Demonstration para Unit (Lehrtruppe) XI. Flieger-Korps ?

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13emeDBLE
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Demonstration para Unit (Lehrtruppe) XI. Flieger-Korps ?

#1

Post by 13emeDBLE » 25 Aug 2007, 17:35

I am working on the operations of january -march 1942.

I found in several differents sources the presence of a Parachute Demonstration Unit XI. FliegerKorps at the Oasis of Marada.

Brought by air with only 700 on 1.700 strength men. It was part of the Burckhardt Gruppe (later commander of one of the Ramcke's brigade's battalion).

Didi anybody could give me more details of this special unit ? History before arrival in North africa ? Strenght ? Late history ?

Thanks in advance for any help,

CM

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Peter H
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#2

Post by Peter H » 27 Aug 2007, 13:40

Burckhardt's Fallschirmjäger-Lehr-Bataillon deployed from Berlin-Döberitz in January 1942.Major Burckhardt had previously commanded the II./FJR 1 at Crete.

Kampfgruppe Burckhardt numbered 614 men and their departure back to Germany at the end of March was by Ju 52s,first to Maleme,Crete then to Taranto,Italy,then by rail back home.

Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 7 was formed in the Vannes/Bretagne area in February 1943.The Fallschirmjäger-Lehr-Bataillon became I./FJR 7.The other battalions were raised from scratch.Part of 2 Fallschirmjäger-Division.

Major Mors commanded the battalion when it was involved rescuing Mussonlini at Gran Sasso.

1 Kompanie of I./FJR 7(Oblt. von Berlepsch) along with Skorenzy's Friedenthal force of 17 men formed the glider landed force.Mors commanded the rest of I./FJR7 trucked in to capture the nearby Aquila airfield and the cable car station at the base of the mountain.

Later under Ramcke in France,surrended at Brest.


13emeDBLE
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#3

Post by 13emeDBLE » 27 Aug 2007, 17:42

Thank you very muche Peter !

Do you have some sources or infos on the decision to send the Fallschirmjäger-Lehr-Bataillon on North Africa ?

In fact they saw little action in Libia and were not part of the future Ramcke's brigade at El Alamein...

Very interesting because I saw in several differents documents (from german or italians) this Demonstration Parachutists Unit which suddenly made appearance at first line of the defences near Mers el Brega in january 42 and disappeared during spring 42.

That was a mystery for me....

Thank a lot for your help,

CM

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Peter H
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#4

Post by Peter H » 28 Aug 2007, 06:17

From Jean-Yves Nasse's Green Devils!.

Lehr-Bataillon formed from cadre of II./FJR 1 after Crete.

Perilious position in North Africa after Crusader meant infantry reinforcements were needed.Kampfgruppe was attached to 90 Leichte Afrika-Division.

12 December 1941--entrained to Italy via Innsbruck.

24 December--at Reggio,Calabria

7-9 January 1942--flown to Libya,St Benito 23kms south of Tripoli

11-15 January --520km trek to Cyrenaica front.Arrived Wadi El Fara

25 January-near El Agheila

27 January--Agedabia

30 January-Benghazi

February-March--Libyan front

21 March--pulled back to Derna.DAK reorganisation complete and no longer needed.

22 March--at airfield near Derna

26-31 March--flown to Crete,then Taranto.Rail trip back to Germany.

2 April--arrived in Germany


Kampfgruppe consisted of four companies,one anti-tank Abt,one artillery battery and one engineer squad.

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#5

Post by 13emeDBLE » 28 Aug 2007, 09:55

Thank you very much Peter !

That's great for me !

Regards,

CM

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Oasis
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#6

Post by Oasis » 29 Aug 2007, 17:47

Hi CM
I give you some other info about Lehr-Btl., maybe you already know.

13 january '42
german forces receive a para btn of XI. Fliegerkorps-Fallschirmjäger-Lehreinheit ("Burkhardt") and also "Deumiller".

17 january 42
Burkhardt is in front of Maaten Giofer, on his right the Brescia division, on his left DAK and the CAM;
Deumiller is in Marada with some italian troops.

21 january '42
Burkhardt is near Uadi Faregh, on his left the XXI. Corps, on his right (south) the X. Corps (Brescia and Bologna div.).
Deumiller always in Marada.

4 february 42
Burkhardt para take possession of Gialo oasis.

26 may 42
Kampfgruppen Kiehl, Hecker and Burkhardt are with the command of Armeegruppe Afrika.

23 october 42
Burkhardt figures with Ramcke Brigade:
north of El Mreir two para btns (Kroh and von der Heydte)
between El Mreir and Qaret el-Himeimat other two para btns (Hübner and Burkhardt).

4 november 42
Btl.e Hübner and Burkhard are recalled back from the frontline and are not obliged to stop on the "second line".

5 november 42
Btl.e Burkhardt is captured by british troops in the area of Fuka.

Regards
Toni

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Peter H
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#7

Post by Peter H » 30 Aug 2007, 07:38

Ramcke Brigade, August 1942:

Kampfgruppe Kroh--I./FJR 2
Kampfgruppe von der Heydte--I./FJR 3
Kampfgruppe Hübner--II./FJR 5
Kampfgruppe Burckhardt--Fallsch.-Lehr-Bataillon
II./Fallschirm-Artillerie-Regiment 7
Kompanie der Fallschirm-Panzerjäger-Abteilung 7
2. Komp./Fallschirm-Pionier-Bataillon
Fallschirm-Nachrichten-Kompanie XI. Flieger-Korps
Fallschirm-Sanitäts-Kompanie XI. Flieger-Korps


Some recent excellent,additional information here as well supplied by Nacht:

http://www.feldgrau.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=21865

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#8

Post by 13emeDBLE » 30 Aug 2007, 21:01

Hello and thanks to all,

Just a question : This is the same unit in january 42 and in the Ramcke-Brigade ?

When does it arrive on the second time ?

I have the book of Nacht but I can't find precision on this unit on it...

In fact there was a lot of special units in the Afrikakorps (I stated that the term "Afrikakorps" is concerning not only the "Deutsches Afrikakorps" but all the Panzergruppe Afrika, becoming Panzerarmee Afrika later).

CM

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#9

Post by Oasis » 30 Aug 2007, 21:20

Are there some more informations about Deumiller unit ?? I cannot find anything

Toni

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#10

Post by 13emeDBLE » 30 Aug 2007, 23:06

The Daumiller Gruppe is in January 42 (sorry I am working very deeply and slowly, so I just began the 1942 year), is a small part of Sonderverband 288.

the exact name was "Sperrverband Daumiller" (sonderverband 288) deployed the 6th of january (it might arrive before, I have no infos on its date of arrival) at the Bir es Suera sector, "temporarily under the command of XXI. italian Corps (Trento, Pavia and Sabratha). This formation's full strength was 2,400 but so far only 360 men had reached Africa by air and without their vehicles".

No others infos yet, I will keep you in touch when I found others things...

CM

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Peter H
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#11

Post by Peter H » 31 Aug 2007, 06:20

13emeDBLE wrote:Hello and thanks to all,

Just a question : This is the same unit in january 42 and in the Ramcke-Brigade ?

When does it arrive on the second time ?
Yes,they redeployed in July.Flown into Afrika via Greece and Crete this time.Initial units of the Ramcke-Brigade started the move to Greece in June 1942.They spent "several weeks in Crete to get used to hot weater conditions" according to one veteran.The Fallsch Lehr-Bataillion was the last to arrive--they may have missed the acclimatisation period experienced by the other FJ units seeing thay had already served under Rommel.

Why the Fallsch.-Lehr-Bataillon travelled back and forth across the Med in Jan-July 1942 is a bit difficult to understand.Burckhardt himself stayed in Afrika the whole time anyway, involved in the planning process of the expected airborne assault on Malta.

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Peter H
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#12

Post by Peter H » 31 Aug 2007, 06:28

To get hold of a concise history on the Fallschirmjäger-Lehr-Bataillon would be invaluable.

From my understanding then--formed from cadre of II./FJR 1 in late 1941. Deployed to Afrika Jan-March 1942. Redeployed July 1942. Destroyed November 1942.

Another Fallschirmjäger-Lehr-Bataillon was then formed in Germany becoming I./FJR 7 in February 1943 in France.

Then reconsituted again if I'm correct.Encountered at Anzio by US Rangers.Expanded to become the Fallschirmjäger-Lehr-Regiment in 1944. Became Fallschirmjäger-Lehr-Regiment 21 in 1944.Fought near the Seine, Netherlands 1944-1945.

http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gli ... LR21-R.htm


A work on this unit:

Das Fallschirmjäger-Lehr-Regiment,Heinz Bliss

Image

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Oasis
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#13

Post by Oasis » 01 Sep 2007, 08:12

Thanks CM
Daumiller instead of Deumiller
"Sperrverband" in italian I found "reparto di sbarramento"

Toni

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#14

Post by Fallschirmjäger » 01 Sep 2007, 12:52

Interesting read of this and the first FJ units to go to nth africa,strange too of these airborne troops being sent here as just infantry and not training or elswhere.Like the troop problems must have been bad to use FJ as infantry to help out,pictures of them in egypt and libya though seen some in books must be rare,do any know where some can be found on the net maybe?.

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Peter H
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#15

Post by Peter H » 01 Sep 2007, 16:32

Some photos of Fallschirmjäger-Brigade Ramcke can be found here:

http://www.afrika-korps.de/forum/viewtopic.php?t=26


A member of Fallschirmjäger-Lehr-Bataillon with his Scorpion insignia.
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