Need info on 1/Flak Abteilung LSSAH

[Nick Carraway]

Need some very basic info on the 1/Flak Abt LSSAH on 25 Jan 44. Where were they? Where had they been? Can anyone point me to some basic info to help me with a caption for a magazine article?

Thanks!

[Simon O.]

Do you mean the 1st Battery or the battalion itself?

[Nick Carraway]

Thanks Simon. I am captioning an award document to a young Rottenfuhrer from 1/Fla Abt LSSAH - so that is all I have! He received the Army Flak on 25 Jan 44 and I want to say something about it.
Thanks!

[Simon O.]

Could we see the doc?

Although strictly speaking the designation is wrong for the date (a minor point), with the 1./ in front it refers to the 1st battery.

The date in this case isn't really relevant as far as what the unit was doing or where they were on that day as the flak badge was a qualification award that took time to qualify for, plus more time for the whole paperwork to go through the system. More so for the Heeres Flak as it was awarded at such a high level, from OKH.

Obviously you know that the LSSAH was fighting in the east at this time, the battery commander of the 1st battery was Hauptsturmführer der reserve Dr. Loenicker and the battery was equipped with six 8.8cm guns.

In the division's history there's an interesting little story from the 1st battery, dating to February 43 i think it would be pretty certain your man was with the unit then as qualifying and receiving the heeres flak took quite a long time.

"From the elevated Donez bank, the 1. (8.8-centimeter)/ Flakabteilung LAH (under Dr. Loenicker) used its 8.8cm flak guns abd its heavy rangefinder to acheive targeted firing on the Russian tanks from a distance of between six and nine kilometers. The kompanie was able to set nine tanks on fire and drive the rest back into the balkas. It must have given the Russian tank crews, so certain of their victory, panic attacks to be shot at from an unknown location."

[Nick Carraway]

Thanks Simon - here it is - the caption is due TODAY, so any final changes appreciated! So far I have the info in it from the post prior to yours.

[Nick Carraway]

Sorry - caption taken from last post here:

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...70#post4767470

[Simon O.]

Right, but as i mentioned, this award took a long time to qualify for and a long time for the paperwork to go through. The battalion changed it's designation to SS-Flak Abteilung 1, from SS-Flak abteilung LSSAH in october 43, so you can see from the designation used, the original paperwork submited for the award up to OKH will have been prior to Oct.43

In other words, there's no relation between the award date and the activities of the abteilung in january 44.

[Nick Carraway]

Thanks Simon. I spoke to Garlasco and he said the same thing. I only used the info to talk about where the young man was when he was awarded the badge.

[Simon O.]

Assuming of course he was still with his unit at the time, and as it was signed on that date at OKH it would have been several weeks later at least i would imagine before he actually got the award.

[Ruimteaapje]

Obviously you know that the LSSAH was fighting in the east at this time, the battery commander of the 1st battery was Hauptsturmführer der reserve Dr. Loenicker and the battery was equipped with six 8.8cm guns.

In the division's history there's an interesting little story from the 1st battery, dating to February 43 i think it would be pretty certain your man was with the unit then as qualifying and receiving the heeres flak took quite a long time.

"From the elevated Donez bank, the 1. (8.8-centimeter)/ Flakabteilung LAH (under Dr. Loenicker) used its 8.8cm flak guns abd its heavy rangefinder to acheive targeted firing on the Russian tanks from a distance of between six and nine kilometers. The kompanie was able to set nine tanks on fire and drive the rest back into the balkas. It must have given the Russian tank crews, so certain of their victory, panic attacks to be shot at from an unknown location."

I came across these two documents in my AA LAH files which relate to 1./Flak-Abteilung LAH. I suppose it more or less confirms what Simon said about the time it took before all the paperwork was finished and the award actually granted.

In this case the AA LAH confirmed on December 4 and 14, 1943, that the 1./Flak-Abteilung LAH had been attached to the Aufkl.Abt. LAH in February 1943, described its actions and listed the combat days which count for the Sturmabzeichen for heavy weapons.

And December 1944 is pretty close to January 25, 1944. I'd say these documents were part of te documents which were used to calculate the combat days for the awards SS-Rottenführer Kitzel and friends recieved.

[Ruimteaapje]

Not interested?

[Simon O.]

That's good information. The original poster however was only interested in some details for a caption in a magazine, which has now gone to publication. Accuracy wasn't so important it seems, he just needed some text.