Introduction
Luftwaffe FlaK and Field Divisions is an illustrated record of Hermann Göring’s Luftwaffe ground force that comprised an array of radar operators, signal troops, searchlight units, and a very large volume of conscripts in field and Flak units. During war the Luftwaffe Flak units saw extensive action fighting with Flak weapons such as the 2cm, 3.7cm Flak guns and the deadly 8.8cm Flak gun, which would later be used on the Eastern Front in a dual purpose role. By the time the Germans unleashed their might on Russia the Luftwaffe ground forces had expanded with even greater numbers of Flak units being raised with their weapons being utilized in both ground and air roles.
The book shows that during the first months on the Eastern Front the Luftwaffe Flak Divisions enjoyed considerable success, but it would not be until later in 1942, when the German armies were suffering great losses that Hitler decided to raise Luftwaffe Field Divisions in order to bolster the dwindling forces in the East. The Luftwaffe Field Divisions initially remained under Luftwaffe command, but late in 1943 those that had not already been disbanded were handed over to the army and were reorganized as standard infantry divisions.
By 1944 the size of its land based combat elements far exceeded that of the aerial. It boasted a huge Flak branch and a massive ground presence of Luftwaffe troops fighting alongside the army, including the elite Hermann Göring Division. It eventually included 21 field divisions plus countless smaller regiments, many of which fought in a number of large battles. However, like every part of the German fighting force, it was unable to change the course of the war. Consequently, it soon succumbed to a high loss rate on the battlefield, until its units were fighting piecemeal along with other broken elements of the German Army. During the last bitter months of the war various Luftwaffe personnel, and Flak Defence Units tried desperately, but without success, to prevent the devastation of the Third Reich.
Chapter 1
(FlaK and ground forces 1939–1940)
For the invasion of Poland there were two German Army Groups – Army Group North, consisting of the Fourth and Third Armies, under the command of General Fedor von Bock, and the Southern Army Group, consisting of the Eighth, Tenth and Fourteenth Armies, commanded by General Gerd von Rundstedt. From north to south all five German Army Groups crashed over the frontier. Almost immediately they began achieving their objectives.
The entire German thrust was swift, and over the next few days both the German Northern and Southern Groups continued to make vigorous thrusts on all fronts. As this great advance gathered momentum, more towns and villages fell to the onrushing forces. The campaign had taken on the character that was to remain for the few weeks that followed. Everywhere north, south and east the fronts were shrinking; cracking slowly but surely under the massive German pressure. In this unparalleled armoured dash, some units had covered forty to sixty road miles in just twenty-four hours. For many soldiers it was an exhilarating dash, Panzers bucketing across the countryside, in some places meeting only isolated pockets of resistance.
During operations in Poland the Germans had introduced their first anti-tank gun, the 3.7cm PaK35/36. They fielded some 11,200 of these anti-tank guns and the gun proved more than adequate against lightly armoured opposition. Much of the air defence and Pak units were moved by draught animals, and whilst this mode of transport was still deemed unacceptably slow for keeping up with the leading Panzers, resistance was not a major threat. As a result of this Pak and Luftwaffe units had almost total freedom of movement on the battlefield without much threat of being overrun or attacked.
Following Poland’s defeat Hitler was determined that this new conquered country would be part of his ideological and racial dream. He was going to make sure that Poland would be dismembered, subdivided, and repopulated in such a way, that it would never be able to rise against Germany again. The inhabitants of Poland however, were compelled to live out their lives in the hands of Hitler’s plans for the next five years. The German Army, which had won Hitler his ‘eighteen day victory march’, now had to look on helplessly as the country was racially destroyed by its SS counterparts.
On 9 May 1940 Adolf Hitler finally decided to attack the West and told his Western Front commanders to signal to all units that were deployed across the frontiers of Holland, Belgium and Luxembourg to move to their assembly areas. Later that evening, the codeword, ‘Danzig’ alerted all German forces that they were to attack in the early hours of 10 May.
The key objective of the attack in the West was the use of the mighty Panzerwaffe units of Army Group A, which were tasked with striking south through Luxembourg and the wooded terrain of the Ardennes.
For the attack against the west the German Army were divided into three Army Groups – Army Groups A, B and C. The main strike would be given to Army Group A, which would drive its armoured units through the Ardennes, swing round across the plains of northern France and then make straight for the Channel coast. This would cut the Allied forces in half and break the main enemy concentration in Belgium between Army Group A advancing from the south and Army Group B in the north. The task of Army Group B was to occupy Holland with motorized forces and prevent the linking up of the Dutch army with Anglo-Belgian forces. It was to destroy the Belgian frontier defences with a rapid, powerful attack and throw the enemy back over the line between Antwerp and Namur. The fortress of Antwerp was to be surrounded from the north and east, and the fortress of Liege from the north-east and north of the Meuse.
Army Group C, which was the most southern of the three army groups, was to engage the garrison of the Maginot Line, penetrating it if possible.
Distributed between the three army groups the Germans deployed twenty-nine divisions under Army Group B in the north and forty-four divisions, including the bulk of the armour, under Army Group A in the centre. Army Group C with seventeen divisions covered the southern flank and threatened the French position on its eastern flank.
In order to support a typical German division during its advance there was an anti-tank battalion, which contained a heavy MG34 machine gun company equipped with twelve 2cm Flak and three anti-tank gun companies, each equipped with twelve 3.7.cm PaK 35/36 guns. In support there was also a single company of ten 8.8cm SP vehicles belonging to the 8th schwere Panzerjäger Abteilung. The guns were mounted on the 12 ton Sd.kfz.8 half-track chassis. This 8.8cm SP unit first saw action in Poland.
The bulk of the guns were pulled by horses, as most of the towing vehicles were reserved for Panzer and Motorized Divisions. The infantry regiments within a typical division consisted of three battalions, each formed from three rifle companies plus a support or weapons company. This company had three machine gun platoons equipped with a total of eight to twelve MG34 machine guns on heavy mounts for sustained fire and six 8cm mortars. Finally, there was also a battalion infantry gun company equipped with two 15cm sIG 33 and six 7.5cm leIG 18 infantry guns.
Within two weeks of the German attack in the west, Holland and Belgium had been defeated and the French and British front lines were shrinking, cracking slowly but surely under massive German pressure. German units seemed to be progressing with an increased determination and vigour, convinced of their ability to crush the enemy before he could prepare a secondary line of defence. In an unparalleled armoured dash, some units covered more than 50 miles in just twenty-four hours.
A FlaK 30 crew pose for the camera during the initial stages of ‘Case White’, the code-word for the German invasion of Poland in September 1939. This FlaK gun was most commonly used as a light antiaircraft gun during the Polish campaign and all the crews were relatively successful downing what was left of the Polish Air Force. This particular FlaK was sited on a roof of a building to combat enemy aircraft.
Photographed during a lull in the fighting a 2cm FlaK 30 stands with its five man crew nearby. These FlaK guns were particularly effective against targets under 1,500ft altitude.
A FlaK 30 during a fire mission against an enemy target. This model was recoil operated and could fire single shot or automatic with two foot pedal triggers.
A Luftwaffe FlaK crew are being decorated by their commanding officer in the field. The decoration ceremony is being performed in front of a particularly well camouflage 8.8cm FlaK gun, which was the largest weapon on the battlefield for combating aerial attack.
Two photographs showing a Luftwaffe officer being decorated with an Iron Cross 1st Class. The button-hole ribbon of his Iron Class 2nd Class can be seen.
Here are six photographs showing Luftwaffe crews with their 2cm FlaK 30 or 38 guns. These antiaircraft guns were primarily designed to deliver a barrage of exploding shells against enemy aircraft. The effectiveness of such FlaK fire generally required firing literally thousands of rounds of ammunition in order to prevent enemy aircraft from completing their missions. The success of the FlaK gun in Poland led to significant increases in the number of FlaK units for the rest of the war.
Five photographs showing Luftwaffe crews their FlaK guns. The first photograph shows a 3.7cm FlaK 18 on its cumbersome and unsuccessful 4-wheeled trailer. The gun, basically a scaled-up 2cm FlaK 30, was very successful when other trailers were used. The other four photographs show the earlier version of the 8.8cm FlaK gun, the FlaK 18.. This gun was the most famous German anti-aircraft gun of World War Two. The gun was bolted on a cruciform platform from which it fired. Throughout the war, it was a deadly and effective piece of weaponry and scored heavily against enemy aircraft.
Here a Luftwaffe maintenance technician posing for the camera stands inside a 150cm search light used with heavy FlaK. This large searchlight was very powerful and utilized a 51 horsepower generator creating 24w to power the 990 million candlepower light.
Four photographs showing various Luftwaffe 8.8cm FlaK guns in action during operations in Poland. The gun’s high velocity and flat trajectory made it very accurate and effective in both an anti-aircraft and anti-tank role. These guns are shown positioned for air-defence and were lethal weapons to enemy aircraft.
Luftwaffe personnel with their commanding officer securing the rear of a transport vehicle prior to its departure to the front. These vehicles carried anything from ammunition to troops.
The Luftwaffe crew of an 8.8cm FlaK 36 gun limbering-up their weapon. The FlaK 36 is distinguishable from the earlier FlaK 18 by the less streamlined barrel as it was built in three, later two, sections rather than the single-piece FlaK 18 barrel. This was done to avoid the need to replace the entire barrel when only part of it became worn. With hindsight, the change became unnecessary (see Appendix). This FlaK 36 is mounted on the earlier Sonderanhänger 201 trailer, but both the 201 and 202 trailers and the FlaK 18 and 36 barrels were inter-changeable. The ‘88’ could actually be fired while mounted on its limber, but the instability affected the accuracy and the rate of fire.
An interesting photograph showing a Luftwaffe crew with three captured 4cm Bofors light AA guns. As this Swedish design was used by 18 different European nations, the origin of the guns shown here cannot be determined. The German army made only limited use of these non-standard calibre but otherwise superb weapons. This weapon was regarded as a light FlaK gun which often protected important military installations.
A Luftwaffe crewman relaxes next to his 2cm FlaK 30. These weapons could be fired either on their trailer or when ground mounted. They were used extensively by the Luftwaffe, army, Waffen-SS, and navy.
60cm searchlights mounted on their trailers and concealed under camouflage tarpaulins at a Luftwaffe barracks, probably in Germany.
A Luftwaffe searchlight in a dug-out position with a 60cm searchlight. In good visibility these powerful searchlights were capable of throwing a vertical beam some 5,000 feet into the air. These searchlights were usually manned by a driver and a four man crew.
A battery of 3.7cm FlaK 36 guns on their two-wheeled trailers during the early phase of the campaign in Russia. The guns are concealed beneath tarpaulins, not only to camouflage the weapons, but also to protect them against dust and dirt.
A Luftwaffe crew using their 2cm FlaK 30 for air defence. Whilst the crewman scours the sky for enemy aircraft his comrade relays information to him through his optical rangefinder on the position and height of enemy aircraft.
On the beaches of Dunkirk in June 1940 a Luftwaffe officer with one of his ground personnel survey the carnage left behind by the British Expeditionary Force. Both men are looking at an abandoned British 4cm 2 Pdr anti-tank gun.
Inside a town, a battery of 2cm FlaK 30 guns are being prepared for their departure to the front in June 1940.
The crew of a 2cm FlaK 30 somewhere in France in May or June 1940. A typical five man crew comprised the layer (gunner), range setter, loader and rangefinder operator. Note the Gefreiter holding his rangefinder at his side.