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I am a little confused by the unti designation of 1 Staffel II./Fernaufklärungs-Geschwader 101 ‘Perleberg’, entered in a Luftwaffe Soldbuch units listing and also the authorising Urlaub stamping (see attached scans)

I am confused as to how the II./Gruppe would contain a 1 Staffel when surely this would be in I./Gruppe.

I gather from http://www.ww2.dk/air/recon/fag101.html that II./Fernaufklärungs-Geschwader 101 was indeed based at Perleberg at this time, yet the very exhaustive site has (as one would expect) 1 and 2 Stafelln in the I./Gruppe and 3 and 4 Staffeln in II./Gruppe.

Can anyone shed any light on this please?

Any help really will be very well received indeed.

Regards Richard.

Hi
Most of the sources that I have found follow the same ‘normal’ unit structure for FAG 101. However http://lemairesoft.sytes.net offered a possible solution. It is apparent that II./FAG 101 had its origins in ‘Fern’ long range recon. Its earlier incarnations were Aufklärungsschule 3 (Fern) and Fernaufklärungsschule 3.

However the origins of I./FAG 101 appear rather confusing. The gruppe had previously been Aufklärungsschule 1 (Fern) Heer and Fernaufklärungsschule 1 (Heer). I had always assumed that Heer units were short-range recon directly co-operating with army units, while Fern were long-range recon units. However the suggestion would be then that I./FAG 101 retained its unusual long-range-Heer role, and therefore
I./FAG 101 was made up of
1.(H)/FAG 101
2.(H)/FAG 101

II./FAG 101 then
1./FAG 101
2./FAG 101

I am aware that other Aufkl. Units with mixed Fern and Heer roles did not follow this unusual numbering system….but it might explain this inconsistency.

Ian

Ian

Thank you for taking the time to explain this structure, I think you have it spot on with your description.

It has to be said, the Luftwaffe unit desingations do not always lend themselves to simple research for the historians!

Regards Richard.

Hi

A recent discovery of photo of a DFS230 with an unusual late war vbkz A3+QH on LEMB http://www.luftwaffe-experten.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=15240&hl=&fromsearch=1 has led to Nick Beale informing me that KG 200 also had this unusual staffel numbering system. Staffeln of the II./ began again then with No.1, so 1.II/KG 200 etc.

This could like FAG 101 be connected to the different roles within the gruppen...but that is just speculation.

...KG200 also had a very strange coding system with A3+QH probably an aircraft of 3.II./KG 200...but that is a very different matter, and needs its own study

Ian

Ian

Thank you for the additional information concerning 'unique' Stafelln numbering, it is interesting to see that it possibly did not sit with FAG101 alone.

Hopefully more information will come to light in the future.

Regards Richard.