Ln. Betriebszug (mot.) z.b.V. 19

[Norbert]

Hello folks,

my name is Norbert an I`m from Germany. I`m actually looking for any hints that can help me to identify the stations of my father`s life during second world war. He was member of Luftwaffe ground troops and the informations I have are the following:

Octobre 1941:
20.(ERS.)Lg. Nachr. Rgt. 12

30.11.1943

Ln. Betriebszug ( mot.) z.b.V. 19

In the personal files of my father I found some additional handwritten Informations which are difficult to read. I read it as:

1.5.1944 - 1.3.1945

5 Nachtjagddivision 1. Kompanie 3 Abteilung

1.3.1945 - 8.5.1945

2? ( could be 20 ) PD Panzerartillerie Regiment 83 or 53

I know, that my father was involved in battles in Russia e.g. Charkow and he surrendered in Tchechia ( 08.05.1945 ) trying to make his way home to germany to avoid becoming a POW of the USSR.

I don`t want to steal your time but you are my last hope. I have tried many ww2 sides but nobody could help me. Do you have any clue, how when and where this Ln. Betriebszug ( mot.) z.b.V. 19 was released and may be converted into or absorbed by any other unit? To which larger unit did
Ln. Betriebszug ( mot.) z.b.V. 19 belong? And last but not least, do you know anything about the last two units mentioned in the email above?
Those handwritten notices were made by my father in 1956 , therefore maybe the numbers and even names of the unit might not be 100 % correct. If you can`t help me, do you have any other source that might have informations regarding my request?

Anyway, I thank you in advance for hopefully at least reading this post.

Have a good time and I hope to hear from you.

With best regards,

Norbert

[Simon O.]

Hi Norbert and welcome.

Have you tried contacting the Deutsch Dienstelle for your father's career history?

http://dd-wast.javabase.de/


His last assignment with the Heer is clearly confused. There was no Pz.Art.Rgt. 53 or 83. The 2 Pz.Div. had Art.Rgt.74 and the 20 Pz.Div. had 92

[Norbert]

Hi Norbert and welcome.

Have you tried contacting the Deutsch Dienstelle for your father's career history?

http://dd-wast.javabase.de/


His last assignment with the Heer is clearly confused. There was no Pz.Art.Rgt. 53 or 83. The 2 Pz.Div. had Art.Rgt.74 and the 20 Pz.Div. had 92

Hi Simon,

thanks for your answer. The informations that I have posted are actually from the WAST. I`m pretty well aware, that the last twu units mentioned by my father are questionable. Therefore I would really be interested in getting any information about this Luftnachrichten Betriebszug ( motorisiert ) 19 z.b.V

This is the only valid information I have and at least in novembre 1943 it must have existed as WAST has told me. I can imagine, that during 1944 several units have been combined due to heavy losses, isn`t there any source that deals with this??

Regards,
norbert

[Larry deZeng]

Hi Norbert,

The Luftnachrichten-Betriebs-Züge z.b.V. first came into existence at the end of 1942. A total of 26 of them, numbered 1 - 26, were eventually formed. Unfortunately, very little information about them has survived. As you probably know, approximately 96% of all Luftwaffe records were destroyed in 1945. What I can tell you is that the first 20 (1 - 20) of these small units, which had between 30 and 50 personnel, were all attached to the Stab of a Kommando Flughafenbereich. They provided telephone, teletype and cryptographic services to the Stab. The Stab of a Kdo.Fl.H.Ber. (abbreviated Koflug) numbered 44, half of which were officers.

Ln.-Betriebs-Zug z.b.V. 19 was assigned to Koflug 6/XVII in Agram (Zagreb)/Croatia during 1944 and 1945. That's the only information I have on it.

--Larry

[Norbert]

Hi Norbert,

The Luftnachrichten-Betriebs-Züge z.b.V. first came into existence at the end of 1942. A total of 26 of them, numbered 1 - 26, were eventually formed. Unfortunately, very little information about them has survived. As you probably know, approximately 96% of all Luftwaffe records were destroyed in 1945. What I can tell you is that the first 20 (1 - 20) of these small units, which had between 30 and 50 personnel, were all attached to the Stab of a Kommando Flughafenbereich. They provided telephone, teletype and cryptographic services to the Stab. The Stab of a Kdo.Fl.H.Ber. (abbreviated Koflug) numbered 44, half of which were officers.

Ln.-Betriebs-Zug z.b.V. 19 was assigned to Koflug 6/XVII in Agram (Zagreb)/Croatia during 1944 and 1945. That's the only information I have on it.

--Larry

Hi Larry,

thank you very much. This is the first time ever I got some informations on this Betriebszug. Do you know by chance to which larger unit it was assigned in 1943?

Thank you in advance for your support and regards,

Norbert

[Larry deZeng]

Norbert wrote:

Do you know by chance to which larger unit it was assigned in 1943?

I sure don't, Norbert. But I can tell you that Koflug 6/XVII was always in Zagreb from 1942 until the last week of April 1945. However, I suspect your Ln.-Betr.Zug (mot) z.b.V. 19 was in Russia until Aug - Oct 1943 when the German front in Russia was forced back a considerable distance in Russland-Mitte u. Russland-Süd. This made many of the units there available for deployment elsewhere, especially in the Balkans where Berlin feared an Allied invasion. A very large number of Luftwaffe ground units were transferred there from Belorussia and Ukraine during the second half of 1943.

Hope that helps,

--Larry

P.S. Do you know the exact date when your father was in Kharkov (Charkow)? I might be able to use the date to determine which Koflug he was attached to in 1943.

[Norbert]

Norbert wrote:


I sure don't, Norbert. But I can tell you that Koflug 6/XVII was always in Zagreb from 1942 until the last week of April 1945. However, I suspect your Ln.-Betr.Zug (mot) z.b.V. 19 was in Russia until Aug - Oct 1943 when the German front in Russia was forced back a considerable distance in Russland-Mitte u. Russland-Süd. This made many of the units there available for deployment elsewhere, especially in the Balkans where Berlin feared an Allied invasion. A very large number of Luftwaffe ground units were transferred there from Belorussia and Ukraine during the second half of 1943.

Hope that helps,

--Larry

P.S. Do you know the exact date when your father was in Kharkov (Charkow)? I might be able to use the date to determine which Koflug he was attached to in 1943.

Again thanks Larry,
unfortunately I don`t know, when he was around Charkow. The other information I have that might help is the 5 Nachtjagddivision, 1. Kompanie, III Abteilung. To which my father was assigned. I learned, that there was no 5. Nachtjagddivision, but could it have been something like 5 Nachtjagdgeschwader? What I thought might help is that I know he surrendered 8.5.1945 in Strakonize CZ. He went to american prisonership to be handed over soon after it to the russians.

Regards,
Norbert

[Larry deZeng]

Hi Norbert,

Kharkov: probably either Koflug 1/IV or 3/VII.

1945: III./NJG 5 was stationed at Lübeck-Blankensee until the end of April 1945 and then dissolved, with some aircraft and crews going to Schleswig. It was never in Czech. or near there.

Sorry!

--Larry

[Norbert]

Hi Norbert,

Kharkov: probably either Koflug 1/IV or 3/VII.

1945: III./NJG 5 was stationed at Lübeck-Blankensee until the end of April 1945 and then dissolved, with some aircraft and crews going to Schleswig. It was never in Czech. or near there.

Sorry!

--Larry

Larry,

one last question: Before my father was part of this Betriebszug, he was assigned to 20. ( Ers.) Lg. Nachr. Rgt, can you link this to Charkow?

Norbert

[Larry deZeng]

Norbert wrote:

Before my father was part of this Betriebszug, he was assigned to 20. ( Ers.) Lg. Nachr. Rgt, can you link this to Charkow?

20.(Ers.)/Luftgau-Nachrichten-Rgt. 12

When your father belonged to it in 1941, it was billeted in Mainz-Land and came under IV./Lg.Nachr.Rgt. 12 at Mainz-Hechtsheim. It was simply a Luftnachrichten replacement company. So your father would have been in it for no more than a few weeks or a few months and then been assigned to an active Luftnachrichten unit. There is no direct connection between 20.(Ers.) Kp. in Mainz and Kharkov (Charkow).

There is a two year gap between October 1941 and November 1943. Where was he? He must have been in some other Ln.- unit or units during that time before he was assigned to Ln.-Betr.Zug (mot) z.b.V. 19.

MfG,

--Larry