Luftwaffe air transports to Africa 1941-1943

[Enrico Cernuschi]

Hello Gentlemen,

a someway (but not tto much) off topic question. Does anyone know how much tons of materials were ferried by ther Luftwaffe planes in North Africa on 1941, 1942 and 1943?
Datas about personnel ferried were welcome too, but the real problem is the tonnage amount.

   Greetings

      EC 

[Erich~]

Enrico:

would this web-site help you with your search ?  you will have to join of course and place the question the Luftwaffe forum ............  http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/

good luck

Erich ~

[Enrico Cernuschi]

Thank you Erich, I will try. For a sailor, anyway, any Air Force forum is a dangerous zone 

   EC

[Peter K.]

... between 10.02. and 30.06.1942 - 4.425 sorties:
from Crete to Africa: 28.200 soldiers, 4.400 t fuel and material
from Africa to Crete: 10.700 wounded

... between 01.07. and 19.11.1942 - 11.500 sorties:
from Crete to Africa: 42.000 soldiers, 15.000 t fuel, ammunition and material
from Africa to Crete: 9.000 wounded

... ferried by German transport planes in the Mediterranean region between 01.01. and 31.05.1943:
55.034 soldiers and 26.582 t material, of which in

• january  15.816 soldiers, 4.868 t material
• february  11.229 soldiers, 4.214 t material
• march  12.320 soldiers, 8.157 t material
• april  9.289 soldiers, 5.477 t material
• may  6.380 soldiers, 3.866 t material

source:
Fritz MORZIK,
Die deutschen Transportflieger im Zweiten Weltkrieg - Die Geschichte des "Fußvolkes der Luft"
Frankfurt 1966

[mhorgran]

Hello Gentlemen,

a someway (but not tto much) off topic question. Does anyone know how much tons of materials were ferried by ther Luftwaffe planes in North Africa on 1941, 1942 and 1943?
Datas about personnel ferried were welcome too, but the real problem is the tonnage amount.

   Greetings

      EC 

Hola EC

german or italy airforce?

[Enrico Cernuschi]

Hello Mhorgtan, hi Peter K., it's always a pleasure to encounter you.

my interest is about the German Air Force.

The datas about the Italian Regia Aeronautca one are:

10 June 1940-31 Dec. 1942: about 30.000 t to Lybia and Egypt

Nov. 1942 - May 1943: 5.126 t to Tunisia (and 71.842 men) with the loss of 82 planes (the media strenght was about 140 planes)

The number of the passengers (not considering East Africa, the Aegean and Albanian in 1940-1941) was little less than 480.000, but this total includes the whole other European sectors and the airline with South America between June 1940 and 19 Dec. 1941.

If the German totals about 1941- Jan. 1942 with North Africa would be available we would have the full picture.

   Greetings

      EC

PS The Luftwaffe ferried in Albania between Dec. 1940 and Jan. 1941 30.000 soldiers and 4.700 tons of materials bringing back 8.346 wounded.   

[Peter K.]

... concerning Albania I found the following:

The fully equipped German III./K.G.z.b.V.1 (53 Ju-52) ferried 28.871 men (1.665 sorties) and 2.904 t material (2.363 sorties) from Foggia to Albania and transported 10.941 men (8.730 wounded) back to Italy. Italian aircrafts ferried 19.255 soldiers and 2.509 t material to Albania between 15.10.1940 and 31.03.1941.

... concerning Tunesia:

Italian aircrafts transported 20.843 soldiers and 1.720 t material to Tunesia between 14.02. and 31.03.1943 (1.360 sorties).
Despite of the loss of 14 Me-323 and 76 Ju-52 (with 275 men and 212 t material) 8.388 soldiers and 5.040 t marterial were ferried by German transport aircrafts to Tunesia in april 1943.

source: as above

Take care, my friend! 

[Enrico Cernuschi]

Hello Peter K.,

the Italian planes ferried 1.784 passengers from and to South America between June 1940 and Dec. 1941 included some Graf Spee officiers.

The air transports to East Africa between June 1940 and Nov. 1941 totalled 1.770 passengers and 360 tons.

The one with the Dodecanese islands on 1940-1941 5.249 passengers and 632 tons, almost all during the June 1940-April 1941 season.

The numners for Russa (May 1942-April 1943) were about 10.000 men and 830 tons.   

Thank you for the new Albanian infos.

          Servus 

              EC

[kgvm]

East Africa until November 1941? Where to in the last months??

[Enrico Cernuschi]

Gondar.

   Ressitance by bands (armed with 65/17 mm pack artillery too) against the British went on during 1942; by 1943 the main activity was rediced to saboutage and intelligence only.

Two weeks ago in the hunting clab in Rome there was a big party in honour of the 100 years of major Amedeo Guillet, a cavalry officier who was the most illustrious and lucky of the resistance members. Acting in Eritrea he was later able to come back to Italy on 1942 disguised as an Arab to be dropped by parachute again there to go on with the fight.

Guillet is still active and a good ritter.

    Greetings

       EC
     

[kgvm]

Thanks, Enrico, interesting information.

[Urs Heßling]

Hi, Peter,

The fully equipped German III./K.G.z.b.V.1 (53 Ju-52) ferried 28.871 men (1.665 sorties) and 2.904 t material (2.363 sorties) from Foggia to Albania and transported 10.941 men (8.730 wounded) back to Italy.

d.h., ein Einsatz im Kriegsgebiet (Italien gegen Griechenland), während zwischen dem Deutschen Reich und Griechenland offiziell Frieden war  ... nicht dass es mich wundern würde ... 

Despite of the loss of 14 Me-323

Innerhalb einer Stunde am 22. April 1943 ("ein Schlachten war`s, nicht eine Schlacht zu nennen")

Hello, Enrico

The one with the Dodecanese islands on 1940-1941 ...

What about 1942-43, until the end of the Italian occupation ?

Gruß, Urs

[Enrico Cernuschi]

Hi Urs,

no further specific datas are available about the Aegean is. 42-43. They had to be included in the general air traffic of those years I recalled before. The June 1940 - April 1941 time is important as the islands were under the British naval blockade and were supplied by blockade runners (all succesful), submarines and aircrafts. Since May 1941 the blockade was over and the traffic become a regoular one, while the air trasports were dedicated mailny to North Africa.

   Greetings

      EC

PS Germany offered greece since Dec. 1940 a fair chance for a white peace with Italy along the oct. 1940 border conditioned to an effective neutrality by Athen cheked by the Reich (Since June 1940 British supply vessels were stationed at the Piraeus according Adm. Cunningham's own memories). The Greeks dediced, at least, to refuse this option on Feb. 1941 accepting the British expeditionary force. The following cruel fate of that country is known. 

[AndreasB]

Hallo

Hat vielleicht jemand die entsprechenden Informationen für die Periode der Winterschlacht 41/42 (November 41 bis Februar 42)?

Vielen Dank im Voraus

Andreas

[byron]

Dear Enrico,

The Greeks did every thing they could to avoid the war.
Metaxas and the greek people never wanted to provoke the Italians and much more the Germans. The british allies were obliged to help us in order to defend ourselfs after the shameless italian invasion.

The Wehrmacht came to save Duce and cover Romanias oilfields from possible british attacks.
And something about the cruel fate from my beloved poet Konstantin Kavafis

Ruhm denen, die in ihrem Leben Thermopylen bestimmt haben und bewachen
die nie von ihrer Pflicht weichen, gerecht und ehrlich in all ihren Taten
und noch mehr Ruhm verdienen sie, wenn sie voraussehen, und viele sahen voraus,
daß am Ende Ephialtes erscheinen wird
und die Meder schließlich doch triumphieren

regards from Thessaloniki

Byron