Operation Hannibal 1941

[Peter H]

The capture of the Corinth Canal:

http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2Gree-c19.html

[Peter H]

Photo showing FJs on the bridge before it exploded.All these men were killed including the PK cameraman who took the photo.His camera was found intact afterwards.

From Time-Life Conquest of the Balkans

[Peter H]

The bridge explodes.

[Peter H]

Discussed here as well:

http://www.feldgrau.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=27776


Parachute reinforcements of FJR2 also dropped in after the glider landing.One section of 3/FJR2 drowned when they landed in the sea by error.

[Peter H]

A delayed British attempt to close the Canal,May 1941:

http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=58639



In August and September 1941 RAF Wellingtons from Egypt attempted to close the Corinth Canal by bombing it.Contrary to the claim below it was not blocked.


http://www.time.com/time/magazine/artic ... 85,00.html


The Germans succeeded in blocking the Canal in 1944 as they retreated:

http://www.corinthcanal.com/history3.html

Another major interruption of operation occurred in 1944, when the retreating German Army set explosives to the flanks of the Canal and caused 60000 cubic meters of earth to cave in. To make repairs even more difficult, the Germans also sunk railroad cars into it. It took 5 years to clear the Canal for traffic then.

[Peter H]

Photos from: http://www.zweiterweltkrieg.org/phpBB2/ ... php?t=1501

[Peter H]

The emergency bridge constructed by Heer engineers across the canal.

[Peter H]

Photos from Chris McNab's book.

More film from the camera of the PK man (Von der Heide)killed on the bridge.

[Peter H]

The "hero'" of Corinth, Leutnant Häffner commanding the pioneers of Fallschirm-Pionier-Bataillon 7 involved,was never awarded anything for his role at Corinth--he was killed at sea during the Crete battle.

[Peter H]

From John Hodgin: http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/ ... p?t=139368

Guy on right is said to glider pilot Wilhelm Fulda,awarded RK for Corinth.

[Peter H]

Two more RKs awarded at Corinth Canal:

Hans Teusen




Gerhart Schirmer





From: http://www.feldgrau.net/phpBB2/viewtopi ... e9edf4a012

Detached for the landing at the canal-bridge:
Commander FJR.2 Oberst Alfred Sturm
I./FJR.2
II./FJR.2
-- 6.Kp. Chef Hptm.Schirmer takes command of II./FJR2 after the commander is wounded
1 Pionierkompanie
1 le.Gesch.Kp.
1 Nachr.Kp.
1 San-Kp.

The first to land was a Pionierzug under Lt.Hans Teusen and one platoon of the 6.Kp.
The gros of this group should land with II.Btl. south of the canal, I.Btl. to the north of the canal.
A Kriegsberichter Sonderführer E.von der Heyden was with the first wave.

Note PK man was von der Heyden not von der Heide.

[Fallschirmjäger]

Thanks Peter for all the info,links and pictures.

[Ypenburg]

However Hans Teusen was NOT a Pioneerzugführer. He was a Zugführer in 6./Fjr2 and attached to his Zug was the Zug Leutnant Häffner from 3./Fsch.Pio.Btl.7.

It is mentioned that Häffner wasn't decorated because he ordered his Pioneers to gather the explosives captured ON the bridge i.s.o. throwing them into the water. Most likely some AA-Gun fire hit the pile of explosives and, besides destroying the bridge ruining Häffners change to a KC.

Häffner is indeed mentioned as kia during the see-transport to Crete, but he's not listed on the Volksbund.

http://gliederungundstellenbesetzung.bl ... html#links

[tigre]

Hello to all ; just a little contribution.................

Paratroopers in the Balkans.

FJR 2 in action on the Corinth Canal.

In early March 1941, the FJR 2 (Oberst Sturm) was deployed in Plovdiv (Bulgaria). The regiment's task was to seize the island of Lemnos as part of Gruppe Sussmann, but their participation was not necessary given the speed with which developed the campaign in the Balkans in general (the elements of the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment, which had been landed on 4 April at Lemnos, had been evacuated on 12 April).

Being that the British troops had started its withdrawal into the Peloponnese, the FJR 2 received a new task to seize the bridge over the Corinth Canal and to prevent the withdrawal of the enemy into the Peloponnese. Oberst Sturm had available for this purpose his I. and II. Battalions, one light howitzer battery, a communications company and a sanitary company.

FJR2

CO: Oberst Alfred Sturm
1st Battalion Major Hans Kroh
2nd Battalion Major Pietzonka
13. Kp
14. Kp
Ln.Na..Kp.7
Pionierzug Leutnant Häffner (Pi-Btl.7)
1./San.Abt.7
le.Gesch.Btr. der Art.Btl. 7

Sources: Deutsche Fallschirmjäger im Zweiten Weltkrieg. Volkmar Kühn. Motorbuch Verlag.
Die Wehrmacht 1941.
Private Sales List-5.FJR 2 - CORINTH, KRETA, RUSSIA, NORWAY. 14 de Enero de 2010, 18:02:01
Die Bildchronik der Fallschirmtruppe 1935-45. Arnold v. Roon.
Greece and Crete 1941. Christopher Buckley

Cheers. Raúl M .

[tigre]

Hello to all ; a little more.................

Paratroopers in the Balkans.

FJR 2 in action on the Corinth Canal.

The distance from Plovdiv to the target exceeded the autonomy of the Ju-52, therefore it was necessary before, to land at the aerodrome of Larissa, for carrying out the assault the next day. The movement was executed on April 25, 1941.

The plan was as follows: the bulk of the regiment would descend by parachute, I. / FJR 2 north of Canal and II. / FJR 2 to the south of it. An airborne assault element composed of a Platoon engineers (led by Leutnant Haffner of 3./Fsch.Pi.Btl.7) and a Platoon of the 6. / FJR 2 under the command of Leutnant Teussen would fly in gliders DFS-230 in advance and would descend on the objective in order of capture the bridge and prevent its destruction.

Sources: Deutsche Fallschirmjäger im Zweiten Weltkrieg. Volkmar Kühn. Motorbuch Verlag.
Die Wehrmacht 1941.
Private Sales List-5.FJR 2 - CORINTH, KRETA, RUSSIA, NORWAY. 14 de Enero de 2010, 18:02:01
Die Bildchronik der Fallschirmtruppe 1935-45. Arnold v. Roon.
Greece and Crete 1941. Christopher Buckley

Cheers. Raúl M .