19. Flak-Division

[tigre]

Hello to all ; a little tale on that unit.................

19. Flak-Division – Afrika

The Staff of the 19. Flak-Division came from the HQ of ex-Flak Brigade VII, it was created in early August of 1942 in Greece under the command of Generalleutnant Heinrich Burchard. Shortly after its creation, the unit was transferred to North Africa and there became the Army's air defense, within Panzerarmee Afrika. The command of the division had subordinated the Flak-Regiment 102 and the Flak-Regiment 135.

Sources: 2_WK FotoAlbum Dak !!! bei eBay_de 1918-1945 (endet 13_02_08 210000 MEZ)_archivos
Die deutsche Flakartillerie 1935 - 1945 - Ihre Großverbände und Regimenter von Karl-Heinz Hummel, VDM-Verlag, S. 92, 93.

Cheers. Raúl M .

[tigre]

Hello to all ; a little tale on that unit.................

19. Flak-Division – Afrika

The division fought at El Alamein, when the British offensive began in October 1942 the anti-aircraft weapons were used in the fight against enemy armor.

At the beginning of the battle in Tunisia, the 19. Flak-Division took up the defense of the southern sector of the Tunisian bridgehead and north of it was deployed the 20. Flak-Division. On May 13, 1943 the command of the division and its subordinate units were taken prisoners by the British.

Sources: 2_WK FotoAlbum Dak !!! bei eBay_de 1918-1945 (endet 13_02_08 210000 MEZ)_archivos
Die deutsche Flakartillerie 1935 - 1945 - Ihre Großverbände und Regimenter von Karl-Heinz Hummel, VDM-Verlag, S. 92, 93.

Cheers. Raúl M .

[hucks216]

Thanks for the information Raul.

In relation to the 19 Flak Division does anyone know who this signature belongs to? It is signed by an Oberst on behalf of the Divisional Cdr. The citation is an EK II awarded to a Luftwaffe medic assigned to I/Flak Rgt 6. The Feldpost Number in the official stamp matches 19 Flak Division.

[Larry D.]

Here's your man:

NICOLAI, Hans-Jürgen. (DOB: 14.09.00). (DKG). 01.12.39 Maj., in I./Flak-Rgt. 11 and later Kdr. 10.40 Obstlt., appt Kdr. Flak-Rgt. 44 (to 03.42). 01.04.42 promo to Oberst. 07.42 appt Kdr. Flak-Rgt. 102/19. Flak-Div. (to 09.05.43 POW - Tunisia). 23.01.43 Oberst, awarded DKG, Kdr. Flak-Rgt. 102.

Larry

[hucks216]

Thank you Larry.

[Larry D.]

Question for Raúl M:

Is the book you cite, Die deutsche Flakartillerie 1935 - 1945 - Ihre Großverbände und Regimenter von Karl-Heinz Hummel, VDM-Verlag, fresh research or just a rehash of what has been previously written about the Flakartillerie in:

Koch, Horst-Adalbert, Flak: Die Geschichte der deutschen Flakartillerie und der Luftwaffenhelfer (Bad
Nauheim, 1965).
Müller, Werner. 5 books on the Flakartillerie published during the 1990's - these were mostly photographs.
Holm, Michael. web site http://www.ww2.dk, which provides extensive coverage of the Flakwaffe.

Please give me your thoughts on the K-H Hummel book as I would like some review commentary before buying it.

Thanks,

Larry

[tigre]

Hello Larry D. ; sorry dear comrade but I do not own that book; my mistake about the source, you should read

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/19._Flak-D ... cite_ref-0. Die deutsche Flakartillerie 1935 - 1945 - Ihre Großverbände und Regimenter von Karl-Heinz Hummel, VDM-Verlag, S. 92, 93

The book I've got is the one written by Horst-Adalbert Koch. Sorry again . All the best. Raúl M .

[Larry D.]

Thanks, Raúl.

The division history on de.wikipedia does not seem to offer much new information, so the Hummel book may not be worth the effort. If so, then that's sad as the Dt. Flakartillerie is a long-neglected subject. Considering that the Flakwaffe represented about one-half of the total manpower of the Luftwaffe, a fresh history would be most welcome. Koch did an excellent job but his 1965 study is now long out of date.

Cheers,

Larry

[tigre]

Hello to all ; thanks for that tip about Koch's work Larry . Now more follows................

Looking for a cover in the desert.................

Sources: 2_WK FotoAlbum Dak !!! bei eBay_de 1918-1945 (endet 13_02_08 210000 MEZ)_archivos

Cheers. Raúl M .

[tigre]

Hello to all ; more follows................

Last pictures.................

Sources: 2_WK FotoAlbum Dak !!! bei eBay_de 1918-1945 (endet 13_02_08 210000 MEZ)_archivos

Cheers. Raúl M .

[bigger_chief]

POW letter from Gen. Lt. Frantz




Click to enlarge

I purchased a small lot of his POW correspondence from his estate in the late 1970s.

[Larry D.]

FRANTZ, Gotthard. (DOB: 05.05.88 in Berlin). (R, DKG). 01.12.36 designated an Erg.-Offizier (Luftwaffe) with a rank of Maj.(E) (RDA 01.02.34) and appt Offizier z.b.V. des RLM and ordered to I./Flak-Rgt. 2, Stettin. 15.12.36 ordered to Lehrgang (course) at the Flak-Schule, Wüstrow. 12.01.37 ordered to Lehrgang (course) at the Flak-Schule 2, Wüstrow. 23.02.37 appt Batterie-Führer in Flak-Rgt. 2. 01.04.37 appt Batterie-Chef in Flak-Lehr-Rgt. 01.11.37 activated and promo to Obstlt. (RDA 01.10.36). 01.02.38 appt Kdr. I./Flak-Rgt. 20. 15.11.38 appt Kdr. I./Flak-Rgt. 7. 01.01.39 promo to Oberst. 01.06.39 appt Kdr Flak-Rgt. 7. 01.10.39 appt Kdr. Flak in Luftgau VIII. 22.06.40 appt Kdr. Flak-Brigade VII. 06.07.40 appt Kdr. LKS Bernau (or LKS 6 Kitzingen?). 01.09.41 promo to Gen.Maj. 01.12.41 trf to Stab/12. Flak-Div. for training and eventual appt as Kdr. 28.02.42 appt Kdr. 12. Flak-Div. (to 20.12.42). 01.09.42 awarded DKG. 21.12.42 appt Kdr. 19. Flak-Div. (mot)(trop). 01.04.43 promo to Gen.Lt. (without RDA). 13.05.43 into U.S. captivity in Tunis. 18.05.43 awarded Ritterkreuz. 21.09.43 received RDA of 01.04.43. 01.02.45 due to his state of health, repatriated to Germany and attached to Flak-Div. Leipzig for service matters. 04.45 into Soviet captivity. 02.11.49 released. †21.01.73 in Bad Homburg.

How's that for bad luck! Out of one frying pan and into another.

[tigre]

Thanks to both of you for sharing that info here . Cheers. Raúl M .

[Cobrahistorian]

Hello all,

I've been researching my Flak 41 that was captured at the Mareth Line in 1943. While the paperwork I have with it indicates it was captured by the British and given to the US for testing, there is no information about what unit it served with on the Mareth Line or specifically where it was captured. So, my question is, were Flak 41 8.8cm weapons used by the 19th Flak Division in North Africa, or was this gun assigned to a different unit?

Thanks very much,

Jon