1. Fliegerdivsion HQ Location, Sept. 1939

[Feldpost]

I am interested in learning the location of the headquarters of the 1. Fliegerdivision in September 1939. I have searched the Web and many references extensively and have seen the located given as Schönfeld-Krössinsee. The problem with this is that no such location can be found on a map. There were multiple locations in Germany having the name Schönfeld, but none that I could find near the Krössinsee (Krössin Lake, often spelled Crössinsee), which is located southeast of Berlin. The location often given for the 1. Fliegerdivision is Pommern (Pomerania), where an Ordensburg Krössinsee was located. In the military career record of a Luftwaffe officer in my possession, the following notation was entered: "zur 1. Fliegerdivision L.S.Z. Krössinsee kommandiert" (ordered to the 1. Fliegerdivision L.S.Z. [Luftschutzzentrale?] Krössinsee); therefore, we know that Krössinsee is some part of the location; however, does it mean that it was near the Krössinsee southeast of Berlin or in Pommern? This has been troubling me for some time, so I hope someone can help. Needless to say, I would be very interested in seeing any document(s) of the 1. Fliegerdivision from 1939 that give a location in the heading.

Barry

[murx]

look this link http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Ord ... er1939.htm


Luftflotte 1 (Stettin Henningsholm) contained the

1st Flieger Division (Schönfeld)

and that division had the

I KG/53 located at Schönfeld/Crössinsee using the Heinkel He 111

(KG = Kampfgeschwader / fighting sqaudron) KG53 is the famous "Legion Condor". http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gli ... KG53-R.htm

[Feldpost]

Thanks, I already saw that information and it still doesn't answer the question unfortunately. There is a Schönfeld in Pommern and there is a lake called Krössinsee in Pommern; however, I see no way of tying the two locations together (they were actually quite far apart). I would be satisfied with using Schönfeld as the headquarters for the 1. Fliegerdivsion, but as I think I mentioned, the Luftwaffe officer's personnel file I have gives the location as Krössinsee, which, again, is a lake, not a place where an airfield was located.

[GregSingh]

Old post, probably now resolved, but here it is anyway.

You go to coordinates for Crössinsee using Google Maps which are 53.560093,16.069565
Now called Jezioro Krosino. Switch to Satellite view, zoom out a bit and down south about 14km you see a large airport near village Zensko. 2562 1:25000 Messtischblatt from 1936 confirms that Zensko used to be called Schönfeld.

[Larry D.]

Greg S. -

Good researching!

No dispute that Jez. Krosino = Crössinsee.
No dispute that Żeńsko = Schönfeld.
[Pre-war map source: http://www.mapywig.org/m/WIG100_300DPI/ ... 300dpi.jpg ]

But I would like to add details on the airfield and its correct wartime name:

Märkisch-Friedland (GER/POL) (a.k.a. Crössinsee, today: Gmina Mirosławiec) (53 23 35 N – 16 05 04 E) (AFHRA)
General: operational airfield (Einsatzhafen) located c. 105 km E of Stettin (Szczecin), c. 75 km E of Stargard (Stargard Szczecinski) in Pomerania, 5 km N of the town of Märkisch-Friedland and 2 km SSE of the village of Schönfeld (34 dwellings and a church and today called Żeńsko). Crössinsee was the German name of a lake c. 18 km N of the airfield that today is known as Jezioro Krosino.
History: built 1938-39 as a training center for cadets of the Ordensburg training college for Nazi leaders, but redeveloped into an airfield first. Mainly used as a training station for flight schools, reserve training and replacement units. Fighter and ground-attack units were there in early 1945.
Dimensions: approx. 915 x 1000 meters (1000 x 1100 yards) and rectangular in shape.
Surface and Runways: grass surface. No paved runway.
Fuel and Ammunition: both were available.
Infrastructure: had 2 large hangars and 1 medium hangar on the N boundary, all with paved aprons. Separate workshop buildings were adjacent to the hangars. A fairly extensive barracks complex was off the N boundary and some additional accommodation huts were off the NE corner and on the S boundary. A branch rail line served the E and S sides of the airfield.
Dispersal: no organized dispersal facilities.
Defenses: unknown.
Remarks: none.
Operational Units: I./KG 100 (Dec 41 – Jan 42); Lehr-u.Erprobungskdo. 100 (Jan 42); III./JG 3 (Jan 45); III./SG 2 (Jan-Feb 45).
School Units: elements of JFS 3 (Sep 39 – Apr 41); Arbeitsplatz for Schule/FAR 12 then FFS A/B 12 (Königsberg/Neumark) (1939-43); Arbeitsplatz for Schule/FAR 41, FFS A/B 41 then FFS A 41 (Frankfurt/O.) (1939-45); Arbeitsplatz for twin-engined conversion school Kolberg (Nov 39 – Jan 40), FFS C 6 then FFS B 6 (Jan 40 – Feb 45).
Reserve Training & Replacement Units: Erg.KGr. 3 (Nov 39 – 1940); 11./KG 53 (Mar-Jun 41); 2./Erg.Nahaufkl.Gr. (Feb – Apr 44); Kommodore der Ergänzungsjagdgruppen (Jun - Oct 44); Erg.Jagdgruppe West (14 May 44 - 5 Nov 44) then IV./Erg.Jagdgeschwader 1 (Nov 44 - Jan 45).
Station Commands: Fl.Pl.Kdo. A 11/III (Feb 43 – Mar/Apr 44)?; Fl.H.Kdtr. A(o) 6/III (01.45).
Station Units (on various dates – not complete): elements of Werft-Abt. 1/III (Dec 44); Ln.-Verbindungs-Kp. z.b.V. 17 (Feb-Mar 45).
[Sources: AFHRA A5258 pp.730-31 (3 Jun 44); chronologies; BA-MA; NARA; PRO/NA; web site ww2.dk]

It's clear from the satellite photos that the Russians and Poles turned it into a very modern jet airfield after the war.

Larry

[Larry D.]

P.S. About Stab/1. Flieger-Div.:

1. Fliegerdivision (2nd Formation)
(FpN: L 05489)

Kommandeur:
Gen.d.Flieger Ulrich Grauert (1 Aug 38 - 4 Oct 39)

Formation. (Aug 38)
Formed 1 August 1938 in Berlin (ex-Höhere Fliegerkommandeur 2) where it was still located in August 1939 under Luftflotte 1. on 4 October 1939.

Polish Campaign. (Sep 39 - Oct 39)
1 Sep 39: Stab at Schönfeld-Crössinsee/c. 130 km W of Bromberg (Bydgoszcz) assigned to Luftflotte 1 - supported German 4. Armee’s drive across the frontier from Pomerania toward Warsaw along the axis Bydgoszcz-Toruń-Płock.
11 Sep 39: Do 17U belonging to Stabsschwarm/1. Fliegerdivision belly landed near Oels in Silesia due to an engine fire, 80%, Obstlt. Pfitzer and 3 others all injured.
22 Sep 39: on conclusion of the campaign, transferred to western Germany and reassigned to Luftflotte 2.
4 Oct 39: reorganized, upgraded and renamed Generalkommando Fliegerkorps I.

Whether or not the Stab was billeted at Märkisch-Friedland airfield or in the little village of Schönfeld that was just 2 km away must remain a mystery, I guess.

Larry

[Feldpost]

Thanks for your replies Greg and Larry. Sorry for the delay, but I have been really tied up lately. I am only speculating, but considering the distance between Schönfeld and Crössinsee (also spelled as Krössinsee, which is how it appears in the officer's personnel file), I wonder if the staff of Fliegerdivision 1 could have been billeted at Ordensburg Krössinsee, a school for training future politcal leaders), which would was located near the Krössin Lake. Since the Schönfeld Airfield was located some distance from Krössinsee, I can't think of any other explanation why Krössinsee would be named as the location of Fliegerdivsion 1 in the officer's personnel file.

Barry