To bolster their forces preparing to defend the Allied landings in Sicily, the Germans organised an ‘air bridge’ to bring in reinforcements. On 17 July 1943, 16 Gotha Go-242 gliders from Luftlandegeschwader 2 (with the heavy equipment of the 1st parachute division: 1.Fallschirm-Jäger.Division) departed the huge airfield at Istres in southern France for Italy, landing at Torre di Faro (Sicily) between 20 and 27 July 1943 after a stop in Naples. The photo-report in ECPA-D file 11FLG F 1396/7 by PK photographer Eugen Gremelsbacher depicts a Heinkel He-111 ‘Zwilling’ tug on the transfer flight between France (Istres) and Italy (Naples-Pomigliano). Each Heinkel towed two Gotha Go-242 gliders and carried the heavy equipment (eg 2cm Flak 38) of 1. Fallschirm-Jäger-Division.
Below; He 111 Z coded 'DG+DX' taxying in after landing in Naples. Note three of the five engines already shut down.
The reporter on board the Heinkel followed the progress of the mission from the empty starboard cockpit of the Zwilling and photographed the crew: bombardier, radio-navigator, pilot and co-pilot. As the transfer mission drew to a close, the aircraft flew over Vesuvius before landing on the runway at Naples-Pomigliano airfield. The port of Naples is not far from the airfield, and the reporter took a shot of the docks, cranes and a medieval tower. In the shade of the Naples airfield buildings, paratroopers from the 1 Fallschirm-Jäger-Division were photographed recovering after the trip. The glider pilots had to destroy the Gotha Go-242s in Sicily.
Eugen Gremelsbacher was an Uffz. and photographic reporter for the Fallschirmjäger A.O.K (formerly XI. Flieger Korps). He was born on 13 March 1911 in Elbing (Westpreußen) and died on 08 March 1944 on the Eastern Front (see report reference FALLAOK F2024 for his grave) after being wounded the previous day. He is buried in Perwomaisk cemetery, grave N°24, row 8 (source Bundesarchiv). He filed photo reports from France (Orange, Istres) and Italy (Naples, Torre di Faro in Sicily, Livourno region in Tuscany). As Gremelsbacher died over 80 years ago, his photographs are 'out of copyright' and are in the 'public domain'. See here for more on this.
