Luftwaffe Glider units emblems

[Stijn David]

Hello,

As i do know that my dear friend Francois (and others offcoarse) has a keen interest in Luftwaffe unit emblems here is a nice picture from my personal collection to make him happy.

The shown unit weapon is that from the : Schleppgruppe 2

Both glider pilots pictured here are still amongst us today and both where involved in the battle of Cholm

Mayby not a bad idea to attach more pictures from other glider related unit symbols?, wherever possible i will name you what unit it depicts.

Cordial greetings

[Stijn David]

Hello,

Here we have a unit that was situated earlyer into the Russian campaign WWII. Namely the so called LS Kdo. Hundenborn.

The abbrevation does stand for:

LS : Lastensegler (=Glider plane)

Kdo : Kommando (= Command or Unit)

Hundenborn : Name of the Officer who first commanded this small unit (he was a Oberleutnant and was replaced halfway the mission by a officer named Sanneck - Hundenborn should have been a Transporter officer but all traces go dead on him after this unit)

This Kdo was active in Russia from august 1941 towards the end of 1941. It consisted out of 15 glider planes (Type DFS230) and 25 glider pilots where attached towards this (quite a few where also involved earlyer in the Crete campaign in some way).

They first where transported by train towards Bukarest (Rumania) from where they did fly towards Targsorul (near Ploesti). From Targsorul real supply missions where flewn, first towards Tiraspol (a Dnjestr) and later on towards Nikolajew (a Bug). They did fly supply's as Fuel, Ammo, etc ... towards the troops and did bring back wounded.

Losses (of material) where also encountered as it happened from time to time that the towing plane was shot out of the air and also the DFS230 planes did receive large damage due to this. As far as i am aware no personel losses where taken itno account.

Cordial greetings,

[Stijn David]

the unit emblem

[J Temple-West]

Here you go, stijn

having some very rare time to myself this afternoon, I thought I'd see if I could make something of these emblems. So here goes. My interpitation.

[Stijn David]

Hi John,

Thank you for the free drawings

Well since you seem to like drawing a bit => her eis anotehr one that can be found, this is the unit weapon of the Lw. Kdo Don

Cordial greetings,

ps: there are even some gliders marked with a Kitty =>

[Stijn David]

Hello,

And in order to give the meaning of tehse signs i will add for you guys also a bit of unitinfo on the different signs. (please note that the sign are not shown chronologicaly)

1) Schleppgruppe 2

The name Schleppgruppe 2 first appeared during october 1943 and was actually the old VK(S) 4 (= Verbindungs Kommando (Segelflug) attached towards the Luftflotte 4 (hence the 4 in the name) )that was renamed.

This unit did have the following subunits as of that very date (october 1943):

1. (DFS) / Schleppgruppe 2

3. (Go) / Schleppgruppe 2

4. (Go) / Schleppgruppe 2

These units where active in Russia and following wartheaters can be highlighted:

- Crimea (after it has been cut off by teh Russians from the mainland)

- The ressuply of the 1 e Pz. Army (known more commonly as Kamenez-Podolsk)

- the encerclement of Tarnopol

- evactuation of the Krim ( april/mai 1944)

During october 1944 this unit (or what was resting from that) was offically disbanded

2) Lw.Kdo DON

This unit, actually there where 2 glider units attached towards the Lw. Kdo DON, namely:

1. (DFS) / Lw.Kdo. Don

1. (Go) / Lw.Kdo. Don

was created to support the (august 1942) to support the 2 German and 2 nd. Hungarian army.

The Russian winteroffensivs (1942/1943) did end the relatively quite period and it became the task of the glider units from teh Lw. Kdo Don to ressuply the many walking encerclements.

At the end of april 1943 the glider units formerly existing unde rthe Lw. Kdo Don where disbanded and the material was devided under the VK(S) 4.

I do hope this was a bit of interest as in order to point the different unitsigns into their real context. Hopeing to see a few from you guys

[Stijn David]

Hello,

And here is more clear (detailed) one from the unitsign of the: Lw. Kdo Don

More to follow ...

[Stijn David]

Hello,

And then offcoarse besides true (front) units we also had the training units.

For example the : "Schleppschule der Luftwaffe"

This unit it was grounded at the end off 1940 by Oberst Drewes and its purpose was to train pilots and crews ( mostly Me 110 ) in towing Glider planes from the type Me 321 ( Gigant )

The pilots where trained in several stadia and they advanced trough several glider planes for its purpose to tow the big beast called Me 321, towing this plane was a rather dangerous job and the first method used to tow it was the so called " TRoika " Schlepp ( this was a towing method in wich 3 Me 110 where attached to the Me 321 ( each with its own towing cable ) and they had the task to tow the Me 321, needles to say that with the smallest missing accidents could happen ( and they sure did happen believe me ) + in many cases resulitng in both the loss off the Me 110 and its crew .

Anotehr task of this schleppschule was to train the pilots to fly another monstrum called the Me 323 ( or the motorized version of the Me 321 ) , the School only existed in its original appearance untill the end of 1941 and at April 1942 the staff of this training unit became the core of the so called Erganzungsgruppe ( S ) 2

places where this particular unit was active where ( in order of date ) :

1 ) Jesau ( near Konigsberg ) the beginning

2 ) Leipheim & Obertraubling

The little pin is a honour pin ( I have never encountered a Award document untill now or a entry in either Soldbuch or Wehrpass ) and is handpainted enamel , it is very delicatly made and I consider it one off the rarer distinctions from the German wartime glider units ( even rarer then the award doc. for the glider pilots badge + the badge itself ) , so next time you see one snatch it up.

The shown pin was obtained at H.Weitze and is now residing happily in Belgium

Cordial greetings,