View source for Fl.Erg.Gr. (See)

'''Fliegerergänzungsgruppe (See)'''

(Unit Code: [[6H]]+)



'''Formation and Organization. (Jan 40 - Feb 41)'''

Formed 27 January 1940 at Kamp on the Baltic coast 17 km WSW of Kolberg as a replacement and training unit for the Küstenflieger and Bordflieger seaplane formations of the Luftwaffe. Cadre personnel came from Flieger-Ers.Btl. 26 at Cammin (Kamien)/56 km SW of Kolberg. On formation, 1. Staffel was equipped with Do 18s and He 115s, with BV 138s being added later, while 2. Staffel was outfitted with Do 17s and He 111s. Seven months later, on 29 August 1940, a 3. Bordfl.Erg.Staffel was officially set up with 9 Ar 196s and 5 He 114s, and then in February 1941 a 4. Staffel was brought into existence.<ref name="ftn1">Tessin-Tes; N.Kannapin-FpÜ; S.Carlsen/M.Meyer-Die Flugzeugführer-Ausbildung der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1935-1945, Bd. II:520-22.</ref>


'''North Germany and Denmark. (Jan 40 - Oct 44)'''

2 Jan 40: Ar 196 crashed on take-off at Thisted in NW Denmark, 80%. Although this accident occurred before the official formation date of the Gruppe, it suggests that it may have existed informally for a few weeks prior to January 1940 or that incidents that happened during that period were booked to it.<ref name="ftn2">BA-MA Freiburg: RL 2 III Meldungen über Flugzeugunfälle…..(Loss Reports – LRs).</ref>

Aug 40: Fl.Erg.Gr. (See) at Kamp. The Gruppenstab remained at Kamp until 1944. In 1944 it was variously at Copenhagen, Kamp and Pütnitz, but the exact dates are not known.<ref name="ftn3">F.Kurowski-Seekrieg aus der Luft:58.</ref>

9 Aug 40: 3.(Bordfl.Erg.St.)/Fl.Erg.Gr. (See) at Kamp under the operational control of Fliegerführer Ost with 5 Ar 196s and 5 He 114s.<ref name="ftn4">Kurowski-op cit.</ref>

14 Aug 40: 3.(Bordfl.Erg.St.) ordered to begin operational assignments in the Baltic under the control of Fliegerführer Ost.<ref name="ftn5">Kurowski:58.</ref>

22 Sep 40: 2 He 114s belonging to 3.(Bordfl.Erg.St.) damaged in accidents at Aalborg (Denmark), 30% and 60%.

23 Sep 40: He 111 (Stab? 1. Staffel?) crashed near Deep/5 km W of Kamp, 100%.

6 Oct 40: 3.(Bordfl.Erg.St.) at Aalborg with Ar 196s and He 114s under Fliegerführer Ost for operations.<ref name="ftn6">Kurowski:295.</ref>

2 Nov 40: a 3.(Bordfl.Erg.St.) He 114B badly damaged in a crash landing at Aalborg.<ref name="ftn7">J.Foreman-Battle of Britain: The Forgotten Months:30.</ref>

21 Nov 40: 3 He 114Bs belonging to 3.(Bordfl.Erg.St.) damaged in storm at Aalborg.<ref name="ftn8">Foreman-op cit:117.</ref>

1 Dec 40: Do 18 (Stab? 1. Staffel?) force landed at sea, 100%. 

16 Dec 40: 3.(Bordfl.Erg.St.) in transfer from Aalborg to Horten near the entrance to Oslofjord in Norway.<ref name="ftn9">K.Maesel letter to H.L.deZeng.</ref>

17 Jan 41: 3.(Bordfl.Erg.St.) based at Thisted/Denmark under Fliegerführer Ost. The order to transfer from Aalborg to Horten on 16 December must have been changed.<ref name="ftn10">Kurowski-op cit:296.</ref>

12 Feb 41: Do 17 E-3 (Stab? 1. Staffel?) damaged in accident at Fp.Garz on Usedom near Swinemünde, 40%. 

Feb 41: organizational change: 3.(Bordfl.Erg.St.) renamed 4.(Bordfl.Erg.St.).<ref name="ftn11">Kurowski-op cit; Kannapin-op cit; Carlsen/Meyer-op cit.</ref>

28 Mar 41: He 115 damaged in accident at Kamp, 35%. 

Apr 41: 4.(Bordfl.Erg.St.) at Aalborg - furnished the He 114Bs and crews used to form 2./Aufkl.Gr. 125 during April.<ref name="ftn12">Kurowski-op cit:91.</ref>

24 Apr 41: He 60 crashed into the Frisches Haff Lagoon between Danzig and Königsberg in East Prussia, 100%. 

26 Apr 41: 4.(Bordfl.Erg.St.) at Aalborg, but now without aircraft and under the operational control of Stab/Küstenfliegergruppe 906.<ref name="ftn13">Kurowski-op cit:296.</ref>

6 Jun 41: 4.(Bordfl.Erg.St.) transferred to Kamp to be re-equipped with aircraft.<ref name="ftn14">Carlsen/Meyer-op cit.</ref>

Jun 41: 1.(Kü.Fl.Erg.St.) transferred from Kamp to Copenhagen; although its designation changed several times during the war, it remained a component of Fl.Erg.Gr.(See) to the end of the war in 1945. Since its formation, the Staffel was frequently at Pillau from where it took part in naval exercises with the U-boat school that was located there.<ref name="ftn15">Jörn Junker letter dated 5 Sep 1992 via B.Rosch; Carlsen/Meyer-op cit.</ref>

25 Jun 41: a new 3.(Erg.) Staffel formed at Kamp as a Junkers Ju 88 replacement and training unit for the several Staffeln of the Küstenfliegergruppen then undergoing conversion to this type. At the same time, 2. Staffel was reorganized with He 115 float planes and Do 18 flying boats..<ref name="ftn16">Carlsen/Meyer-op cit.</ref>

27 Jun 41: He 111 belonging to 3.(Erg. - Ju 88)/Fl.Erg.Gr.(See) damaged in a force landing at Neumünster, 50%. 

12 Jul 41: 1.(Kü.Fl.Erg.St.) BV 138 damaged in accident at Copenhagen, 40%. 

Aug 41: numerous BV 138 crashes and accidents at Copenhagen begin and are charged to 1.(Kü.Fl.Erg.St.), these continuing to the end of 1941 and beyond. 

9 Sep 41: 3.(Erg.St. - Ju 88) reassigned from Fl.Erg.Gr.(See) to Kü.Fl.Gr. 506 effective this date and a few days or weeks later renamed Erg.St./Kampfgruppe 506.<ref name="ftn17">Kurowski-op cit:164.</ref>

Sep 41: Stab/Fl.Erg.Gr.(See) at Kamp consisted of the following ground components: 1. Kompanie at Cammin, 2. Kompanie at Kamp, Lehr-Kompanie at Cammin and Techn.Erg.Kompanie at Kamp; the first two (1. and 2.Kp.) were for replacement personnel, the Lehr-Kp. for instructors, while the Techn.Kp. consisted of maintenance personnel.<ref name="ftn18">BA-MA Freiburg: RL 2 III Organisations-Abt./Ob.d.L. document.</ref>

6 Oct 41: 3.(Erg.St. - Ju 88) officially renamed Erg.St./Kampfgruppe 506 this date.<ref name="ftn19">Kurowski-op cit:176.</ref>

23 May 42: 4.(Bordfl.Erg.St.) one-half at Thisted and one-half at Aalborg with He 114s and Ar 196s.<ref name="ftn20">PRO London: ADM 223/OIC-SI (Operational Intelligence Centre - Special Intelligence), a daily intelligence report based on ULTRA and other signals intelligence that began about January 1942.</ref>

Jul 42: 4.(Bordfl.Erg.St.) flying Ar 196 training flights over the Baltic.<ref name="ftn21">PRO London: AIR 40 Air Ministry intelligence documents.</ref>

18 Aug 42: 4.(Bordfl.Erg.St.) had 9 He 114s and Ar 196s based at Trondheim/Norway.<ref name="ftn22">ADM 223/OIC-SI-op cit.</ref>

17 Sep 42: all or elements of Fl.Erg.Gr.(See) transferred from Kamp to Copenhagen because Kamp harbor became iced up during the winter months.<ref name="ftn23">Kurowski-op cit:243.</ref>

Nov 42: 4.(Bordfl.Erg.St.) now based at Kamp.<ref name="ftn24">Kurowski-op cit.</ref>

27 Nov 42: 2 BV 138s from 1.(Kü.Fl.Erg.St.) crashed, one near Copenhagen and the other near Kamp, both 100%. 

30 Nov 42: 2 Ar 196A-3s (6H+DM and 6H+HM) from 4.(Bordfl.Erg.St.) failed to arrive on a flight from Kamp to Pillau, both 100%, 2 killed and 2 missing. 

8 Feb 43: 1.St. BV 138 crashed at Copenhagen, 100%. 

11 Feb 43: 1.St. BV 138 crashed on take-off at Copenhagen, 100%. 

14 Mar 43: 1.St. BV 138 crashed into the sea, 100%. 

25 Mar 43: 4.St. Ar 196 crashed near Bornholm in the Baltic, 100%. 

1 Apr 43: Gruppe reported 6 x BV 138B, 8 x BV 138C, 4 x He 115B, 4 x Ar 196 A-2, 5 x Ar 196 A-3 and 3 x He 114A on strength.<ref name="ftn25">BA-MA Freiburg: Flugzeug-Bereitstellungen (Aircraft Availability Status Reports – FzB) in: M.Holm-website (ww2.dk).</ref>

6 May 43: 4.St. Ar 196 force landed near Kamp due to engine failure, 45%.

12 Jun 43: 4.St. Ar 196 crashed near Kamp, 100%.

Jun 43: 4.(Bordfl.Erg.St.) based at Kamp.<ref name="ftn26">Kurowski-op cit.</ref>

28 Jun 43: 4.St. Ar 196 destroyed in a mid-air collision near Copenhagen, 100%, pilot killed. 

15 Jul 43: 1.St. BV 138 damaged in a mid-air collision with a 4.St. Ar 196 over Danzig Bay, 20%, 1 injured. 

15 Jul 43: 4.St. Ar 196 (see above), 100%, 2 killed.

11 Aug 43: 1.St. BV 138 force landed at Copenhagen, 35%.

18 Sep 43: 4.St. Ar 196 crashed at Kamp, 100%, 2 killed.

1 Dec 43: Gruppe reported 4 x BV 138B, 13 x BV 138C, 14 x Ar 196 A-3, 2 x Ar 196 A-5 and 1 x Ar 196 V6 on strength.<ref name="ftn27">FzB.</ref>

23 Dec 43: He 115 (1.St.?) crashed at Copenhagen, 60%. 

31 Dec 43: 1.St. BV 138 crashed at Copenhagen, 100%, 2 killed. 

Feb 44: Fl.Erg.Gr.(See) ordered to return to Kamp from Copenhagen, with 1. Staffel remaining at Copenhagen from where it was to be used for operations.<ref name="ftn28">Kurowski-op cit:255.</ref>

1 Apr 44: on or about 1 April 1.(Kü.Fl.Erg.St.) officially renamed Erg.Küstenfliegerstaffel (F) at 

Copenhagen and 4.(Erg.Küstennahaufklärungs- und Bordfliegerstaffel) officially disbanded.<ref name="ftn29">Kannapin-op cit.</ref>

Jul 44: Erg.Kü.Fl.St.(F) at Copenhagen reported a BV 138 lost on a training flight south of Bornholm in the Baltic this date.<ref name="ftn30">Kurowski-op cit:258.</ref>

7 Aug 44: 2. and 4. Staffel, under the temporary combined designation Ergänzungs-Küstennahaufklärungs- und Bordfliegerstaffel, effectively removed from the Gruppe and subordinated to Ausbildungs-Fliegerführer Ostsee.<ref name="ftn31">Carlsen/Meyer-op cit.</ref>

26 Aug 44: Stab/Fl.Erg.Gr.(See) at Kamp.<ref name="ftn32">Kurowski-op cit:260.</ref>

3 Oct 44: Gruppe disbanded (at Pütnitz?): 1. Staffel renamed Erg.-Küstenfliegerstaffel (F), while 2. and 4. Staffel were renamed Erg.Küstenfliegerstaffel (See).






'''FpNs''':Gruppenstab ( none assigned )

<div style="margin-left:0cm;margin-right:0cm;">1. Staffel (L 08922)</div>

<div style="margin-left:0cm;margin-right:0cm;">2. Staffel ( ? )</div>

<div style="margin-left:0cm;margin-right:0cm;">3. Staffel (L 20563, L 38788)</div>

<div style="margin-left:0cm;margin-right:0cm;">4. Staffel (L 38788)</div>




'''Kommandeur:'''

Oberst Eugen Bischoff (15 Jan 40 - 10 Jul 43) 

Oberst Gerhard Kolbe (11 Jul 43 - 3 Oct 44)





© H.L. deZeng IV, 2024


==References==
<references/>


[[Category:Unit History]][[Category:Erg.Verbände (See)]]