IL2

The Balkans Apr-May 1941 Mixed

KG30.7 raid on Piraeus Harbour by Hptm. Hajo Herrmann April 6-7, 1941 01

Photo’s 01-03: Taken from a Ju-87, this photograph shows a daylight attack on Piraeus Harbour, but on the night of 6/7 April 1941, Hptm. Hajo Herrmann, the Staffelkapitan of 7./KG30, particularly distinguished himself when he took off from Gerbini in Sicily to bomb this target. Despite bad weather which forced some other aircraft to turn back, Herrmann pressed on and, flying into calmer weather and clear, moonlit skies, located the harbour. The bomb-aimer released the bombs during a glide attack from 10,000 feet and Herrmann climbed to await results. To the amazement of the German crew, there was a huge explosion which lit up the sky for miles around and caused a shock-wave which completely wrecked the harbour and severely buffeted Herrmann's aircraft. The bombs had hit the Clan Frazer, a vessel still loaded with 250 tons of explosives. The Clan Frazer completely disappeared in the blast and another ten ships were also destroyed. The loss of the harbour facilities was a severe blow to the British who were deprived of the one harbour through which supplies could be passed to the British Army in Greece.

Pilots JG52.3 $Gunther Rall Germany 1941 01

Photo 01: At the end of July 1940, III./JG52 was recalled to Germany after suffering heavy losses during the Battle of Britain. The Gruppe spent August and September at Zerbst, near lnnsbruck, where the Staffelkapitane were kept very busy rebuilding their Staffeln. Here, at Zerbst, Lt. Gunther Rall (centre) is addressing the pilots of his 8. Staffel.

German air attacks on Belgrade 1941 01

Photo 01: An aerial view of Belgrade following the German air attacks on the city during the opening phase of 'Operation Marita'.

Photo 02: Other photographs show damage near the administrative sector of the city

Photo 03: members of III./JG54 inspecting destroyed bridges.

Messerschmitt Bf-109E JG28.1 formation flypast 01

Photo 01: A formation flypast of Bf-109Es from I./JG28.

Messerschmitt Bf-109E JG52.3 (Y12+~) Bucharest, Rumania 1941 01

Photo 01: Damaged Bf-109Es of III./JG52 assembled in Bucharest in 1941, shortly before the Gruppe departed to take part in the Balkan campaign. Note the two different types of canopy and the up-ended engine cowling, left, which shows the machine-gun troughs have been painted yellow. Also visible on several of the engine cowlings is the Running Wolf badge of III./JG52.

Messerschmitt Bf-109E JG77.3 Deta 1941 01

Photo 01: Aircraft of III./JG77 seen soon after they arrived at Deta and shortly before the campaign in the Balkans. The wolf's head badge of III. Gruppe is plainly visible on the nose, but less obvious is the 'Curly Head' emblem of 9. Staffel under the cockpit.

Messerschmitt Bf-109E JG77.2 Bulgaria 1941 01

Photo 01: An Orthodox priest visiting 7./JG27 in Bulgaria. The Bf-109's spinner has been painted white, the Staffel's colour, but is showing signs of wear.

Destroyed aircraft at Larissa airfield 1941 01

Photo 01: This view of wrecked aircraft on Larissa airfield includes a Bristol Blenheim, an Hs 123, Bf-109s and Ju-87s.

German Tanks - PzKpfw III XI. Panzer Korps Greece 01

Photo 01: On 10 April, XL Panzer Korps advanced into Greece through the Monastir Gap and, after being held for a few days, moved forwards to attack Allied defences in the Servia and Olympus Passes. The Germans were harassed as they advanced on these new positions, but on account of their control of the air and the speed of their armour were only temporarily delayed. By 17 April German forces were heading for Thermopylae where the Allies were planning their last major defence line. Here a PzKpfw III advances past a flak position.

Pilots JG77.9 $Otto Unertl grave 01

Photo 01: On 25 April 1941, Fw. Otto Unertl of 9./JG77 was shot down by anti-aircraft fire over Nauplion and was still in the aircraft when it crashed into the ground. The British buried his body close to the remains of his aircraft and marked the grave 'An unknown German pilot' .At the end of 'Marita', Emil Omert set about locating the grave of his comrade. Having found it, he erected a wooden cross properly marked with Fw. Unertl's full name and rank and bearing the inscription, 'He met a flier's death on 25.4.41 and died for Greater Germany'.

British Matilda Tank abandoned Greece 01

Photo 01: A Luftwaffe officer inspecting an abandoned British Matilda tank.

Destroyed Vehicles Greece 01

Photo 01: A column of Commonwealth motor-transport deliberately destroyed during the Allied withdrawal in Greece to prevent the vehicles from falling into German hands.

Bloch-151 Royal Hellenic AF 01

Photo 01: A captured Bloch 151 fighter of the Royal Hellenic Air Force. Nine aircraft of this type are believed to have been delivered to Greece.

Blenheim Royal Hellenic AF 01

Photo 01: A Bristol Blenheim in Greek markings which fell intact into German hands. A total of 18 Blenheims were delivered to 32 Bomber Squadron of the Royal Hellenic Air Force. The squadron's most successful air operations were against the Italians.

Potez PZL P.24 Royal Hellenic AF 01

Photo 01: A captured PZL P.24.This Polish-built aircraft was one of the main fighters of the Royal Hellenic Air Force.

Potez PZL P.25 Royal Hellenic AF 01

Photo 01: Captured Greek Potez 25 A2 two-seat army co-operation aircraft, photographed at Athens-Tatoi airport in May 1941. The Royal Hellenic Air Force took delivery of 30 of these aircraft, all with Hispano-Suiza 12 Jb engines, but a total of some 3,500 were built and served with twenty different air forces. Other engines installed included Lorraine-Dietrich, Renault, and Gnome-Rhone types.

Savoia Marchetti SM-79 Sparviero at Greece 01

Photo 01-02: The passengers aboard these aircraft at Larissa comprised the delegation of Italian officers which signed the instrument of Greece's surrender on 23 April 1941.

Balkans mixed 01

Pilots $Wilhelm Fulda

Photo’s 01-02: In addition to paratroops, the attack on the Corinth Canal involved a glider assault led by Lt. Wilhelm Fulda, for which he received the Knight's Cross. In these later photographs, taken in early 1944, Fulda is seen visiting a Staffel of Luftlandegeschwader 2, then based near Aschaffenburg in Germany. Note that the tail of the DFS glider in the background with an interesting triangle marking as also seen on some Ju-52/3ms. Fulda had an notable and varied career, also serving with JG301 and JG302 and at the end of the war was Kommandeur of the Me163 Gruppe I./JG400.

Balkans mixed 02

Photo 02: On 26 April 1941, XI. Fliegerkorps launched a parachute and airborne attack by the whole of the specially reinforced Fallschirmjager Regiment 2 on the bridge spanning the canal at Corinth and the outskirts of the town. The parachute troops were flown into action by four Ju-52/3m Gruppen, I./KGzbV I, KGzbV60, KGvbV102 and I./LLG1, while some ten DFS-230 gliders landed more parachute troops close to the bridge spanning the isthmus. These Ju-52/3ms were photographed shortly before they took off from Larissa.

Balkans mixed 03

Photo 03: Recognisable by the Edelweiss badge on their right sleeve, Gebirgsjager, or mountain troops, raise the German flag over the Acropolis, the citadel of ancient Athens. After the glider and main parachute assault on Crete, troops from the 5th Mountain Division and a Mountain Assault Battalion of the 6th Mountain Division were air-landed on the island.

Balkans mixed 04

Photo 04: An aerial view of the Corinth Canal.

Balkans mixed 05

Wehrmacht victory parade in and over Athens on 3 May 1941 showing SdKfz 251 half-tracked troop carriers with Mount Lycabethus in the background and

Balkans mixed 06

Do-17 KG2 over Greece 1941 01

Photo 01: Do-17s of KG2 over the city. Although JG77 took part in the fly-past, operational wear and tear and an acute shortage of spares during the Balkans campaign had seriously affected serviceability and only a few aircraft could participate.

Junkers G-38s KGzvbV 172 Greece 1941 01

Photo 01: Only two Junkers G 38s were built, the first of which crashed in 1936.The second aircraft, a G38ce named 'Marschall van Hindenburg', flew pre-war with Lufthansa until impressed into service with the Luftwaffe where it was operated by KGzvbV 172 in Norway. Later, this machine flew some missions to Greece but it was destroyed on 17 May 1941 during an RAF bombing attack on Athens-Tatoi airfield.

Junkers Ju-52.3m KGzbV2 during the invasion of Crete 1941 01

Photo 01: Paratroops boarding a Ju52/3m of KGzbV2 for the invasion of Crete. Although the Ju52/3m could normally carry about 19 men, thee average load for one of these aircraft flying to crete was reduced to 12 so that more equipment could also be transported.

Junkers Ju-52.3m KGzbV2 during the invasion of Crete 1941 02

Photo 02: A Ju52/3m transport starting amid clouds of dust and sand which particularly affected the airfields around Athens before 'Merkur' an airfield inspection officer decided the grassed landing grounds were too uneven for transport operations and had them ploughed up to make them level! In hot, dry weather, this resulted in the slipstreams from dozens of aircraft raising hugh clouds of dust. This Ju52/3m was photographed as it began its take-off run from Topolia in Greece for a mission to Crete. During the first day of 'Merkur, the dust on overcrowded airfields lingered in the air for so long that it prevented following aircraft from taking off. Even fire engines spraying the ground with water did not subdue the dust and further problems were caused by shot-up aircraft crashing and blocking the runways. returning Ju52/3m which were supposed to rapidly reload and be ready for another mission were therefore delayed, refueling also took longer tahn had been estimated. the effect of this chaos was that the planned operational timetable for the second wave of troops landing on Crete was seriously disrupted, with near disastrous results.

Junkers Ju-52.3m towing DFS-230 during the invasion of Crete 1941 01

Photo’s 01-02: The first German troops to land on Crete arrived by glider 15 minutes ahead of the parachute force. These photograph show Ju 52/3ms towing DFS 230 gliders off from Eleusis a view from a DFS230 with the Ju-52/3m towplane in the foreground and the island of Crete in the distance, and gliders landing on Crete.

DFS-230 gliders during the invasion of Crete 1941 01

Junkers Ju-52.3m shot down during the invasion of Crete 1941 04

Photo’s 04-05:  A Ju-52/3m falling in flames after being hit by anti-aircraft fire over Crete. Moments later, the aircraft crashed into Suda Bay.

German paratroopers dropped during the invasion of Crete 1941 06

Photo 06: Fallschirmjager of the first wave soon after landing near Maleme airfield during the Crete operation. Unlike the British who used an X-type parachute, the Fallschirmjager had no control over his parachute while in flight and, 011 landing, was thrown forward onto his hands and knees. Because of this and the consequent injury to wrists and knees, there was a high casualty rate on landing amongst German paratroops. On Crete, paratroop losses were high from the start; many died while still in the air or were injured on landing in unsuitable terrain, while any survivors were frequently pinned down or killed by Allied defensive fire. Of more than 6,500 troops killed during the ten-day campaign, 5,140 were from the parachute force alone. Never again would such a large-scale parachute operation be attempted.

Map of Crete and surrounding area showing the sites of the main German parachute and airborne landings during Operation 'Merkur' and the locations of Allied warships sunk or damaged.

Map of Crete showing drop locations and Allied warships sunk 01

Map of Crete and surrounding area showing the sites of the main German parachute and airborne landings during Operation 'Merkur' and the locations of Allied warships sunk or damaged.

British ships under attack at Suda Bay, Crete 1941 01

Photo 01: The attack on Crete was supported by VIII. Fliegerkorps which carried out attacks on the British naval base at Suda Bay. Here, Allied shipping is under attack by Ju-87s.

British ships under attack at Suda Bay, Crete 1941 02

Photo 02: In addition to several hits scored on the cruiser HMS York (visible on far side of harbour, fifth from right), one tanker was set on fire, four merchant steamers were sunk and others severely damaged. The German plan of action called for the occupation of Suda Bay at the earliest opportunity in order to provide the necessary facilities for the supply of heavy arms by sea. This photograph was taken from a Ju-52/3m.

Junkers Ju-52.3m wrecked on Maleme AF Crete 1941 01

Photo’ 01-03: Wrecked Ju-52/3ms on Maleme airfield in Crete, evidence of the determination of XI. Fliegerkorps to secure the airfield, regardless of losses. The losses in transport aircraft during campaign were especially serious as the invasion of Russia was due commence within a month. The difficulties of transporting material over the long distances in Russia were already realised, and the transport forces were faced with the urgent task of re-equipping, in the space of ten days, six of the transport Gruppen which had taken part in the battle for Crete. Many units were also withdrawn and the Mediterranean theatre was therefore left very short of air transport at a time when it was need it greatly. From this time forwards there was never an supply of transport aircraft or crews for both fronts and, generally, Mediterranean forces suffered from the greater urgency of supplies for Russia.

Junkers Ju-52.3m KGrzbV 106 on Maleme AF Crete 1941 01

Photo 01: Ju 52/3m transport aircraft of KGrzbV 106 photographed on Crete in early June. The leaping stag emblem was used by this Gruppe only during the Balkans and Crete campaigns in 1941. KGrzbV 106 was one of the units which dropped paratroops during the assault on Crete and remained in the area until about 10 June when it was recalled to Germany to prepare urgently for the forthcoming invasion of Russia.

Junkers Ju-52.3m over Greece 1941 01

Photo 01: Photographed a few days after the main assault, this Ju-52/3m over Greece is believed to be flying mountain troops to Crete. As with all German aircraft types serving in the. Balkans, large areas of the aircraft have been painted yellow, but thisl11achine is unusual in that the yellow nose cowling has been enhanced by a yellow band around the forward fuselage.

General Wolfram von Richthofen 1941 01

Photo 01: General der Flieger Wolfram von Richthofen, the officer commanding VIII. Fliegerkorps, awarding decorations, in this instance probably the EK II, to members of the Luftwaffe who participated in the invasion of Crete.

Italian infantrymen from Albania into Greece 1941 01

Photo 01: Italian infantrymen advancing from Albania into Greece

Italian infantrymen firing at Greek positions 1941 01

Photo 01: Italian mountain artillery firing at Greek positions.