Latvian Luftwaffe unit?

[Helmut Von Moltke]

hi, I found this pic http://www.lesvolontaires.net, I wonder if there really was a Latvian Luftwaffe unit, and could someone supply more info on it if there was one? thanks for any help!

helmut

[Lorenz]

There really was.

Nachtschlachtgruppe 12 (lett.)
(Unit Code: 6A+)

Formation and Organization. (Feb 44)
Formed February 1944 at Liepāja-Grobiņa (Libau-Grobin) in western Latvia with a Gruppenstab (new) and 1. Staffel (new) from among 1,200 Latvian Luftwaffe Legion volunteers, many of whom were veterans of the former Latvian Air Force. All flight training was carried out at Liepāja-Grobiņa on Ar 66s and Go 145s. The Luftwaffe provided some instructors during the training phase, but the Latvians did most of this themselves. All personnel were Latvian, except for a Luftwaffe Oblt. liaison officer, a quartermaster, and 3 NCO's. The first of three Staffeln, 1./NSGr. 12, completed its training and workup in February 1944 and was declared operational, while the personnel intended for 2. Staffel remained in training at Liepāja-Grobiņa until it was officially formed on 22 June. A 3. Staffel was well underway at Liepāja but in July these efforts were abandoned, ostensibly due to a lack of aircraft. There were also plans to convert the Gruppe to Ju 87Ds, but these were also cancelled.

[ - Operational details omitted - ]

FpNs: Gruppenstab (L 60383)
1. Staffel (L 63816)
2. Staffel (L 63878)
3. Staffel (L 60527)

Kommandeur:
Hptm. Hugo Rademacher (DKG) (Feb 44 - c. 15 Sep 44)
Obstlt. Nikolajs Bulmanis (c. 15 Sep 44 - 17 Oct 44)

[Sources: Dierich-VdL; Tessin-Tes; Kannapin-FpÜ; D.Littlejohn-Foreign Legions of the Third Reich/v.4:192; H.W.Neulen-In the Skies of Europe - Air Forces Allied to the Luftwaffe 1939-1945:300-12; NARA WashDC: RG 242/T-311 (Heeresgruppe Nord) documents; Luftwaffen-Revue magazine: Heft (issue) 1/1985 (reproducing the Luftwaffe’s “Aufmarsch d. fliegende Verbände” order of battle map for 26 June 1944); PRO London: AIR 40/1981, 1982, 1983; BA-MA Freiburg: Flugzeug-Bereitstellungen (Aircraft Availability Status Reports – FzB) in: M.Holm-website (ww2.dk); BA-MA Freiburg: Signatur RL 2 III (document OKL(2.Abt.) Nr.13215/44g.Kdos.); BA-MA Freiburg: Signatur RL 40/Kart (“Aufmarsch die fliegende Verbände” order of battle map for 3 Oct 44)].


--Lorenz

[Helmut Von Moltke]

Lorenz, that must have took some time, I must thank you for that. best wishes!

helmut

[Laurent Daniel]

Hi, everybody,
As Helmut give me a chance, allow me to inform you that the forum of the website lesvolontaires.net has been recently revamped and relocated further to some neo-nazis attacks.
The new cleaned forum is available at :
http://www.lesvolontaires.net/forum_IpB/

Note: It's in French and I still wonder how our young american Helmut from Hong Kong manage to surf it

[Lacplesis]

The best site about the Latvian Airforce is

http://latvianaviation.com/SiteMap.html

[Peeter]

And there were Estonian Luftwaffe units as well.

[Annelie]

I am surprised that on one has brought up

Artur Silgailis's Book "Latvian Legion"
page 206 onward........... Latvian Units of the German Air Force

[panzermahn]

There is also some Latvian Youth Luftwaffe Flakhilfsdienst unit

Regards
Panzermahn

[Helmut Von Moltke]

There is also some Latvian Youth Luftwaffe Flakhilfsdienst unit

Regards
Panzermahn

Where did they serve, etc?

[Helmut Von Moltke]

ah yes, I read in Osprey book about Baltic nations with German armed forces, it says that in 1944 3 Estonian Luftwaffe pilots flew to neutral Sweden, prompting the Luftwaffe to disband all Baltic air units, did this affect the Latvain Luftwaffe force as well?