Need info on FP number please

[Hank C.]

L07989, August 1940.

Thanks very much in advance,
Hank

[Ian Jewison]

That would be:

I Gruppe, Stuka-Geschwader 76

/Ian

[Larry deZeng]

L07989, August 1940.
Thanks very much in advance,
Hank

I'm afraid it had been disbanded and "broken up" by August:

I./St.G. 76
5 Jun 40: supported the main battle of France that began this date and drove southwest across the Rivers Somme, Aisne, Marne, Seine and on into the Loire Valley, clearing the way for AOK 6 and Panzergruppe von Kleist, finally concluding with the signing of an armistice between Germany and France on 22 June.
7-8 Jun 40: moved forward from Guise to Soissons/90 km NE of Paris.
10 Jun 40: 2 Ju 87s lost in crashes at Zuss (not located, but may be Zussen near Maastricht/Belgium), both 100%.
14 Jun 40: Ju 87 failed to return from operations - no details.
15-16 Jun 40: moved forward again, now from Soissons to Villenauxe/95 km ESE of Paris.
25-30 Jun 40: transferred to Barly/17 km WSW of Arras.
9 Jul 40: Gruppe disbanded at Barly, with the main element going to form III./St.G. 77 and the lesser element going to form I./St.G. 3.

--BHS1956

[Hank C.]

Thanks much to both of you. The FP nr. is on a letter that was returned due to his death.
Name, Karl Quante. Buried at Bourdon, according to German War Cemetery Commission. Date of death was 8 Aug 1940, and the letter was returned to his parents with the annotation he was killed. The letter was postmarked 11 Aug 1940.
His attributed EK1 is posted in the crosses forum.
I also have a small diary, that documents up to his 31st combat mission. Haven't translated it yet, as it's written in little tiny writing, which has blurred a bit over the years.
So it begins...

best
Hank

[Ian Jewison]

Hank,

Sounds interesting...particularly as I like Stuka related items!!!

Have you posted the group anywhere, apart from his EK that is?

I will take a look at the EK post...........

Interestingly I Gruppe, Stuka-Geschwader 76 was the "Grazer Gruppe" as it was based there....during exercises in 1939 many of their pilots and crew members were killed whilst flying in low fog and hitting the ground!

Also, the unit was initially called "Immelmann"...there was a thread somewhere about it....

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...ight=immelmann

/Ian

[Ian Jewison]

I'm afraid it had been disbanded and "broken up" by August:

Indeed it was but the Feldpost******252;bersicht only records a rough time line:

FP Nr. 07989

(Mobilmachung-1.1.1940) I. Stuka-Geschwader 76,
(1.2.1941-11.7.1941) gestrichen, wurde Fp.Nr. 33953

FP Nr. 33953

(28.2.1941-29.7.1941) I. Gruppe Stuka-Geschwader 76, dann I. Gruppe Stuka-Geschwader 3,
11.11.1943 I. Gruppe Schlacht-Geschwader 3.


/Ian

[Larry deZeng]

When I./St.G. 76 was broken up on 9 July, your man appears to have gone to I./St.G. 3 just as the FpN change suggests. On 8 August, his date of death, Elements of 6 Stuka Gruppen flew a double attack on the so-called PEEWIT convoy off the Isle of Wight. I./St.G. 3 lost 3 Ju 87B Stukas in the attacks plus two more shot up by Spitfires and damaged. In personnel, the Gruppe reported 4 KIA, 2 MIA and 2 WIA. The 3 that were total losses went down in the Channel after being attacked by fighters while the two that were damaged made it back to France.

I./St.G. 3

Formation. (Jul 40)
Formed 9 July 1940 at Barly/17 km WSW of Arras in northeastern France from elements of I./St.G. 76 with Junkers Ju 87B dive bombers.

Air Offensive Against England (Battle of Britain). (Jul 40 - Dec 40)
Jul – Aug 40: attached convoys in the English Channel and targets along the south coast of England using Cherbourg-Théville and Picauville/33 km SSE of Cherbourg as forward staging fields.
8 Aug 40: from Théville, took part in a major attack on a convoy off the Isle of Wight that cost the British 4 ships sunk and 7 damaged, but the Gruppe lost 3 Ju 87Bs to fighters plus 2 more shot up.
13 Aug 40: not listed in Luftwaffe order of battle for this date, so possibly on stand down or resting and refitting following severe losses.

Sources:
Dierich-Verbände der Luftwaffe; J.Weal-Stukageschwader 1937-41:67.
Dierich-Verbände der Luftwaffe.
W.Ramsay-The Blitz Then and Now/v.2; F.Mason-Battle Over Britain.
U.Balke-Der Luftkrieg in Europa: Die Operativen Einsätze des Kampfgeschwader 2 im Zweiten Weltkrieg, 2 Bde (Koblenz, 1989-90), Teil 1:408-13.

I wonder if he was one of the air crew who were fished out of the drink on that day or subsequently washed up on shore? I wonder how his diary got into private hands? Perhaps he had it on his person and someone filched it?


--BHS1956

[Hank C.]

...edit...
I wonder if he was one of the air crew who were fished out of the drink on that day or subsequently washed up on shore? I wonder how his diary got into private hands? Perhaps he had it on his person and someone filched it?


--BHS1956

First off, a thousand thanks to both of you guys. This info is gold, and I'm going to pass it back to the family.

I purchased the group from a woman in Germany. Herr Quante was her mother's brother - an uncle she never knew. Her mother was a nurse during the war, and I've got her stuff too. Photoalbum, red cross nurse stuff, a red cross pin, couple of other things.

The Quante stuff I have right now consists of mostly pre-war stuff. DAF book, Arbeitsbuch, some photos, some ausbildung documents. The diary is with it, and could be very interesting. The last entries are end of July...as stated, his 31st sortie is the last one I've found so far.

I'm also going to ask the woman to contact the WasT, and see what info they can find.

Gratefully,
Hank