Vortrag über die Einsatzbereitschaft der fliegenden Verbände Stand 7.2.42

1.) Der Gesamtistbestand der Frontverbände  ist gegenüber dem Stand vom 31.1.42 materiell mit 79% gleichgeblieben, personell von 92 auf 90% zurückgegangen, die Gesamteinsatzbereitschaft materiell von 39% auf 40% gestiegen, personell mit 55 % gleichgeblieben.

2.) Veränderungen:

Neu aufgenommen ist die 10./Z.G. 26 mit 12 Do 17 Z (z.Zt. mit 9 Do 17 Z in Zuführung zum OBS.)

Weitere Veränderungen sind seit dem letzten Einsatzbereitschaftsvortrag nicht eingetreten.

3.) Die Gesamtübersich der gemeldeten Flugzeuge und Besatzungen ergibt nach Frontverbänden und Ergänzungseinheiten getrennt, folgendes Bild:

a) Frontverbände:

Soll	Flugzeuge				Besatzungen
	31.1.	%	7.2.			31.1.	%	7.2.
	6827		6845			6816		6833
	(5565)		(5583)			(5554)		(5571)
Ist	5421	79	5358	79		6253	92	6183	90
	(4385)	(79)	(4326)	(77)		(5120)	(92)	(5054)	(91)
Einsatzbereit	2107	39	2159	40	voll	3428	55	3389	55
	(1752)	(40)	(1795)	(41)		(2629)	(51)	(2593)	(51)
					bed.	2282	36	2362	38
						(2040)	(40)	(2124)	(42)

Anmerkung:

1.) Zahlen ohne Klammer sind Summen einschliesslich Einsatzstaffeln der Erg.-Jagd- und Zerstörergruppen.

2.) Zahlen in Klammern sind Summen wie zu 1), jedoch ohne Kampfgruppen z.b.V., Korps-Transport- und Wetterkundungsstaffeln.

a) Ergänzungs- bezw. Ausbildungseinheiten:

	Flugzeuge		Besatzungen
	31.1.	7.2.		31.1.	7.2.
Ist	760	749		1119	1126
Einsatzbereit	433	453	bed.	575	639

Vortrag über die Einsatzbereitschaft - a source to changes and statistics

A strength return was fronted by a 'Vortrag über die Einsatzbereitschaft der fliegenden Verbänden'.

This introduction gave an overview of the changes, both regarding specific units and in total.

To revive the blog I will enter these as they give, in my opinion, a good insight in how the units themselves reported their strength - every week and later in the war every ten days.

End of hostilities - Vol 02 - Sardinia - Olbia - Updated information

In an earlier post I mentioned that the lists showed wreckage located at the following locations:

• On the airfield Vena-Fiorita, which should be the current Aeroporto di Olbia Venafiorita
• In a location called Posiana - Ettore - I wonder if this is on the street Via Ettore Pais between Spiaggia Bianca and Golfo Aranci - maybe some Italian friends can help us out here?
• The third location is just stated as in the vicinity of Olbia. 

I have now received, thanks to a helpful Italian gentleman, updated information on the location Posiana - Ettore:

This should be the seaplane station "Ettore Anfossi" in Terranova Pausiana - which was the name og the town of Olbia before it was changed on August 4th 1939. Ettore Anfossi was an aviator and Silver Medal winner who died during the first world war according to my source.

This new information would of course fit the information that the airframe was crated and readied for transportation - probably then by sea - to a repair facility.

Research notes - Unit strength reports part III

As I have described the weekly and later on in the war strength reports from the Generalquartiermeister 6 Abt I thought I should present how these looked at Luftflotte level.

I have been fortunate to locate some examples of such strength reports from Luftflotte 5 - the center of my research interest - in the attachments to the war diary of said unit for October 1943.

These were collected daily and as you see they contained not only the number of aircraft and crews - but also the location of the unit.

Details on detachments were also included as shown in the below examples for II. and III. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 5, which both had a detachment (Kommando - abbreviated Kdo.) in Alta and at Pontsalenjoki respectively.

I am always interested in the columns of such reports - what do they represent -  and what can we thus expect to find in more cryptic versions of these documents? By cryptic I refer to the teleprinted versions of these reports which would be sent to higher commands in abbreviated and shortened form - often as numbers with the letter x as divider.

For these reports we have the following columns:

• Verband
• Ort
• Flugzeuge
• Muster
• Soll
• Ist
• Dazu zugewiesen, nicht übernommen
• Klar
• Einsatzhafen
• Ausserhalb
• Besatzungen
• Ist
• Einsatzbereit
• voll
• eingeschränkt
• Einsatzfähig
• Vortag

Translated this would read:

• Unit
• Location of the unit - airfield, landing ground or station
• Aircraft
• Aircraft model and subtype
• Established strength (number of aircraft)
• Current strength (number of aircraft)
• Additional number of aircraft allotted but not yet taken on strength
• Number of aircraft ready for operations
• At the reported airfield, landing ground or station
• In other locations

• Aircrew
• Current strength (number of complete crews)
• Number of aircrew ready for operations
• Fully ready
• Limited readiness state
• Summary - count of aircraft and crew to use for the tactical operational state of the unit on this date
• Summary - count of aircraft and crew to use for the tactical operational state of the unit  on the previous day

And as always I check the Verteiler - the list of units which this document was distributed to in copy. As you can see here this copy is the one that was distributed to the Ia - the head of operations. In addition copies of this document was distributed to:

• Chef der Generalstab
• Two copies to different offices of the Oberquartiermeister
• One to the Gefechtsstab located in Kemi, Finland
• One copy to the chief engineer, Chef - Ing. 
• The last copy to the Luftgaukommando Norwegen.

In following the paper trail one can expect to find copies of these in all the above mentioned archives or war diaries - and although most of the Luftwaffe archives was destroyed you can get lucky!

Enjoy and have a nice day!    

Daily eBay scan - He 59 attached to the KGr.z.b.V.108 in Bergen most likely early April 1940

Another interesting photograph currently on offer to the highest bidder, a very nice photograph of an Heinkel He 59 in a Norwegian Fjord.

The aircraft obviously originated from the Küstenfliegerstaffel 3./106 - as revealed by the code M2 + YL.

But there is another identifying feature in this photograph - the vertical bar with a superimposed number (seen in the photo as a ligth reflecting white spot on the vertical bar). This identifies the aircraft as belonging to Kampfgeschwader z.b.V. 108, one of the units composed for transport to Norway during the Operation Weserübung - the invasion of Denmark and Norway on April 9th 1940.

According to the war diary Quartermaster General (Generalquartiermeister) of the General der Luftwaffe beim Oberkommando der Marine, the 3./106 was one of several units that were to allocate aircraft for "Weserübung". On March 2nd 1940 the number of aircraft that were possible to allot to this "training exercise" were:

1)	He 59 D
	3/106	11
	1/906	9
	3/906	10
	Schule Pütnitz	2
	Schule Parow	2
	Schule Bug	4
	Nachschub:
	LP Holtenau	7
	Za Tr'de	1
2)	He 59 E
	Schule Warnemünde	11
	Schule Pütnitz	7	)	Zusatztank und Rumpf_MG eingebaut bzw. einbaubereit
	Schule Parow	1	)
	Schule Bug	2	)
	Schule Dievenow	8
	Ergänzungs Gruppe	3

In addition, four He 59 D was at the Bachmann company, and two at the wharf at Pillau. These were counted as being ready for operations by April 1st, while two He 59 E from the Blindflugschule See at the wharf in Schleswig was not going to be ready for operations by the above given date.

So all in all 84 He 59 were supposed to be ready for operations in the airlift during the invasion of Norway by the count at beginning of March 1940.

All the He 59 was to be gathered at three locations, Wittensee, ZA Travemünde and Parow, while the crew were to be sent to Kiel were they would be briefed and then distributed to the above mentioned locations.

The available aircraft were to be distributed in 7 Staffeln of approximately 10 aircraft each - and the individual aircraft marked with coloured rings (we have seen that they ended up using vertical bars) and numbers. (Bezeichnung der Staffeln durch Farbringe und Nummern as it is written in German).

This aircraft was photographed in Bergen in western Norway. The order for the use of He 59 from the I./108 stationed at Norderney on Wesertag - April 9th 1940 - a unit consisting of 1/108 and 2/108 equipped with He 59 and 8/108 with Ju 52/See - was to transport an army infantry company consisting of 150 to 150 personnel from Norderney to Bergen.

You can in fact see a He 59 taking off - showing the same backdrop as in this photograph - in the following film on YouTube: