New Luftwaffe books (2) KG 40 'world in a ring' Geschwader history by Chris Goss - Chandos Publications

 

To quote Chris Clifford writing on 'Key Model World', "..if you've ever read anything on KG 40 chances are it was penned by Chris Goss ". From 1997's 'Bloody Biscay' to both Classic 'Sea Eagles' volume to Osprey's Fw 200 and Do 217 units, all of this KG 40 material has now been packed into a hefty new 312-page hardback from Chandos. 

This is another beautiful unit history from them - as my friend Simon put it, ' a very high quality product indeed and a standout unit history. I found the appendices worth their weight in gold alone. Author Chris Goss has detailed every single combat loss, major damage or accident in the war in intricate detail -over 1000 aircraft alone. Anyway, well done Chris and Rich - worth every little penny and then some.."

A little 'late' perhaps to be 'reviewing' this book - there are literally only a few dozen copies left of the initial 800 print run. Nearly all gone within one month of going on sale. And Chandos doesn't reprint - or at least not until a sufficient number of requests have been received to make it worth their while. (info courtesy of Chandos owner R. Carrick)

Aside from a top-notch product, you have to remember that the subject of the book, KG 40, was a particularly unique Geschwader in the history of the Luftwaffe; a maritime multi-role strike wing that flew reconnaissance, conventional and guided bombing missions along with maritime strike/fighter sorties across its FIVE Gruppen.  KG 40..

- was the only formation to operate five different types of aircraft operationally.
- was the only unit flying the Fw 200 Condor in anger - a pre-war civil airliner that should have been retired in 1942.
- was a rare unit to put the He 177 into service, a type that took three years to reach the front-line to then be withdrawn after less than one year on operations.
- deployed the Do 217 in II./KG 40 on the 'Baedeker Blitz' over the UK during 1942

- operated the Ju 88 C (and 'R') variants in the day fighter role.

Author Chris Goss writes in his postscript;

" ..there is no longer anyone alive who flew in KG 40 but it is my hope that this volume serves as a lasting tribute to the many who fought and died in this Geschwader.." Job done.

 

Also on this blog;

Olbt. Wilhelm Schmitter, Ritterkreuzträger of II./KG 40

Hptm. Albrecht Bellstedt, V./KG 40 ace

Overall  (including props, radial engine fans) blue-grey low-viz Do 217 E in II./KG 40 during 1942

8th AF raid on Avord airfield, 5 February 1944, Fw 200 C-4 of 8./KG 40

 

The airfield at Avord, ten miles east of Bourges in the Cher departement (Loire valley region), was one of the biggest military airfields in France even prior to the German invasion. From July 1940 it was continuously occupied by Gruppen of Luftwaffe bombers but escaped attack until February 5, 1944 when it was hit by the 8th AF flying mission no.210. A US reconnaissance mission carried out one month prior to the raid took photographs showing an Fw 200 on the northern ‘dispersal’, and a further five Fw 200s facing the hangars along the Avord-Farges road and a He 177 taking off. In front of the southern hangars, there was one Fw 200, two He 177s, two He 111s and a single Caudron C 445. Finally, three Fw 200s were stationed in the western part of the airfield. According to US intelligence, through 1943 the prinicpal activity was crew training. The attack on Avord on February 5, 1944, targeted along with Châteauroux and Tours, was flown by 8th AF B-17s and B-24s escorted by 20th and 55th FG P-38's (two kills) and several P-47 FGs (4 kills). By the time the American bombers reached Avord, the alerted Germans were apparently attempting to 'scramble' the aircraft occupying the taxi-ways. At 11.09 am, the first bombs fell on the base. A tail gunner recounted: ‘I saw a German bomber taking off, but four P-38 fighters swooped down on it and knocked it out’. Several hangars received direct hits and were seriously damaged. The surrounding area was not spared: 16 houses in the hamlet of ‘Les Vignes’ were hit by bombs and partially destroyed. Fw 200 C-4 of 8./KG 40 (W.Nr. 0170) was one of two machines to get airborne as the raid started but was caught and shot down along the Crosses-Saint-Just road, Annoix, some 10 km south of Bourges-Avord as seen here in the P-47 gun-camera stills. KG 40 pilot Hptm Anton Leder along with four other members of the crew was KIA. The Fw 200 came down in the marshes between Fenestrelay and Bourges. There were three survivors. Research by 'archaeologist'.

Oblt Albrecht Bellstedt - a novice Fw 190 pilot in III./JG 2 ..and an ace in V./KG 40

For a brief period during September and October 1944 the 22-year-old Albrecht Bellstedt from Bremen was Staffelkapitän of 9. /JG 2. He had been posted to the newly reconstituted III./JG 2 – sent to Königsberg/Neumark (Poland) for rest and refit after heavy losses in Normandy. Here he converted onto the Fw 190 and was appointed to lead 9. Staffel on 17 September 1944. But Bellstedt flew just a handful of sorties in the Fw 190 - he would be shot down and killed over the Rhineland/Palatinate on 21 October 1944 in combat with US fighters.

But Bellstedt was no novice aviator - in fact he was a leading fighter ace on the Ju 88 C-6. He had made his ‘name’ with V./KG 40 and during the course of 1943 had claimed around 10 aircraft downed over the Bay of Biscay. His most ‘notorious’ victory (participation) was returned on 1 June 1943 - a KLM DC-3 flying civilians between Lisbon and Whitchurch, Bristol in England. Seventeen passengers including women and children and the famous American film star Leslie Howard were killed. The Ju 88 crews were apparently not aware this was a regular 'civilian' service - it would perhaps have been a better option to escort the DC-3 into a French airfield.

 Below; 500th Feindflug in 14./KG 40,  - Obslt Kurt Necesany (left) and Albrecht Bellstedt, 21 May 1943.

Bellstedt’s 14./KG 40 was re-designated I./ZG 1 in October 1943. The ace flew his last sortie over the Bay of Biscay on 16 May 1944. With the Allied landings in Normandy on 6 June I./ZG 1 along with III./ZG 1 was hastily deployed to fly strafing attacks against the beaches, for which neither the aircraft nor the crews were prepared. Losses were heavy. In the space of just four days, 33 ZG 1 airmen were killed, three captured and five wounded. Among those killed were Oblt. Ulrich Hansen (Gruppenadjutant III./ZG 1), Lt. Kurt Löw (Staffelführer 7./ZG 1) and Lt. Knut Gmelin (Staffelführer  1./ZG 1). Bellstedt flew his fourth and last mission over Normandy on 10 June 1944. He was fortunate that for the rest of the month I./ZG 1 was withdrawn from the front and Bellstedt recorded seven so-called Bandbekämpfung or ‘anti-partisan’ missions against the Resistance in southern France. His last flight of the month took place on 30 June 1944. It was his 116th Feindflug.

The date 5 August 1944 marked the end of I./ZG 1. With its disbandment,its members were posted to other units. Until then, Bellstedt had only flown the Ju 88 and was now sent to Königsberg to retrain on the Fw 190. On 17 September 1944 he began flying fighter missions as the Staffelkapitän of 9. / Jagdgeschwader 2. Mombeeck published a poor quality image of Bellstedt and his new Staffel in his JG 2 history (volume 6). It is presumed that he did not survive his third mission after clashing with US fighters. He may have fallen victim to the 365th or the 368th Fighter Group. His Fw 190 crashed in the Limburg-Montabaur area (north-west of Frankfurt). Still only 22 years old, he was buried in Neuwied. To paraphrase Chris Goss, his 'successes', just like those of many of his pilot comrades in V./KG 40, have mostly been forgotten. 

" Unsere Kondor, unser Pilot " - Fw 200 Condor KG 40 RK winner Jope and the sinking of the Empress of Britain

 KG 40 Fw 200 on an Atlantic-coast Flugplatz  'F8+EL'. 

Condor 'F8+DL' flown by Oblt Bernhard Jope and seen at Mérignac in late February 1941. Jope spent a short spell during early 1941 in Stavanger, flying several sorties against British convoys. Jope was awarded the Ritterkreuz on 30 December 1940 for his attack on 26 October 1940 on one of the biggest liners in the world at the time, the 42,500 ton "Empress of Britain" being used as a troopship and cargo vessel;

In his book on the Fw 200 Condor Jean-Louis Roba wrote;

" ..On 21 October, Major Edgar Petersen (Kommandeur of I./KG 40) was awarded the Ritterkreuz for his effective command. Another would soon be awarded when, on 26 October, a Fw 200 struck a blow against the Royal Navy, an episode that would forge the reputation of the Condor and prove to be a coup for the German propaganda organs. That day, Oblt Bernhard Jope's crew on patrol spotted an imposing-looking ship off the south-west coast of Ireland. Jope turned towards this potential target while his men went to their battle stations - the ship was the Canadian Pacific Airline luxury liner 'Empress of Britain', leased to the British Ministry of Transport. It had left Cape Town several days earlier and was approaching Liverpool, its destination. On board were some four hundred servicemen and twenty-three passengers, as well as seven hundred tonnes of various cargoes (including sugar). Relying on the ship's speed, British officials had neglected to provide an escort (which would probably have had difficulty keeping up). The ship was of very modern design and offered its passengers a high level of comfort (including a swimming pool, sumptuous Renaissance-style lounges and radio in the cabins). Jope wasted no time identifying his target as an enemy transport ship, dropped his bombs accurately while his machine gunners emptied magazine after magazine (there was only one bullet wound sustained on board!). As fire broke out in the ship's holds, Jope set course for Mérignac, the nose of his Condor having been damaged by return fire. As the Empress of Britain was quickly evacuated, there were few casualties. With the fires contained, the stricken liner was taken in tow but was finished off virtually the next day by a torpedo fired by U-32 (itself sunk two days later). This loss struck a chord with public opinion on both sides. The daily Völkischer Beobachter, the official organ of the NSDAP, even went so far as to write: "Das Schiff der Plutokraten schwimmt nicht mehr" (The ship of the plutocrats will sail no more). For this action, Jope was awarded the Ritterkreuz on 30 December 1940..."

Like many enthusiasts no doubt we are looking forward to Chandos Publications' forthcoming history of KG 40 due later this year. In the meantime the large volume on the Fw 200 authored by Michel Ledet and Jean-Louis Roba and published by Lela Presse is still available from the Lela Presse web site (320 pages, 600 photos, 28 Thierry Dekker artworks, only 55 euros). Given that the Classic Crecy tome on the Fw 200 costs a small fortune if you can find one, the Lela Presse book is a bargain!

Also on this blog;

Fw 200 Condor of the Fliegerstaffel des Führers - Adolf Hitler's visit to Finland, June 1942

Hptm. Wilhelm Schmitter RK and his II./KG 40 Do 217 E & Me 410 V./KG 2 - Bundesarchiv photo report

 

Two recent posts have covered Do 217 'pirate' bombing raids and Me 410 intruder ops over England. Here is one pilot who flew both these missions. 

I was reminded (thank you Delmar!) that KG 2 was not the only Do 217 unit sending out lone 'pirate' missions against factory and industrial targets in southern England during early 1943. A closer reading of Chris Goss' Dornier Do 217 titles (Osprey Combat Aircraft No. 139 or the Crecy Classic volume) would have told me as much of course. This image - labelled by the ECPA-D only as ' KG 2 Eindhoven or Soesterberg, March 1943 '  shows the same aircraft that can be seen on p 38 of the Classic title  - ie a KG 40 machine, possibly flown by Oblt. Wilhelm Schmitter of the Stab II./KG 40, seen taxying in at Soesterberg. The pilot at the controls may be Schmitter in his 'F8+BC' with the decorated tailfin.

Below; another  view of a KG 40 Do 217 E taxying in. Note the unit code 'F8+ ??' appears in small letters at the base of the port tail fin. There are no codes on the fuselage. Note white outline Balkenkreuz (the Osprey title shows this as dark grey?)

A Bundesarchiv search turned up several more images (again, thank you Delmar!) - simply and not very helpfully labelled, " Belgien/Nordfrankreich.- Ritterkreuzträger vor Flugzeug Dornier Do 217" This is Schmitter wearing his Ritterkreuz awarded for some 170 bombing missions in front of his overall pale blue-grey 76 Do 217 E-4. Photo dates from early 1943. 

A pre-war pilot who flew as a Seeaufklärer before becoming a bomber pilot, Schmitter was awarded the Ritterkreuz in September 1942 and promoted to Hptm. in March 1943 and appointed StaKa of 5./KG 40. Later that month II./KG 40 converted onto the Me 410 and became V./KG 2. Schmitter was shot down over the UK on the night of 8 November 1943 and received a posthumous Eichenlaub and promotion to Major.

Below; Schmitter (left) in front of his Do 217 with his veteran crew, Uffz. Wagner (BO), Fw. Krohn (BM) and Fw. Heinz Gräber (BF) seen far right. Between 14 February 1942 and 16 July 1942 Schmitter flew over 45 bombing raids against England, hitting targets in Southampton, Birmingham, Norwich, Middlesborough, Sunderland and most notably Leamington Spa, when he was injured by return fire. In the period 31 May - 6 June Schmitter hit (my home town of) Canterbury on three night raids - these were part of the Luftwaffe's terror bombing campaign, the so-called 'Baedeker offensive' - short, sharp attacks on towns and cities better known for their cathedrals and other historic buildings than for any military or war industry connection. The damage inflicted and the story of these night attacks still forms part of the official Canterbury city guided tour - it is said that a Luftwaffe pilot deliberately avoided dropping his bombs on the cathedral (today a Unesco world heritage site).

Just over one year later, on the night of 10/11 August 1943  - II./KG 40 having been redesignated V./KG 2 - Schmitter, as Staffelkapitän of  15./KG 2 briefly based in Vendeville and then Epinoy, flew his first sortie over England at the controls of  a Me 410 ('U5+AJ'). This was a so-called 'Störangriff' or 'nuisance' bombing raid aimed at airfields around Cambridge. Schmitter's radioman was his Dornier BF Ofw. Heinz Gräber.( above right). Barely a fortnight later (on the night of 23-24 August) Schmitter's Me 410 was badly shot-up by RAF night fighters somewhere off the coast of East Anglia. The pilot managed to keep the machine (Me 410 A-1, 420214, 'U5+CF') in the air with both engines apparently on fire before the crew eventually had to bail out, coming down in the North Sea some eight miles off the coast of Belgium. After 90 minutes in the water both men were rescued by a Kriegsmarine vessel from Zeebrugge. Gräber had sustained serious injuries (leg amputation) but later received a Ritterkreuz. During the sortie and over the King's Lynn area (40 miles north of Cambridge) Schmitter had shot down a 97 Sqd Lancaster returning from a raid on Berlin. He was credited with his 4th victory.

The full story of Schmitter's career and his subsequent demise (KIA 8 November 1943, shot down by an RAF Mosquito near Eastbourne) is brilliantly told on the aufhimmelzuhause web site here 

Lastensegler - a rare Arado 232 B Transportflugzeug - daily Ebay Luftwaffe photo find #199

Lastensegler - a rare Arado 232 B Transportflugzeug seen on Fliegerhorst Zilistea, Rumänien according to the seller. Only the second or third time in seven years of this blog that a 232 has been spotted on ebay. See here for more. Winning bids 221 and 156 euros for the two images. If the new owner would prefer that these images are not shown here please mail me at falkeeins at a o l dot com.

And more highlights from the latest miro-antik sales on offer here

More Arados - Ar 196 seaplane 'walkaround' excellent clear views for the modeller of the Revell kit - tolle Fotos Arado Ar196 See Aufklärungs Gruppe 125 according to the seller here. My bids are in!

and from Michael Meyer's latest sales - KG 40 Kondor in Bordeaux

Focke Wulf Fw 200 Condor - new Osprey, Classic Pubs and Lela Presse titles due. First I./KG 40 Condor losses over Norway, April/May 1940 - Goss, Roba

A number of new books on the Fw 200 and Condor operations are due soon. Chris Goss has an Osprey title in preparation while Jean-Louis Roba is compiling a much larger Fw 200 title to be published by Lela Presse. And Classic Pubs are promising the definitive Condor volume next year..

Luftwaffe Feldwebel Ewald Kockmann was for a large part of the war a professional photographer attached to III. Gruppe of Kampfgeschwader 40 and responsible for a large number of high quality images of this unit's Fw 200 Condors based in Bordeaux recently offered by a number of ebay sellers.

Startklar zum Feindflug

C-4s of III./KG 40 seen at Bordeaux- Mérignac. The Germans carried out extensive works at Mérignac for their Atlantic air operations - the aerodrome was developed into arguably the most important Atlantic coast base for anti-shipping and reconnaissance operations. The Germans constructed two concrete runways -  the main runway 2 was oriented north-west/south-east and was some 2,000 metres in length and 80 metres wide. Also constructed were thirteen large metal hangars of some 6,000 sq m organised in three groups. Large numbers of taxiways and dispersal points were constructed over the 410 hectare site - which was surrounded by pines - in attempts to minimise the effects of any Allied air raids. The aerodrome was defended by the RAD-Flakabteilung 595.

Also on this blog;

Unsere Kondor, unser Pilot;  Knight's Cross winner Oberleutnant Bernhard Jope's F8+EL here

A note on some of the first I. Gruppe KG 40 Condor losses of the war

According to Ulf Larsstuvold's article ‘Condor Over Norge i 1940’ in Flyhistorie magazine Nr.19 (2011, via GoranL) three Fw 200 Cs of I./ KG 40 were lost in April and May 1940.

21.04.1940 - Loss of Fw 200 C "F8+CH", pilot Oberleutnant Karl Beckhaus. Besides a crew of six a war reporter was on board when the aircraft failed to return presumed lost over the North Sea after a mission to Narvik had to be abandoned after meeting bad weather and icing conditions at Vestfjorden.

25.05.1940 - Fw 200 C piloted by Oberleutnant Helmut Schöpke was on a mission towards Narvik by three ‘Condors’ that day when attacked by Flying Officer Francis Grant Ede of 263 Sq RAF in his Gloster Gladiator over Harstad. The Condor caught fire and made a forced landing around 11.00 a.m. at Finnøya in Hammarøy with one crew dead and the other becoming POWs. Two other wounded crew members were taken to hospital. No a/c identity given

29.05.1940. Skarsfjord power station was attacked by two ‘Condors’ around midday. F.O. Neville Banks of 46 Sq RAF in a Hurricane attacked the ‘Condor’ flown by Oberleutnant Günther Thiel which caught fire and went into the sea at Dyrøy in the Solbergsfjord at 4.p.m. and exploded during the landing with the loss of all six onboard. F.O. Banks was shot down and killed the same afternoon. In a caption to a colour side view profile the author comments that this aircraft might be Fw 200 C-1 "F8+BH"of 1./KG 40 which is resting at the bottom of the sea between Senja and the mainland.

Fw 200 of KG 40 Bordeaux- Mérignac and Ju 88 of 3.(F)/AufklGr 33 -daily Ebay photo find #162

Startklar zum Feindflug

C-4s of III./KG 40 seen at Bordeaux- Mérignac. The Germans carried out extensive works at Mérignac for their Atlantic air operations - the aerodrome was developed into arguably the most important Atlantic coast base for anti-shipping and reconnaissance operations. The Germans constructed two concrete runways -  the main runway 2 was oriented north-west/south-east and was some 2,000 metres in length and 80 metres wide. Also constructed were thirteen large metal hangars of some 6,000 sq m organised in three groups. Large numbers of taxiways and dispersal points were constructed over the 410 hectare site - which was surrounded by pines - in attempts to minimise the effects of any Allied air raids. The aerodrome was defended by the RAD-Flakabteilung 595.

Also on this blog;

Unsere Kondor, unser Pilot;  Knight's Cross winner Oberleutnant Bernhard Jope's F8+EL here

Above, Ju 88 of 3.(F)/AufklGr 33; individual letter "Y" in code 8H+YL, yellow ETO fuselage band. Note unusual rune Staffel emblem


Below KG 1 Kopfstand 

Transporter Fw 200 Condor TG 4 (KG 40 Verbandsabzeichen) Sonderkommando Condor

Two photos of a TG 4 Fw 200 Condor in an unusual Tarnmuster and displaying the Verbandsabzeichen of KG 40 were published in the Leser-Forum of Jet & Prop magazine 3/03  some twelve years ago via Bill Marshall. These images were taken on the island of Rhodes several months after the end of the war in Europe -resupply flights from Germany to Rhodes only ended in the spring of 1945- and show Fw 200 C-3/U7, WNr.0226, Kennung G6+FY, of 14./TG 4, the so-called Sonderkommando Condor. Note the over-painted Balken and Hakenkreuze and the feathered prop on the inboard starboard engine in the image below..the code is partially visible under the port wing.

via forgottenairfields.com

Jon Fletcher of Scotland wrote on 21 May 2013;

"My grandfather was stationed on Rhodes in 1945 after the German surrender.  I think he was part of "10 SPS", having transferred from 178 Squadron in Palestine.  The unit spent most of the time enjoying the island, waiting to be transferred to the Pacific or home. He remembers the airfield well.  There were 3 Fieseler Storchs and a single FW 200 Condor: This (was) supposedly a mail plane, fuelled up to the brim. His unit managed to get two of the Storchs flying, which they used to jolly around the island in. 
He recalls the Condor and it's crew, having 'captured' them (i.e. gone to pick them up, to take them into captivity) with a fresh faced Officer just out from England. ....the Condor was left to the South Africans who managed to get it running: They flew it around the airfield, before one of the engines packed in and they had to return to Kalathos: On closer inspection, the German crew had contaminated the oil with sand and the remaining engines were all damaged beyond safe use."

'New' images of another similarly camouflaged and crash-landed TG 4 Condor are currently on offer on ebay.com, this example apparently coded G6+AY. According to the inscription on the reverse of the images the location is in Germany. More info on this particular machine on the TOCH thread here

 a possible ID

neat model build of the Revell 72nd kit on modelforum.cz