End of hostilities - Vol 01 - Sardinia

This time I am moving to another area. As I realise that the time I use for a more research intensive blog post is too long - I would like to put in some short blog posts to keep posting on a more regular basis in a hectic day to day life.

Even so - the post is based on use of period archival references - this time coming from the National Archives in London.

The report I am quoting gives some interesting insight into the meticulous work the allied forces did as they overran German occupied territory or the territories of their allies.

As the title suggest, I am starting with a report on Sardinia with an overview of the aircraft inspected on the various airfields there. As my family has a special relation to this island I fould it a nice place to start. Today known as a holiday island - then very much a part of the defence of the 'soft underbelly of Europe'!

CONFIDENTIAL

ABANDONED ENEMY AIRCRAFT - SARDINIA

Signals have been received giving details of 121 aircraft inspected on the airfields in Sardinia, bringing the total for the Italian campaign, including the aircraft examined in Corsica, up to 1643.

SARDINIA

SARDINIA BORORE	1	Me 109
MILIS	5	He 111
	1	Fw 190
	1	Fi 156
ORISTANO	1	Ju 88
	1	He 111
	5	Ju 87
	1	Fi 156
OTTANA	1	Ju 87
	8	Fw 190
	1	Fi 156
SENORBIA	8	Me 109
DECOUCMANN	6	Ju 88
	8	He 111
	1	Ju 87
	1	Me 410
	7	Me 109
	1	Fi 156
VILLACIDRO	12	Ju 88
	4	He 111
	2	Me 109
	2	Fi 156
	1	Ju 52
ELMAS	19	Ju 88
	9	He 111
	3	Me 109
	1	Do 24
	1	Fw 200
	1	Go 242
MONTSERRATO	2	Ju 88
	4	Me 109
	2	Go 242
TOTAL	121

I will come back with more - as an updated reported more than doubles this number - ending up at 278 aircraft!

Research notes - Unit strength reports part II

A natural follow-up of the previous post on unit strength reporting is of course to look at how the Generalquartiermeister reported the personell of a unit with regards to operational readiness.

For a flying unit the smallest entity was of course the single aircraft and its corresponding crew - and this was also the highest granularity used for reporting. For a unit equipped with single engine fighter aircraft the corresponding crew unit would be the pilot - for a multi-engined bomber aircraft the crew unit could be as large as 5 for a Heinkel He 111 or later in the war even higher for a Heinkel He 177.

Representation of aircrew

Chart explaining the symbols used by the Generalquartiermeister 6. Abteilung for their graphical representation of strength reports for the operational units of the Luftwaffe.

There were two symbols used to represent aircrew as shown in the illustration above. A circle filled in with colour in a given pattern, and a circle with a superimposed triangle.

The colour blue were used to indicate the status of the crew up to the established strength of a unit, while the colour green was used to indicate any additional available aircrew above the established strength - but here numbers and letters were used to report the number and individual status - the green disc used to show that the unit had additional aircrew only.

• A filled blue circle represents a crew (remember - a crew not a single crew member for aircraft types with more than one crew member!) on strength and ready for operations.
• A circle with lines tilted at 45 degrees angle indicate a crew which is conditionally ready for operations - for example a crew which is not yet fully qualified for night operations due to missing instrument flying training and so on.
• A circle with a blue cross would indicate a crew in the unit, but not ready for operations - "nicht einsatzbereit".
• An empty square indicate that there are a number of crews missing from the established strength.

Strength report for III./JG 52, showing 23 pilots ready for operations, and nine conditionally ready. The unit is missing 8 pilots from its established strength of 40 pilots at this point in time.

As mentioned, hte colour green is used to show the number of additional complete crew above the Sollstärke or established strength of the unit.

The following examples show some variations where alle the variants are used in one way or another:  

Strength return of III./J.G.26, illustrating the use of a green circle to indicate aircrew in the unit above established strength. Note the pencilled remark showing that in addition to the 40 pilots of the established strenght of the unit, they had three pilots which were conditionally ready and one pilot not ready for operations. 

Strength return of II./N.J.G.1 showing that at this particular point in time they did not have a single crew ready for operational sorties, even if they had a full roster according to the Sollstärke.

Research notes - Unit strength reports part I

I have been working on all elements of the supply chain of the German Luftwaffe for some time. Now and then important pieces of information resurface from deep within the wartime archives.

Today I want to share some information on unit strength reporting - the reports used by the central command structures in order to have control over the detailed fighting strength of the Luftwaffe at any given time.

The basic structure of the reporting of units strength was based on the basic tactical building blocks of the Luftwaffe.

For a flying unit the smallest entity was of course the single aircraft and its corresponding crew - and this was also the highest granularity used for reporting. For a unit equipped with single engine fighter aircraft the corresponding crew unit would be the pilot - for a multi-engined bomber aircraft the crew unit could be as large as 5 for a Heinkel He 111 or later in the war even higher for a Heinkel He 177.

Representation of aircraft

Chart explaining the symbols used by the Generalquartiermeister 6. Abteilung for their graphical representation of strength reports for the operational units of the Luftwaffe.

There were three symbols used to represent an aircraft as shown in the illustration above:

• A square was used to represent an operational aircraft - colour and pattern coded to represent the readiness status.
• A triangle was used to represent a transport aircraft. Note that for transport units their aircraft used for operations were defined as a "Kampfflugzeug" - operational aircraft - and thus reported using a square.
• A square tilted 45 degrees was used to represent communications aircraft assigned to the unit.

A combination of patterns and colours were used to give a total overview of the operational status.

The colour blue were used to indicate aircraft of the "Muster" - which I will call model in English - the unit was operating according to their "Sollstärke" - established strength.

• A filled blue square will represent an aircraft of the model which the unit were set up with which is on strength an ready for operations.
• A square filled with a blue cross would indicate an aircraft of the correct model, but not ready for operations - "nicht einsatzbereit".
• An empty square indicate that there are aircraft missing from the established strength.

Strength report for III./JG 52, an unusually plain strength report with no comments, excess aircraft or other peculiarities.

Seen above is an example of a strength report from III./JG 52 - showing their established strength at 40 aircraft at this point in time. They have reported 30 aircraft in the unit, of which only 14 are ready for operations and 16 are not. This is a very plain vanilla version of a strength reports - usually they are filled with both comments and other additional information of which more will be shown later in this text, and in other strength report blog posts to come.

Additional colours used as illustrated in the chart are yellow, red, brown and green.

The colour yellow are used to indicate aircraft that are on the strength of the unit,but of a model not to be on strength or expected to be used by the unit according to established strength.

Red colour are used to indicate that the unit is currently converting to a new model of aircraft, or that the unit is recuperating or at rest.

Aircraft of older versions than the one currently assigned to the unit are indicated by the colour brown.

Finally, the colour green is used to show the number of additional aircraft above the Sollstärke or established strength of the unit.

The following examples show some variations where alle the colours are used in one way or another:  

Strength return of II./JG 5 during conversion from Bf 109E to Bf 109F-4. Note the additional four Bf 109F-4 "zugewiesen", indicating that they have been allotted from production but not yet received by the unit. Also note the excess number of  ten Bf 109E, of which seven are ready for operations. The unit also had a communications aircraft, not serviceable at this point in time, as indicated by the square tilted 45 degrees and drawn between the aircraft and crew returns.

Strength return of II./N.J.G.1 showing seven Ju 88 C, an aircraft model which the unit should not have been equipped with. These are shown in yellow on the strength return.

Strength return of III./J.G. 5 showing the use of the brown colour for older models of aircraft in the reports. It is of interest to note that the units hould have been equipped with Bf 109G series aircraft at this point - but the strength retur show a mix of older models, namely 34 Bf 109F-4 and five Bf 109E-series aircraft.

Luftwaffe airfields in Norway I - Gossen

Using satellite images and current maps I have started to try to overlay the imagery of the layout and position of Norwegian airfields used by the Luftwaffe onto modern maps and satellite images, in order to be able to use modern features like the Google Earth application to rediscover these airfields.

The imagery used by RAF was based on aerial photography from reconnoissance aircraft - and as you will se they are pretty accurate. I could possibly have tweaked the overlays even more - but as a general idea of how the now more or less vanished airfield at Gossen once looked - I find it to be adequate.

As this is a new posting series it would be nice to get some feedback with regards to it being worth the effort to create them.

Layout of Gossen airfield on a modern map. The dotted line denotes the planned SE-NE runway.

As one can see from the following image where I have superimposed the layout of the airfield with a satellite image, the current airfield at Gossen is rather miniscule compared to the runway in use by the Luftwaffe.

Layout of Gossen airfield superimposed on a recent satellite image. Note how the roads are still the same, which would be an important help for a field walk. 

My photo collection - part 003 - Bf 110G-2 of II./JG 5 at Herdla airfield

I recently acquired the image below for my collection and wanted to share it with the community. It show the only Messerschmitt Bf 110 listed at Herdla when the war ended - or rather when a final count of the remnants of the once mighty Luftwaffe was made on August 10th 1945.

Messerschmitt Bf 110G-2, Werknr. 120167, coded 3U+EW - note the E visible under the starboard wing - this code of course revealing the former operator - the IV. Gruppe of ZG 26. Of interest is the additional fuel tanks - a hint of the task these aircraft was used for late in the war - convoy protection along the coast. 

Geographical location is given away by the well known maintenance hangar in the background, which was painted red, with painted on fake doors and windows in the usual fashion with white framing, in an attempt to camouflage it as a typical Norwegian farm barn.

My source for the aircraft code and Werknummer is the above mentioned list of aircraft in Norway on August 10th 1945. Note the war and weather beaten appearance of the airframe itself.

The spinners have been removed, probably by the chap sitting across the nose of the aircraft and his colleagues, as a preparation to meet the conditions as set at the surrender of the German armed forces in Norway, where the propellers and rudders were to be dismantled rendering the aircraft unserviceable. The rudders and propeller blades has not yet been removed - suggesting that this photographs was taken some time in May 1945 shortly after the end of hostilities.

All in all a rather peaceful image of a war machine which has run the course of its operational life.