Another Flugbuch Question

[Dirk]

I recently re-read Joel Hayward's "Stopped at Stalingrad" and noted he said at some point during the airlift to Stalingrad the Germans, due to poor arifield management, did not off/on load cargo very efficently. Reviewing a flugbuch I've got has an He-111 flying in to Pitomnik several times and being turned around in less then one hour. Does anyone else have flugbuch entries for transport units flying into Stalingrad? And if so, how long did the aircraft remain on at Pitomnik? Thank you.

[Stijn David]

Hello Dirk,


I have a Flugbuch from a member of the " SChleppstaffel 2 " , these guys where towing glider planes ( in this case : Go 242 ) during the war.

He flew also with a He 111 a supplymission towards Pitomnik ( shortly before the encirclement : on 03.11.1942 ) towing a Go 242 from Stalino Nord , it took " 148 " minutes to fly towards Pitomnik and " 123 " minutes to fly back to Stalino Nord .

We have to keep in mind that a He 111 towing a Go 242 was slower then alone !!!! ,another point is the weather , also where was the base from where your He 111 did leave ? ( was it closer towards Stalingrad then Stalino ? )etc....

THere are many facts that can influence the total flight time .

I would be interested to hear from wich transport unit your He crew member was and from what flying base they did start ?

Friendly greetings,

[Dirk]

Theo- Thanks for the quick reply. He flew his missions out of Morozovskaya on 12-13 Dec. Then on the 19th went to Rostov-West before moving on to other southern bases and no longer supporting Stalingrad. I have not been able to identify the unit yet. They were stationed in Oels then early Dec 42 moved east. Following his Stalingrad service he flew southern Russia (Kertch, Salsk, Odessa, Stalino, etc). Before moving to France (Loreint/Orange). He did the Sicily para drop near Catania around 12 Jul 43. If you know the units that would be a great help.
As for the Stalingrad flights flight times ran around 55-105 minutes with less then one hour on the ground. I am interested in figuring out how long planes sat once they landed in the pocket. I know what the history books say but would like to compare it to any flugbuch entry. BTW what was the German word for towing gliders that was entered in the book? Again thanks for your help. Dirk

[Stijn David]

Hello,


Can you post a scan of a Flugbuch Page where his flights are checked => with the unit stamp ?, otherwise it wil be quite impossible to identify the unit .

I must say that the missions you mention sounds kind of familiar => i have recently read a book ( can not remember the name => Herwig if you are reading this please give us the title and author )and most of the actions you mention are familiar.

FRiendly Greetings,

[Dirk]

The book lacks any certification stamps so it is that much harder to identify. It was on Detlev's site before Christmas and there was a scan of one of the pages. I wish it had a stamp or two then I could know the unit, otherwise it is a lot of guessing on my part. I even tried by unit codes but without luck.

[Stijn David]

Hello,


If i recal correct the book i mentioned was named " TRansportflieger auf Frontflug or Feindflug " , it was written by a German veteran and i have borrowed it from a friend collector ( Herwig join in pleases ) => mayby there is a unit mentioned in the book .

It is also a gues but if i recal correctly his crew where in Oels somwhere in 1942 and where sent towards Russia ( missions towards Stalingrad , then on the Krim ) and from Russia back towards france ( they where trained to tow Glider planes , etc... ).
I think it wil be quit close towards your Flugbuch.

The German word for Towing Glider planes is " Schleppflug " .

FRiendly Greetings,

[Dirk]

Hello-- You have got my guy. His movements are exactly as you said. I look forward to any info you find. Dirk

[Dirk]

Just checked the flight book and he has multiple glider towing flights out of Lorient on 20 May 43 of 35 kilometers and for 7-16 minutes each. Also the He-111 zulassungs numbers in Russia don't make sense (DK, TN, RG). In France the code is either a S3 or L3 (written in old script). Finally he left Oels to go east on 29 Nov 42.

[Stijn David]

Hello Dirk ,


I must cal my friend to hear the name of the author of the book => i wil post it later on , what is the name and rank of your crew member ?

If my info is correct these guys where only trained in a way to tow Glider pilkots in France but have never seen any real action along with these Glider ( The Flights are to short also !!!! )

Are there any remarks of damage on the plane or a certain time between 2 following flights ( due to wounds, etc... ) ????

I would love to see some scans of this book .

Until wich date was the book used ? ( last flight ? => somwhere in late 1944 ? )

FRiendly Greetings,

[herwig]

Hello,
sorry for the delay.
The title of the book is 'Als Transportflieger auf Feindflug, von Stalingrad bis Calais' by Erwin Witte. ISBN 3-86137-676-8.
The writer was a Bordfunker from November 1942 untill he was shot down over Belgium on 18 September 1944. He was a POW in Great Britain until 1948.

Regards,
Herwig

[Dirk]

Theo- I e-mailed a scan of one page to you and the mans name. No rank given in the book-just his last name. Herwig/Theo I think the book you both quote may be this man's unit. Thank you both for your help. Any idea what unit he was with?