Flugzeug-Bergetruppe and Flugzeug-Bergekommandos

[Richard T Eger]

From 12 O'Clock High!:

gary
Bergungskommando, Brittany 1943
Sat Feb 23 20:18:53 2002
62.64.213.230

Can anyone advise on the role of this group and who would be actually involved in examination of downed Allied aircraft. Also does anyone know any details about the German military hospital in Lorient and if wounded Allied aircrew where taken there.
Thanks for any help.
Gary.

[Richard T Eger]

From TOCH!:

Larry deZeng
Recovery and Salvage
Sat Feb 23 22:32:10 2002
205.188.192.187

Interesting question.

Flugzeug-Bergetruppe and Flugzeug-Bergekommandos were small detachments set up for the recovery and salvaging of downed aircraft, both enemy and German. A Bergetrupp, for example, had just 10 men under an NCO. Operationally, they came under the chief engineer of a Kdo.Flughafenbereich (Airfield Regional Command) who deployed them as necessary within the territory of the Kdo.FHB. The more crashes in a given territory, the greater the number of recovery and salvage detachments. On 1 September 1943 most of these detachments were incorporated into a new organizational structure called a Lw. Berge-Batl.

The technical examination and evaluation of equipment aboard or a part of crashed enemy aircraft was carried out by small specialized teams called Feindgerät-Untersuchungsstelle or Untersuchungskommando (Enemy Equipment Examination Station or Examination Detachment). Each of these had an allowance of 2 officers and/or civilian engineer experts, 2 Luftwaffe technicians and 3 civilian technicians. They performed a detailed examination and issued a comprehensive report similar to those issued by the Allied technical intelligence teams. For example, Feindgerät-Untersuchskdo. West II was formed on 12 August 1943 with offices at Étampes and Paris. Its designation was later changed to Feindgerät-Untersuchungsstelle 6. There were a number of others in France, but I don't know exactly where they were located due mainly to their small size.

The Bergungs- organization in the West was large (there were dozens of detachments), very complex and in a constant state of change. To unearth the details of specific salvaging operations in Brittany during 1943 I think you may have to do some primary research in the surviving documentation at BA-MA Freiburg.

HTH,
(Larry)