1./KG 28 - He 111 losses in the Mediterranean

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de domenico
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1./KG 28 - He 111 losses in the Mediterranean

#1

Post by de domenico » 17 Feb 2018, 21:06

On December 13, 1941, two He 111s were lost at sea due to mechanical failure in the Aegean Sea and North of Derna in Cyrenaica. They are not mentioned in II./KG 26 losses list, which was deployed in Greece at the time, so they could well be from 1./KG 28. Has anybody any information on this subject? The question comes from my friend Franco Mattesini for his research work on Luftwaffe torpedo planes in the Mediterranean.

de domenico
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Re: 1./KG 28 - He 111 losses in the Mediterranean

#2

Post by de domenico » 18 Feb 2018, 12:00

Mattesini would also like to know if there were losses of He 111 torpedo planes from 1./KG 28 and 6./KG 26 in the Black Sea.


Larry D.
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Re: 1./KG 28 - He 111 losses in the Mediterranean

#3

Post by Larry D. » 18 Feb 2018, 16:53

Perhaps this small extract from my history of KG 28 will help. This is the only loss found in the Luftwaffen-Verlustmeldungen d. fliegende Verbaende, Gen.Qu.(6.Abt.) for December for I./KG 28 in the Mediterranean theater.


I./KG 28 (Second Formation)

Dec 41: supported the general withdrawal and defensive fighting following the Russian counteroffensive to the west of Moscow that began on 5 Dec. Operating under Nahkampfführer 2/VIII.Fl.Korps, attacked Soviet rail and road targets in the Tula-Kshen area south of Moscow on 15 and 16 Dec, losing 3 aircraft. On 17 Dec Gruko Obstlt. Heckmann and his crew were killed when their He 111 struck the ground in bad weather near Baranowicze/E Poland. The detached 1.Staffel had in the meantime transferred from the Black Sea area to Athens-Kalamaki in Greece on 28 Nov for assignment to X.Fl.Korps for operations in the Mediterranean and North Africa theaters. The Staffel is known to have attacked targets at Tobruk on 12 Dec. On 15 Dec the Gruppe was officially renamed III./KG 26, but the actual changeover is not believed to have taken place until several days later.

12 Dec 41: (X.Fl.K.) - 1.St. He 111H-5 (1T+DH) FTR from raid on Tobruk, 100%, 4 MIA.

de domenico
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Re: 1./KG 28 - He 111 losses in the Mediterranean

#4

Post by de domenico » 18 Feb 2018, 19:06

Thank you, Larry D.

de domenico
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Re: 1./KG 28 - He 111 losses in the Mediterranean

#5

Post by de domenico » 21 Feb 2018, 11:56

Dear Larry,
You will find a paper by Franco Mattesini on the subject of German torpedo plane sorties in the Mediterranean in Nov.-Dec. 1941 on our AIDMEN forum here (I'm sorry, it is in Italian):
http://www.aidmen.it/topic/1036-la-squa ... i-notizie/

Best wishes,
Francesco

Larry D.
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Re: 1./KG 28 - He 111 losses in the Mediterranean

#6

Post by Larry D. » 21 Feb 2018, 15:35

Hi Francesco,

Congratulations to Franco! His article is excellent, very detailed and very interesting.

Larry D.

de domenico
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Re: 1./KG 28 - He 111 losses in the Mediterranean

#7

Post by de domenico » 24 Feb 2018, 13:22

Dear Larry,
a discussion has come up about the activity of He.111 torpedo planes in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea between Franco Mattesini and another expert of ours, Domenico Clarizia. You will find it here:
http://www.aidmen.it/topic/1044-gli-aer ... -mar-nero/
Are you in any way able to add some information from your sources about the training of He.111s of II./KG26 at Grosseto in late 1941-early 1942 and the sinking of VOROSHILOV?

Thank you,
Francesco

Larry D.
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Re: 1./KG 28 - He 111 losses in the Mediterranean

#8

Post by Larry D. » 24 Feb 2018, 16:07

Sorry, Francesco, I am too old now and have my own projects to try and complete with the little time I have left.

The 2012 KG 26 unit history by Steenbeck should have some coverage of the training at Torpedoschule d.Lw. Grosseto. Franco should also see S.Carlsen/M.Meyer - Die Flugzeugführer-Ausbildung der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1935-1945, Band II (Zweibrücken, 2000), pp.380-81.

He can also see the ADI(K) and CSDIC interrogation reports and look for detailed information on the torpedo training at Grosseto provided by shot down and captured KG 26 aircrew.

Torpedoschule d.Lw. Grosseto
The informal name for the aerial torpedo training courses offered at Grosseto/Italy by Kampfschulgeschwader 2 (Kommodore: Obstlt. Karl Stockmann) beginning in November-December 1941. However, this torpedo school is mentioned in surviving Luftwaffe documentation from as early as 1939 when Luftwaffe personnel were sent to Torpedoschule Grosseto for training by the Italians. What is unclear is whether or not the Luftwaffe had a permanent presence there and the establishment functioned as a branch of the Torpedoschule d.Lw. at Travemünde, or whether the Luftwaffe just sent personnel there for training by the Italians. In any event, Grosseto became the only location for this training from December 1941 to June 1943 when Kampfschulgeschwader 2 transferred to Riga-Spilve in Latvia. Following a heavy raid on Grosseto by B-17s on 20 May 1943, Allied air activity over the central Mediterranean became too intense to continue training activities there. More details concerning the school can be found in the Carlsen/Meyer reference under Kampfschulgeschwader 2.
[Sources: NARA WashDC: RG 242 (T-77 – LPA assignment orders); R.Schmidt - Achtung - Torpedos Los!: Der Strategische und Operative Einsatz des Kampfgeschwader 26 (Koblenz, 1991), p.130; C.Bekker - The Luftwaffe War Diaries (London, 1966), pp.265-66; S.Carlsen/M.Meyer - Die Flugzeugführer-Ausbildung der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1935-1945, Band II (Zweibrücken, 2000), pp.380-81.]

I hope that helps a bit and good luck to you and Franco!

L.

de domenico
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Re: 1./KG 28 - He 111 losses in the Mediterranean

#9

Post by de domenico » 24 Feb 2018, 20:54

Thank you again, Larry, you have been most helpful

grassi
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Re: 1./KG 28 - He 111 losses in the Mediterranean

#10

Post by grassi » 25 Feb 2018, 01:01

There is a short interview on Einestages on Spiegel.de with Feldwebel Otto Hemmer, who acted on a torpedo plane on the Crimea peninsula:
Für den jungen Soldaten folgte ein Beobachterlehrgang und die Torpedoschule in Italien.
http://www.spiegel.de/einestages/bomben ... 49167.html
It is a short version of an interview originally published in the regional newspaper "EM Das Eifelmagazin (a. d. 2000).
Best regards
grassi

de domenico
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Re: 1./KG 28 - He 111 losses in the Mediterranean

#11

Post by de domenico » 28 Feb 2018, 14:21

Thank you, Grassi

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