Küstenfliegerverbände Unit Histories
20 Nov 39: German seaplanes flew their first aerial mining operation off England’s east coast and by the end of November a total of 41 mines had been dropped in three separate operations. [1]
3 Dec 40: competing demands for the employment of torpedo aircraft in the waters around England and in the eastern Mediterranean lead to a struggle involving Skl./Ob.d.M., the Lw.-Führungsstab and the Führer himself. To now, aerial torpedo operations were the sole provenance of the Seefliegerverbände using He 115s that were under Luftwaffe control for administration and supply but tactically under the control of Ob.d.M. On 26 November, Ob.d.L. had ordered a halt to all further aerial torpedo operations so the few torpedoes in stock could be available for special operations being planned against Royal Navy fleet units in Gibraltar and Alexandria harbors. To add insult to injury, Göring had ordered the formation of a He 111 aerial torpedo group that would come exclusively under Luftwaffe control. The position of Ob.d.M. was that aerial torpedo operations could only be carried out by specially trained personnel and those air crew currently belonged to the Kriegsmarine. Hence, the Kriegsmarine should retain control over all aerial torpedo units and operations. [2]
4 Dec 40: Adm. Fricke, chief of the operations branch of Skl./Ob.d.M., delivered a paper to OKW demanding: (1) the immediate re-equipping of all Mz.Staffeln (Mehrzweck = multi-purpose squadrons) of the Sefliegerverbände with He 111 H-5 aircraft for daylight aerial torpedo operations, and that all aerial torpedo stocks should remain with the Küstenfliegerverbände; (2) Küstenfliegergruppe 606 (Do 17s) on temporary loan to the Luftwaffe since 13 September 1940 for North Sea reconnaissance and U-boat support should be immediately returned to Kriegsmarine control; (3) some of the Küstenfliegerverbände should be re-equipped with Do 217s to improve long-range reconnaissance possibilities over the Atlantic; and, (4) all Seefliegerverbände should be under Ob.d.M. control and they should be the only units used for bomb and aerial torpedo attacks on shipping targets. After much discussion, Hitler issued instructions that the Luftwaffe was to halt the formation of an aerial torpedo group for now and get together with Skl. to draft a joint study on the equipping and employment of torpedo-carrying maritime units. [3]
28 Dec 40: Hitler ordered Küstenfliegergruppe 806 returned to Kriegsmarine control.[4]
2 Jan 41: Luftwaffe asked that Kü.Fl.Gr. 806 be allowed to remain with the Luftwaffe so it could be used during the full moon period that was to begin shortly. But agrees to fly OKM-requested reconnaissance missions over the Atlantic provided the group’s aircraft can be outfitted with external fuel tanks. [5]
6 Jan 41: Hitler issued a decree: (1) BdU/OKM to have operational control over I./KG 40 (Fw 200s); (2) the Luftwaffe to retain control over Kü.Fl.Gr. 806. [6]
14 Jan 41: OKW informed OKW that Kü.Fl.Gr. 806 had been returned to the Luftwaffe. [7]
24 Jan 41: the Luftwaffe informed OKW and OKM that it wanted to retain Kü.Fl.Gr. 606 and use to for reconnaissance of the Skagerrak. [8]
References
- ↑ KTB/OKW 1940-41 Teilband II, p.1164.
- ↑ KTB/OKW 1940-41 Teilband I, pp.198-99.
- ↑ KTB/OKW 1940-41 Teilband I, pp.213-15.
- ↑ KTB/OKW 1940-41 Teilband I, pp.248-50.
- ↑ KTB/OKW 1940-41 Teilband I, pp.248-50.
- ↑ KTB/OKW 1940-41 Teilband I, pp.248-50.
- ↑ KTB/OKW 1940-41 Teilband I, pp.264.
- ↑ KTB/OKW 1940-41 Teilband I, pp.279.
Unit Histories
This page provides links to all of the Küstenfliegerverbände Unit Histories held on this wiki. In some instances there will be an "Index" page in the left-hand column and links to individual unit histories in the right-hand column.
Exceptions to this are units covered by one individual page - they are listed in the left-hand column.