which in turn came under the Reich Luftfahrt Ministerium (German Air Ministry). The list that follows includes all of those encountered in the surviving documents and literature reviewed, but it does not pretend to be complete. All of those listed had one or more aircraft assigned.
Special Note:
The history of the Luftwaffe Weather Service, all of the Staffeln, the Wetterflugstellen, the Wetterketten and all other components engaged in meteorological reconnaissance activities are covered in extensive detail in: Kington, John A. & Franz Selinger, WEKUSTA – Luftwaffe Meteorological Reconnaissance Units & Operations 1938-1945, Ottringham/East Yorkshire (U.K.), 2006. Accordingly, rather than repeat what has already been treated in considerable detail, the researcher/reader is encouraged to see this extraordinary study.
Wetterflugstelle Amsterdam-Schiphol
Formed December 1940 at Leeuwarden from elements of Wetterflugstelle (WeFlugSt.) Norderney. Its name was subsequently changed to WeFlugSt. Holland to better represent its area of coverage and later to WeFlugSt. Soesterberg. No information has been found giving the date of transfer from Leeuwarden to Amsterdam-Schiphol.
10.2.42: reported 2 Ju W34 hi, 1 Fw 58, 1 He 46D and 1 He 111 H-2 and 1 Bf 108 B-1 on strength. Personnel averaged 18 to 20 aircrew and support staff.
12.2.43: Ju W 34 flipped on landing at A-Schiphol, 10%, killing the radio operator.
7.3.43: by this date, a second He 111 and a Fi 156 C-1 had been added bringing the total to 8 aircraft.
3.10.43: He 111 H-2 (20%) and He 111 H-3 (25%) damaged during Allied air attack on Amsterdam-Schiphol airfield.
13.10.43: Ju W 34 crash-landed at Amsterdam-Schiphol airfield, 30%.
14.10.43: Ju W 34 struck the ground at Boschlpaan, 20%, 2 injured.
13.12.43: He 111 H-3 (DL+AM) crashed during Allied air raid on Amsterdam-Schiphol airfield, 70%.
9/44: reduced to just 2 aircraft as Allied forces advanced into Holland.
5.9.44: a He 111 belonging to it was shot down by Allied fighters while on a transfer flight to Erfurt-Bindersleben, 100%, 6 KIA.
10/44: disbanded at Erfurt-Bindersleben.
Leiter
Hptm. Hermann Zimmer (12/40 - ? )
Wetterflugstelle Armawir
Existed briefly at Armavir/N Caucasia fall 1942, but no details found.
Wetterflugstelle Balkan
Formed late June or early July 1943 at Wien-Aspern/Austria but transferred to Belgrade-Zemun in Yugoslavia immediately after that. B-Zemun became its main station with Salonika-Sedes as its secondary station. From there, it flew weather and tactical reconnaissance missions over the Balkans from the Adriatic to the northern Aegean while working closely with the Beratungsstelle für Balkan-Flüge (Advisory Center for Flights Over the Balkans). Because of the large area it covered, it was somewhat larger than most other Wetterflugstellen and accordingly designated Erweiterte Wetterflugstelle Balkan (Expanded Meteorological Flight Station Balkans).
5.10.43: Ju 88 D-1 “Trop” damaged on the ground during Allied air attack on Salonika-Sedes airfield, 50%.
7.10.43: Ju 88 D-1 “Trop” damaged taking off from Niš airfield in Serbia, 40%.
9.10.43: He 111 H-16 destroyed on the ground during air raid on Salonika-Sedes airfield, 100%.
24.12.43: Ju 88 A-4 crashed north of Skoplje/Macedonia due to unknown cause, 90%, 1 man injured.
23.4.44: Ju 88 D-1 crashed at Kos. Mitrovica landing ground in Serbia due to engine failure during a night landing, 100%, crew safe.
19.6.44: Ju 88 crash-landed at Niš airfield in Serbia, 25%.
8.9.44: Ju 88 destroyed during low-level strafing attack on Gross Betschkerek airfield in the Banat north of Belgrade, 100%.
9/44: disbanded and assets incorporated into Wekusta 27, which had just transferred to Belgrade-Zemun from Athens-Tatoi. From July 1943 through August 1944, WeFlugSt. Balkan flew 1,135 operational missions, of which 821 were meteorological sorties, plus an unknown number of special missions in support of ground forces.
Leiter
Oblt. Helmut Sydow (7/43 - 7/44)
Oblt. Walter Kalz (7/44 - 9/44)
Wetterflugstelle Berlin
See Wetterflugstelle Berlin-Rangsdorf.
Wetterflugstelle Berlin-Rangsdorf
Formed in 1932 at Berlin-Tempelhof as Wetterflugstelle Berlin and initially equipped with light single-engine and twin-engine such as the Fw 40, Fw 47, Fs 58, He 46, Ju A 20 and the Ju W 34. Do 17Ps and Si 204 D-1s were added later.
11/39: transferred from Tempelhof to Berlin-Rangsdorf to relieve the congestion at Tempelhof.
9.11.41: Do 17 crashed – no details, 100%, 4 killed.
1.4.42: Ju W 34 crashed at Dresden-Klotzsche airfield, 60%.
4.8.43: Do 17P made a forced-landing at Berlin-Wannsee, 30%.
12/43: transferred from Rangsdorf to Berlin-Staaken.
2/45: transferred from Staaken to Neuruppin airfield.
11.3.45: Si 204 D-1 lost an engine and crashed in woods during a night flight from Neuruppin to Barth, 100%, Hptm. Karl Koch plus 1 killed, radio operator survived.
30.3.45: disbanded at Neuruppin.
Leiter
Dr. Rudolf Reidat (1932 - ? )
Wetterflugstelle Breslau-Gandau
Formed early 1934 at Breslau-Gandau airfield to improve the quality of the meteorological services available in Silesia. Initially equipped with Ju A 20s and Fw 47s, with more modern and capable Ju W 34s and Fw 58s added later. Also, one or mor Do 17Ps were on hand by September 1939.
5/34: flew first met operation.
6.10.38: Ju W 34 hi struck an obstacle while landing in fog at B-Gandau, aircraft damaged but repaired, crew of 3 uninjured.
10.9.40: Fw 58 E-1 crashed while taking off from Lohbrück near B-Gandau, Lt. Jochen Theede + 1 killed.
2.2.41: Fw 58 crashed at Breslau, 100%, 3 injured.
20.5.41: Ju W 34 crashed in bad weather near Eisenstein (Böhmerwald), 100%, 2 bailed out and were injured.
23.12.42: Do 17P crashed at Schlaupe near Breslau in bad weather, 90%, crew of 4 bailed out.
1/45 – 2/45: evacuated Breslau as Soviet forces approached and moved first to Sagan-Küpper and then a short time later to Görlitz. By March, it was at Erfurt-Bindersleben being disbanded.
Leiter
(not found)
Wetterflugstelle Brüssel
See Wetterflugstelle Münster.
Wetterflugstelle Bukarest-Baneasa
Formed January 1941 at Bucharest-Baneasa airfield in Romania and initially equipped with Fw 58 and Ju W 34 aircraft outfitted for meteorological service.
24.11.41: He 111 crashed at Baneasa on return from a weather flight due to poor visibility and icing, 100%, 5 KIA.
14.12.42: ordered by Luftflotte 4 to deploy all or most of its assets from Romania to Novocherkassk/35 km NE of Rostov to support the final stages of the Stalingrad airlift operation and the attempt to relieve German 6th Army that was surrounded in the city.
1/43: believed to have returned to B-Baneasa after the Novocherkassk-Rostov area retaken by Soviet forces.
19.8.44: flew its last meteorological mission and then disbanded the last week of August by order of Luftwaffenkommando Südost.
Leiter
(not found)
Wetterflugstelle Charkow
Existed at Kharkov/Ukraine in fall 1942, but no details found.
Wetterflugstelle Dievenow
Formed in 1937 at Dievenow/68 km N of Stettin in eastern Pomerania on the Baltic coast (today Dziwnow/Poland) to provide meteorological data for the German Navy’s coast artillery and to train meteorologists for assignment to other Wetterflugstellen and Wekusta weather squadrons.
30.12.42: Ju W 34 (PF+AO), on loan from Ln.-Schule 6 (See), FTR over the Baltic while on a routine meteorological flight, 100%, 5 MIA. Following this loss, flying operations were reduced to a minimum and most weather data was collected by radio-sonde equipment.
See Wetterflugstelle Kiew-Post Wolynski for additional details.
Leiter
(not found)
Wetterflugstelle 464 Dokudowo
Formed October/November 1941 at Dokudovo airfield/100 km ENE of Minsk to provide meteorological coverage over the central sector of the Eastern Front. None of its documents appear to have survived the war so little of its history is known.
6/44: incorporated the remnants of Wetterflugstelle Orscha (formerly Wetterflugstelle Schatalowka).
26.6.44: its last three aircraft, 2 He 111 H-5 and 1 Ju 88 D-1, all 3 unserviceable due to damage and lack of fuel, blown up at Dokudovo to prevent capture by advancing Soviet forces. It is believed to have been disbanded a week or two after this at Lida airfield and the personnel used in the formation of Wekusta 26 (Ost).
Leiter
(not found)
Wetterflugstelle Dresden-Klotzsche
Formed in the 1930’s at Dresden-Klotzsche airfield from elements of a Flugwetterwarte at Dresden-Hellerau that served the Dresden civil airport.
1939: commenced meteorological flights, mainly to serve the needs of Luftkriegsschule 1 (LKS 1).
1.4.42: Ju W 34 damaged taking off, no injuries.
2/45 – 3/45: ceased operations and disbanded.
Leiter
(not found)
Wetterflugstelle Erfurt-Bindersleben
Formed February 1945 at Erfurt-Bindersleben airfield from remnants of WeFlugSt. Breslau and WeFlugSt. Königsberg, both of which had to leave their previous locations due to advancing Soviet forces.
2/45 – 3/45: flew a few Fw 58 meteorological flights but forced to stop on 28 March due to the critical fuel situation and lack of spare parts.
10.4.45: disbanded.
Leiter
(not found)
Wetterflugstelle Frankfurt/Main
See Wetterflugstelle Rhein-Main.
Wetterflugstelle Hamburg-Fuhlsbüttel
Formed 1929 at Hamburg-Fuhlsbüttel airfield by renaming Wetterflugstelle d. Deutsche Seewarte, which had come into existence c. 15 January 1921. Initially equipped with Ju A 20, Ju A 35 and Ju W 34 aircraft. From the mid-1930’s, Fw 47s and Fw 58Es were allocated to it. WeFlugSt. Hamburg was the first operational Wetterflugstelle of the German Meteorological Service.
1939-40: some met ops were staged from Stade, Lübeck and Westerland.
4.10.40: Fw 58 E-2 crashed at Hamburg-Fuhlsbüttel, 75%, crew safe.
21.1.41: Fw 58 E-3 damaged at Hamburg-Fuhlsbüttel, 20%.
1943: began flying special high-altitude weather sorties over the North Sea with Do 17s, Do 215s, He 111s and Ju 86s.
18.1.45: Fw 58 E-1 (SD+EJ) crashed on take-off, 100%, crew of 3 killed.
28.4.45: flew last met sortie from Fuhlsbüttel airfield.
30.4.45: disbanded at Hamburg-Fuhlsbüttel.
Leiter
(not found)
Wetterflugstelle Heiligenbeil
See Wetterflugstelle Königsberg.
Wetterflugstelle Kaukasus
Formed 15 September 1942 at Breslau-Gandau in Silesia to cover the Caucasus area.
11/42: departed Breslau for Krasnodar/N Caucasia with 2 He 111 and 1 Ju 52 transport with 20 aircrew and ground staff.
7.12.42: began operations from Krasnodar operating in close cooperation with Wekusta 76/1. Missions covered the north slope of the Caucasian Mountains, along the east coast of the Black Sea down to the north coast of Turkey.
1/43: evacuated Krasnodar as Soviet forces began driving the Germans out of North Caucasia and transferred to Saki airfield/Crimea where it was redesignated Wetterflugstelle Schwarzmeer.
5/43: WeFlugSt. Schwarzmeer, after 3 or 4 months of relative inactivity in Crimea, was renamed Teilstaffel Krim and attached to Wekusta 76 and employed mainly over the eastern Black Sea area.
12.11.43: Teilstaffel Krim transferred from Crimea to Odessa/Ukraine shortly after the Germans were driven out of the Taman Peninsula, thus ending the Wehrmacht’s presence in North Caucasia.
4/44: shortly before the Red Army liberated Odessa on 10 April, the Teilstaffel moved to Constanţa-Mamaia. Sometime after that, it moved to Buzău and then to Oradea (a.k.a. Nagyvárad, Grosswardein) in NW Romania.
9/44: short on fuel and no longer needed, transferred from Oradea to Buzău and then to Neustadt Wiener/Austria where it was disbanded the first week of October.
Leiter
(not found)
Wetterflugstelle Kiel
Formed July 1936 at Kiel to serve the meteorological needs of the Luftwaffe and the naval coast artillery. Equipped with Fw 47s, Ju W 34s and Fw. 58.
8/39 – 1940: had a detachment at Westerland/Sylt.
1941 - ?: said to have ceased flight operations in favor of radio-sonde equipment.
Leiter
(not found)
Wetterflugstelle Kiew-Post Wolynski
Formed September-October 1941 at Kiev – Post Volinski airfield in Ukraine by renaming Wetterflugstelle Dievenow, formerly based in Pomerania. This unit’s records did not survive the war so very little is known about its activity or personnel.
13.10.41: commenced operations, initially flying 2 meteorological flights daily.
9.4.43: He 111 H-3 crash-landed at Post Volinski airfield, 50%, crew safe.
10/43: thought to have remained at Kiev until shortly before the city was liberated by the Red Army on 6 November 1943. Its fate is unknown.
Leiter
(not found)
Wetterflugstelle Königsberg
Formed 1929 at Königsberg-Devau airfield in East Prussia as one of the first 5 Wetterflugstellen created and became one of the busiest as well, not only because of heavy civil air traffic in that area, but because it became a primary training facility for civil and military meteorologists, especially during the pre-war period, 1929-1939. Initially equipped with Ju A 20s and Fw 47s, followed a little latter by Ju W 34s and Fw 58s. Do 17Ps and He 111s came along after the war began. In its 15+ years of operations that comprised thousands of meteorological flights, only 5 aircraft crashes resulted from mechanical failure or bad weather.
14.11.40: Do 17P crashed at Neudamm, 95%, 3 killed.
3/42: transferred from K-Devau to Jesau airfield/East Prussia.
10/43: transferred to Heiligenbeil/46 km SW of Königsberg.
14.5.44: Ju W 34 crashed at Heiligenbeil airfield due to technical problems, 65%, 2 injured.
17.1.45: from Heiligenbeil, flew its last met mission.
2/45: withdrew to Neuruppin/61 km NW of Berlin as the Red Army overran East Prussia.
20.2.45: WeFlugSt. Königsberg disbanded at Neuruppin.
Leiter
(not found)
Teilstaffel Krim
See Wetterflugstelle Kaukasus.
Wetterflugstelle Madrid
Formed c. March 1939 at Madrid-Barajas airport/airfield by unofficially renaming Wetteraufstiegestelle (WeAsSt.) of the Legion Condor. Subordinated to the German Embassy in Madrid, it operated jointly with the Spanish meteorological Flight (Escuadrilla de Sondeos Meteorológicos (a.k.a. WeFlugSt. Madrid), the latter initially equipped with 3 He 111 J-1s and 2 Ju 52/3ms or Ju 53/3ms bearing Spanish markings. While Spanish Air Force personnel flew the aircraft, the meteorological data collected was processed by a large 19-man German met center in the German Embassy and a temporary branch center of 11 employees at Santa Eugenia de Riveira (a.k.a. Ribeira) in Galicia close to the border with Portugal.
8/39: commenced meteorological flights over the western Mediterranean and then from 12 May to 17 June 1940 over the Bay of Biscay.
1942: the He 111 J-1s replaced with He 111 H-5s and H-6s equipped with meteorological equipment.
12/43: 3 more He 111 H-5s and H-6s were delivered to WeFlugSt. Madrid.
23.9.44: a further He 111 was sent from Germany to WeFlugSt. Madrid.
7.2.45: He 111 H-5 crashed while landing at Barajas in heavy fog, probably not repaired, the Spanish pilot and 2 Germans injured plus one German killed. This was reportedly the only aircraft lost to any cause by WeFlugSt. Madrid during its existence. The Heinkel was replaced on 15 February with a He 111 H-11 that had previously belonged to 5./KG 26 as (1H+CN) that was interned in Mallorca on 20 May 1943.
27.3.45: WeFlugSt. Madrid flew its last met sortie.
8.5.45: surrendered and personnel interned in Madrid.
Leiter
Hptm. Wilhelm Huck (1942 - 1943)
Oblt. Rudolf Seeger (1943 - ? )
Wetterflugstelle 795 München-Riem
Formed in 1929 at München-Oberwiesenfeld airfield as one of the first 5 Wetterflugstellen created. Initially equipped with one Ju A 20 and one Ju A 35, these older planes were gradually replaced during the war with He 111Hs, Ju 52s and 2 Do 217 N-1s.
9.1.30: commenced meteorological flights.
20.8.30: the Ju A 35 was lost on a test flight and the pilot killed.
1930-35: forced to use borrowed aircraft, mostly Albatros L 75 biplanes.
1935-36: a Ju A 35, a Ju W 34 and 2 Fw 47s delivered.
9/39: transferred from Oberwiesenfeld to München-Riem
18.2.44: He 111 H-5 crash-landed at Neuburg/Donau airfield, 25%.
10.9.44: 2 Do 217 N-1 destroyed during low-level Allied attack on Neubiberg airfield near Munich, both 100%.
29.1.45: He 111 H-16 damaged landing at Munich-Riem airfield, 20%.
29.4.45: flew last meteorological flight.
2.5.45: transferred from Munich-Riem to Bad Aibling.
8.5.45: WeFlugSt. München disbanded and personnel released.
Leiter
Hptm. Erich Grosser ( ? - 5/45)
Wetterflugstelle Münster (I)
Formed4 September 1939 at Münster-Loddenheide airfield and initially equipped with 3 Fw 58s and 1 Ju W 34.
5/40: transferred to Köln.
6/40: transferred to Brussels-Evére and remained here until September 1944 as Wetterflugstelle Brüssel.
9/44: although there appears to be no surviving records for WeFlugSt. Brüssel, it probably withdrew to Germany where the surviving personnel were reassigned to other units.
Leiter
Hptm. Dr. Helmut Kijewski (9/39 - 11/40)
Wetterflugstelle Münster (II)
Formed second half of 1940 at Münster-Loddenheide to replace WeFlugSt. Münster I, which had become Wetterflugstelle Brüssel. Gradually equipped with Fw 58s, Do 17Ps, He 111s and 2 Ju 88s.
17.11.43: Do 17P damaged taxying at Münster-Handorf airfield, 20%.
1944: moved to Münster-Handorf, Paderborn and finally to Wesendorf at the end of March 1945 to try and avoid enemy air attacks on airfields.
8.4.44: Do 17P damaged during low-level enemy air raid on Münster-Handorf airfield, 60%.
26.11.44: Fw 58 E-1 shot down by fighters near Münster-Loddenheide, 100%, Oblt, Klingowski bailed out but the other 2 crew members were KIA.
25.3.45: Ju 88 destroyed on the ground by bombs during Allied raid on Paderborn.
26.3.45: from a Paderborn dispersal field, flew its last known met sortie.
2.4.45: the last Ju 88 intentionally blown up or set on fire at Paderborn to prevent capture by approaching U.S. forces.
1.4.45: disbanded at Wesendorf.
Leiter
Lt. Hans Detering (1940 - ? )
Wetterflugstelle Nancy
See Wetterflugstelle Paris – Le Bourget.
Wetterflugstelle Neuruppin
See Wetterflugstelle Berlin-Rangsdorf and Wetterflugstelle Königsberg.
Wetterflugstelle Nikolajew
Existed at Nikolayev/Ukraine in fall 1942, but no details found.
Wetterflugstelle Norderney
Formed 4 December 1935 on Norderney in the Ostfriesische Inseln (East Frisian Islands) along Germany’s North Sea coast to serve not only the Luftwaffe there but also the German Navy’s coast artillery. It also performed a training function and many meteorological observers and met aircrew gained their first experience here. Initially equipped with Fw 47s, Ju W 34s, Fw 58s, He 46s and possibly a He 59 twin-engine seaplane.
27.6.40: WeFlugSt. Norderney began moving to Den Helder/Holland and by 4 July was based at Bergen aan Zee, remaining there until December 1940.
24.7.40: Fw 58 (DK+CF) and Ju W 34 (DK+CB) both destroyed on the ground by bombs duing an RAF raid on Bergen aan Zee airfield.
12/40: the component at Bergen aan Zee transferred to Leeuwarden to be transformed into WeFlugSt. Amsterdam-Schiphol.
1941: on arrival there it was renamed Wetterflugstelle Amsterdam-Schiphol.
Leiter
(not found)
Wetterflugstelle Orscha
See Wetterflugstelle 464 Schatalowka.
Wetterflugstelle Oslo
Existed at Oslo/Norway in fall 1942, but no details found.
Wetterflugstelle Pardubitz
Formed early February 1945 at Pardubice (Pardubitz) airfield/96 km E of Prague in Czechoslovakia by renaming
Wetterflugstelle 1228 Udetfeld-Mielec. Documents are lacking, but believe to have been equipped with several He 111s and Ju 88s.
19.2.45: commenced meteorological flights from Pardubice.
28.3.45: out of fuel and forced to cease operations.
4/45: no further information.
Leiter
Oblt. Theobald Thierbach (2/45 - 4/45)
Wetterflugstelle Paris – Le Bourget
Formed September 1940 at Le Bourget airfield in Paris using aircraft and personnel taken from Wetterflugstelle Vaernes in Norway. Initially equipped with Do 17P, Fw 58, Ju W 34 and a Ju 52, these were gradually replaced with He 111, Ju 86 and Ju 88 aircraft.
14.6.44: 2 Ju 88 A-4 (both 100%), 1 Ju 86 E-1 (BO+ML) (100%), 2 Fw 58 E-1 (100% and 25%) and 1 Do 17P (20%) destroyed or damaged during Allied bombing of Paris – Le Bourget.
16.8.44: the remainder of the Wetterflugstelle evacuated Paris and moved to Nancy-Essey airfield where it was very briefly referred to as Wetterflugstelle Nancy.
18.8.44: 2 Ju 88 A-4, 1 He 111 H-20 and 1 Fw 58 E-1 destroyed in Allied bombing of Nancy-Essey airfield, all 100%. Now without aircraft or a mission and U.S. ground forces approaching Nancy from the West, the surviving personnel retreated to Lachen-Speyerdorf where the unit was disbanded in September.
Leiter
(not found)
Wetterflugstelle Prag-Ruzyn
Formed at Prague- Ruzynĕ airfield located 8.7 km W of Prague city center and 3.25 km NW of Ruzynĕ with many of the aircrew personnel coming from Wekusta 51 (these possibly not until late 1944 when Wekusta 51 was disbanded). Equipped with Ju W 34 and Fw 58 aircraft. There are no details for this Wetterflugstelle due to a total absence of surviving records. It has not even been possible to determine the dates of its existence.
Leiter
(not found)
Wetterflugstelle Rechlin
Existed at Erprobungsstelle (Test and Evaluation Center) Rechlin/100 km NNW of Berlin in fall 1942 and in 1945, but no details found.
Wetterflugstelle Rhein-Main
(a.k.a. Wetterflugstelle Frankfurt/Main)
Formed July 1935 at Frankfurt Rhein-Main airfield from a WeFlugSt. formed in 1929 at Darmstadt-Griesheim airfield to serve the technical high school/institute/university in Darmstadt that taught meteorology before moving to Rhein/Main.
13.7.41: a Fw 58 (75%) and a He 111 (15%) damaged by a storm at Rhein-Main airfield.
3.8.41: Fw 58 struck the ground while landing at Rhein-Main airfield, 100%, 2 injured.
10.4.42: Do 17P force-landed at Rhein-Main airfield, 20%.
6.12.43: Fw 58 damaged taxying at Rhein-Main airfield, 15%.
11.3.44: Do 17P damaged taxying at Rhein-Main airfield, 30%.
14.3.44: Do 217 E-4 damaged in accident at Rhein-Main airfield, 30%.
27.3.44: He 111 H-6 force-landed near Worms due to engine failure, 25%.
12.12.44: He 111 H-6 shot up by fighters and forced to belly-land at Aschaffenburg just 42 km E of Rhein-Main airfield, severely damage, 1 KIA but the rest of the crew safe.
24.12.44: 3 of its aircraft destroyed on the ground during Allied air attack. A relatively short time after this, the unit moved to Kitzingen airfield/123 km ESE of Rhein-Main airfield.
22-23.3.45: 2 He 111s, a Ju 88 and its last Fw 58 destroyed when Kitzingen airfield was hit by Allied aircraft.
27.3.45: flew its last met mission and subsequently disbanded.
Leiter
(not found)
Wetterflugstelle Riga
Existed at Riga/Latvia in fall 1942, but no details found.
Wetterflugstelle 464 Schatalowka
Formed spring 1942 at Schatalowka/Ost (Shatalovka/East) airfield/57 km SE of Smolensk on the central sector of the Eastern Front using aircraft and personnel taken from Wetterflugstelle Wien-Aspern. A small detachment at first, it was allocated 3 Ju 88 meteorological aircraft in fall 1942 and more were given to it in spring 1943 as German air and ground forces were greatly strengthened for the forthcoming counteroffensive on the Kursk salient beginning in early July.
12.6.43: 6 Ju 88s belonging to the Wetterflugstelle destroyed in a Soviet air attack on Schatalowka/Ost airfield, effectively eliminating it until 2 replacement He 111s and 1 Ju 88 were received so limited operations could continue.
7.9.43: remnants transferred to Orscha/Süd (Orsha/South) and briefly referred to as Wetterflugstelle Orscha.
6/44: transferred to Dokudovo airfield and merged with the meteorological assets there. No further details have been found.
Leiter
(not found)
Wetterflugstelle Schwarzmeer
See Wetterflugstelle Kaukasus.
Wetterflugstelle Seschtschinskaja
Existed at Seschinskaya airfield/Russia in fall 1942, but no details found.
Wetterflugstelle Stuttgart-Böblingen
Rather than a formally established Wetterflugstelle, meteorological research was carried out at Böblingen airfield beginning in the late 1920’s in conjunction with the Klemm aircraft manufacturing company and Stuttgart Technical High School using the tiny Klemm L25 two-seater and, from 1939-40, Ju W 34s and Fw 58s. In late 1940, the met research was moved to Stuttgart-Echterdingen airfield. From there, high altitude research and data-gathering ascents were made with Hs 130s and Do 217Ps. The loss of aircraft on the ground from Allied air attacks led to the termination of these meteorological research and data-gathering activities before the end of 1944.
Wetterflugstelle Trondheim-Vaernes
Formed May 1940 at Trondheim-Vaernes airfield in Central Norway using personnel and a single He 111J from Wetterflugstelle Kiel. After a disasterous beginning that cost it several aircraft and a number of personnel, WeFlugSt. Vaernes spent most of June 1940 rebuilding and reorganizing.
6.7.40: resumed meteorological operations.
7/40 – 8/40: flew 20 long-distance weather missions experiencing two engine failures, but neither of these resulted in lost aircraft or crew injuries.
24-25.9.40: on orders from Berlin, transferred most of its personnel with 1 Fw 58, 1 Ju W 34 and 1 Ju 52 to Wetterflugstelle Paris – Le Bourget which was then in formation. Additional personnel were then assigned to replace those sent to Paris. However, the duties WeFlugSt. Vaernes were gradually taken over by Wekusta 5, which had arrived at Vaernes in May 1940, and for all practical purposes WeFlugSt. Vaernes was absorbed into Wekusta 5 by the end of 1940.
Leiter
Oblt. Friedrich Matthias? (5/40 - 9/40)
Hptm. Erich Calvin? (9/40 - 9/40)
Maj. Arthur van Aken-Quesar? (9/40 -
Wetterflugstelle 1228 Udetfeld-Mielec
Formed May/June 1941 at Mielec airfield/51 km NW of Rzeszów in S Poland or at Udetfeld airfield (Pyrzowice – 23 km N of Katowice/S Poland). Mielec airfield was 170 km E of Udetfeld airfield. The primary and secondary sources examined are unclear as to which of the two. Its mission was to collect and provide regional weather information and forecasts for South Poland and the areas bordering on South Poland. It remained at either Mielec or Udetfeld until January 1945 losing just one aircraft during this time (in November 1944).
15.1.45: transferred to Sagan-Küpper airfield/45 km WSW of Glogau in Silesia to avoid capture.
2/45: moved again for the same reason, this time to Pardubice airfield/96 km E of Prague in Czechoslovakia.
10.2.45: He 111 H-11 shot down by enemy fighters over a small village in the vicinity of Liberec near Zittau/77 km ESE of Dresden during a transit flight, 100%, Oblt. Anton von Breuer + 3 KIA.
28.2.45: Ju 88 G-1 damaged undercarriage at Brandenburg-Briest airfield, 15%.
1945: no further mention after 28.2.45.
Leiter
Oblt. Anton von Breuer ( ? - 10.2.45) KIA
Wetterflugstelle Warschau
Existed at Warsaw/Poland in fall 1942, but no details found.
Wetterflugstelle Wien
Formed in 1938 at Wien (Vienna) – Aspern airfield from Luftwaffe cadre provided by Wetterflugstelle München (Munich) and a single Ju W 34 followed by additional aircraft before the end of 1938.
1939-43: flew routine met missions, a few special assignments using a borrowed Ju 52, a Ju 88 and a Do 217. There were no recorded losses during this 5-year period aside from two minor accidents involving a Fw 47 and a Fw 58. WeFlugSt. Wien was also heavily involved in training and was a constant source for cadre and replacement personnel for many of the meteorological units.
22.12.43: He 111 H-5 crashed NE of Grossmittel/35 km S of Wien (Vienna) in bad weather, 100%, 3 injured.
5/44: a Ju 52 belonging to it FTR, 100%, 9 MIA.
10.1.45: flew its 2,000th mission.
27.3.45: flew its last met sortie.
2.4.45: moved to Zeltweg airfield/55 km WNW of Graz.
8.5.45: disbanded.
Leiter
(not found)