Wettererkundungsstaffel 7
Wettererkundungsstaffel 7
Unit Code: (K4 + )
Formation
Formed 25 November 1944 at Brandenburg-Briest for assignment to Luftflotte Reich. Equipped with the Ju 88 A-4, D-1 and later the G-1, the Staffel is known to have had at least four losses during its brief career, but only one of these was recorded in the loss reports. Missions were mainly short (1 hour or less) tactical weather sorties over the Oder Front to the east of Berlin where, on 3 February 1945, the Staffel suffered its first operational loss. On 11(20?) March 1945 a Ju 88G-1 was shot down by a Soviet fighter over Alt-Döbern near Cottbus destroying the Junkers and killing the crew of 4. It is known that the Staffel was still based at Brandenburg-Briest this time, but its primary mission now was to fly weather recce over Germany proper. The Staffel’s last known loss was a Ju 88 shot down by fighters over the Harz Mountains near Nordhausen on 30 March 1945 killing the crew. The next day, 31 March, Wekusta 7 transferred from Brandenburg-Briest to Stendal and then from there to Uetersen/27 km NW of Hamburg on 17 April. From Uetersen, it flew its last weather reconnaissance mission on 18 April On 28 April 1945, it was still located at Uetersen where it was ordered disbanded, finally surrendering to British forces on 2 May.[1]
FpN: Westa 7 (L 62631).
Staffelkapitän
Hptm. Eric Freiherr v. Loudon (11/44 - 5/45)
Special Note:
The history of the Luftwaffe Weather Service, this Staffel, all of the other 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.
© by Henry L. deZeng IV (Work in Progress, 2022).
(1st Draft 2022)
References
- ↑ F.Selinger letter 13 Feb 1992; Kannapin; LRs; order Gen.Qu.Nord Nr.306/45; Kington/Selinger – WEKUSTA, p.120.