Panzer Aufklarungs Schwarm

[Edward]

Hi All,

I have a Luftwaffe Soldbuch with a late-war unit entry for a Panzer Aufklarungs Schwarm. Has anyone seen this before? I have had this Soldbuch for many years, but cannot find anything on this unit. The only thing I can guess at is this unit may have been used to locate Russian tank concentrations? Just a guess though. The individual was a recce flight officer who had previously served in an NJG squadron, to include JG 300 Wilde Sau and earned the Ehrenpokal. Thanks.

[Edward]

Panzer-Aufklärungsschwarm

There were 5 schwarms used in some sort of close ground support role. My guess is late war. So that made for possible total of only 20 such aircraft, Typ 156 Fiesler Storchs...Yikes!!! Talk about what must have been a dangerous type of mission to fly in such a plane. Mention also has been found that ground MG fire was a serious factor while conducting such operational flights. I would bet it was as the Storch was a light aircraft used primarily for either courier or laison type duties. Of course a passenger could always lean out and shoot from the cockpit if the occasion required! Further information found that very late in the war (when exactly?) Panzerjager Abteilung 251 of Kampfgruppe Baum, beloning to 7th Armee coordinated with one such schwarm in some type of air-ground mission. Possibly anti tank? Does anyone have further info?Thanks.

[Aave Johns]

Luftwaffe Soldbuch

I will see if I can dig some info up for you later (at work on lunch break at the moment). Some of these tankbusters were nothing more than Fiesler's with Panzerfaust attached to the wings !! These amounted to virtual suicide missions, it would have been more effective to crash the aircraft into a tank.

Regards;
Johnsy