Luftlandgeschwader 2
Luftlandegeschwader 2
Code (F7 + )
LLG 2 was ordered into existence at Haguenau in May 1942 using elements 1.(Go)/KG z.b.V. 1 and other assets of this Transport Geschwader to build I Gruppe, which then moved to Parchim a few weeks later where it was assigned 10 Ju 52s and He 111s as well as an allowance of 20 Go 242 gliders so it could begin training. The gliders were towed by the He 111s at the end of an 80-meter steel cable that also had telephone wiring that connected both ends. In June, II. Gruppe began forming at Poznan (Posen) in Western Poland from crews provided by Ergänzungsgruppe (S) 2, also located at Poznan. While I. Gruppe continued its work-up and training in Germany through the summer and fall of 1942, II. Gruppe, with the exception of 5. Staffel, was disbanded in September. Equipped with Go 242 gliders, 5./LLG 2 was ordered to Kharkov in South Russia in October where it was to be used in an air assault operation against the Soviet oil fields at Baku on the Caspian Sea, but the attack was cancelled. The Staffel was then transferred to Olsufyevo airfield in Central Russia, and at the end of December to Orsha where it was attached to Verbindungskommando (S) V. From Orsha it flew resupply missions to the German garrison surrounded in Velikiye Luki.
On 17 January 1943, I. Gruppe was ordered to Stalino in eastern Ukraine for employment at Stalingrad, but it arrived too late and was redirected to the Crimea with a brief intermediate stay at Zaporozhye. Operating from Bagerovo from c. 20 February, it flew its first missions at the front since its formation hauled troops and supplies across the Straits of Kerch into the Taman Peninsula and returned with wounded. It left Russia for France in early April and returned to Nancy where it underwent some re-equipping and reorganization. All of the He 111 tow aircraft were concentrated in 2. Staffel, while 1. and 3. Staffel each had some 20 Go 242 gliders. By June, it was based at Orange, north of Avignon. In July, it airlifted parachute units with their equipment to Catania, Sicily, and in August into the Rome area. I. Gruppe lost a large part of its aircraft and glider strength during an American attack on Istres on 17 August, forcing it to withdraw north to Haguenau in September to be brought up to strength. A 4. Staffel was formed at an airfield in the Lyon area in late 1943, possibly Lyon-Bron, and initially outfitted with 7 He 111 tow aircraft.
In April 1944, RAF Mosquitos hit Haguenau, causing further losses and the decision to disperse 1. and 2. Staffel to Karlsruhe, across the Rhine in Germany. Stab/I. and 3. Staffel remained at Haguenau, while 4./LLG 2 continued at Lyon, where it had been stationed since the fall of 1943. The Geschwader was ordered disbanded on 9 September 1944 as Allied forces advanced across France to the German border, and all personnel were transferred to parachute replacement units.
(Sources: Schlaug and a A.D.I.(K) P/W Interrogation Report No. 561/1944).
© by Henry L. deZeng IV (Work in Progress, 2023).
(1st Draft 2023)
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References
(Sources: Schlaug and a A.D.I.(K) P/W Interrogation Report No. 561/1944).
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