1./NAGr. 14
1./NAGr. 14
(Unit Code M9+)
Formation. (December 1943)
Ordered formed on or about 1 December 1943, probably at Bayreuth-Bindlach/Bavaria (ex-5.(H)/Aufkl.Gr. 32). Equipped with Messerschmitt Bf 109G single-seat reconnaissance types.[1]
Germany, Romania, Hungary and Czechoslovakia. (December 1943 - May 1945)
27 February 1944: at Würzburg completing conversion training and work-up.
March 1944: Staffel received its first aircraft: 13 Bf 109 G-6/U3s and 4 Bf 109 G-8s.
c.20 April 1944: transferred to Romania with Stab/NAGr. 14. Some sources, possibly drawing on veterans’ flight logs (Flugbücher), have the Staffel at Zilistea/15 km north-east of Buzău in central Romania to 7 May and then at Leipzig, a forward airstrip 80 km south of Kishinev/Moldavia to 13 May before moving to Komrat.
26 June 1944: at Komrat/90 km south of Kishinev under Stab/NAGr. 14. From this airfield, the Staffel would have been providing close reconnaissance support to AOK 6 (German 6th Army).
19 August 1944: now at Bucharest-Baneasa. The Soviet offensive through Romania into Bulgaria and Hungary began this date.
18 September 1944: at Bayreuth-Bindlach according to radio intercepts - possibly there resting, refitting and re-equipping after leaving Romania the last week of August, or this may refer to a rear echelon of the Staffel that remained at Bayreuth. Many Luftwaffe units that fled Romania had to hastily demolish some or most of their aircraft and then return to Germany to draw replacements. This is somewhat supported by the fact that the Staffel left Romania with just 5 Bf 109Gs after losing 4 in action during the month and 6 more to non-operational causes. It was then re-equipped during September with 6 Bf 109 G-6s and 13 Bf 109 G-8s. Two more G-8s were lost on operations during the month.
3 October 1944: Erdoed/north-east Hungary under Stab/NAGr. 14 with 14(7) Bf 109Gs. This location has not been found, but Stab/NAGr. 14 was at Szilágynagyfalu/87 km south-east of Debrecen on this date.
17 October 1944: Staffel flew tactical reconnaissance in front of AOK 8 (8th Army) this date with 4 Bf 109Gs, according to an after action report. AOK 8 was engaged in a bitterly fought withdrawal action in eastern Hungary and the Carpathian Mountains on this date as the Russians advanced toward central Hungary. The Staffel used several different airfields during October as it fell back toward Budapest, these possibly including Felsősabrany and Csákvár/46 km west-south-west of Budapest. Losses in October were limited to just 2 Bf 109 G-8s.
29 November 1944: at Vertesboglar/50 km west-south-west of Budapest under Stab/NAGr. 14 with 12(9) Bf 109Gs.
December 1944: Budapest was gradually surrounded by the Soviets and sealed off; the city fell to the Red Army on 13 February 1945. Meanwhile, the Staffel is said to have moved to Trenčin/112 km north-east Bratislava in Slovakia and remained there until mid-March, but this has not been corroborated and seems somewhat improbable as it would have meant being taken away from NAGr. 14 and Heeresgruppe Süd and reassigned to the front area controlled by Heeresgruppe Mitte.
28 January 1945: Bf 109 G-6 shot up by a fighter - no details, 40%.
26 March 1945: at Györ (Raab)/110 north-west of Budapest under Stab/NAGr. 14. The Staffel probably moved there in February with the rest of NAGr. 14. Since the fall of Budapest, the Staffel was once again in support of AOK 6.
3 May 1945: at Senoschat, a small dispersal field near Deutsch Brod (Havličkův Brod)/96 km south-east of Prague, and still operational under Stab/NAGr. 14 with Bf 109Gs.
FpN:1./NAGr. 14 (L 35128).
Staffelkapitän:
Hptm ? Goebel (? - ?) 6 Mar 1945[2]
Hptm. Hermann Westdickenberg ( ? - 8 May 1945) 4/45
© by Henry L. deZeng IV (Work in Progress).
(1st Draft 2022)
References
- ↑ W.Dierich - Die Verbände der Luftwaffe 1935-1945: Gliederungen und Kurzchroniken – Eine Dokumentation; G.Tessin - Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg 1939-1945, Teil 14: Die Luftstreitkräfte (Osnabrück, 1980); N.Kannapin - Die deutsche Feldpostübersicht 1939-1945, 3 Bde (I – III) (Osnabrück, 1980-82); NARA WashDC: RG 242 (Microcopy T-321 roll 10), (T-321 roll 112/547); PRO (British National Archives): DEFE 3 ULTRA signals HP627, HP5416; BA-MA Freiburg: RL 2 III Meldungen über Flugzeugunfälle…..(Loss Reports – LRs); BA-MA Freiburg: Signatur RL 40/Kart; Luftwaffen-Revue journal, Heft (issue) 1/1985; M.Rauchensteiner - Der Krieg in Österreich, 1945. (Wien, 1984), pp.359; M.Holm-website ww2.dk.
- ↑ BA via Junker (TOCH). Note, however, Luftwaffre Career Summaries shows Hptm Göbel (Armin?) MIA with 2./NAGr 14 on 7.3.45 over Hungary.