Ju52 Staffelskinpack of 2./KGrzbV 9,  Norway - Netherlands 1940
by cheruskerarmin

This is a semihistorical Ju52 squadronskinpack in the paintschemes of 2. Staffel KGrzbV 9
('Kampfgruppe zur besonderen Verwendung' 9, meaning about 'Combat/Battle Group for
special duties' 9) as they appeared in april/may 1940 during operation weserbung (norway) & western campaign in the Netherlands.
12 different fully marked skins and blanks/generics.  

The Ju52 (mainly the 3mg4e variant) were going through a process of altering paintscheme and markings in this period.
Inspite of the 1938 introduced official rlm 70/71/65 splinter camo scheme most original photographs are displaying dark undersurfaces.
The reason for this isn't clear. Some sources are assuming a camo for night missions but it is more likely it was a recognition for a/c
serving with flying schools or training units. Due to heavy losses in norway, netherlands, crete, tunisia and stalingrad the frontline transport units were constantly
refreshed with replacement a/c of school units.
Some a/c of the period still flew with remains of prewar colours like rlm 62/63. Markings were different in size and position.
All skins are based on thouroughly researched photographs and descriptions but complete aircraft views and well quality photographs 
are very rare. Therefore it is a 'most likely' skinpack. 
There were a lot of variants in paintscheme details. I tried
to include the most of them.      
 
Reactivated in january 1940 KGrzbV 9 consisted of four Staffeln (squadrons) of 12 a/c each and a stab (staff) flight of four or five a/c.
The unit code letters were 9P. 
The staffelletters (fourth digit in code) were H-K-L-M for staffel 1 - 4, staffelcolours white-red-yellow-blue (these
were the colours of the individual a/c letter, usually the third digit in the code). The staff letter was B and the staff flight colour
green. I. e. the Ju52 '9P+FK' was the fifth a/c of 2.Staffel belonging to KGrzbV 9, 9P+DB belonged to the the staff flight.
The badge used by 2. Staffel was a muscular male angel carrying cases, different versions are known.


The unit (leader Major Jansen) was based at Lippspringe and served under the control of KGzbV 2 (like KGrzbV 11, 12, 17./KGzbV 5 and I./KGzbV 172 as well), which consisted in may 1940 of the staff only
(commanded by Oberst Conrad).

First missions were flown during 'Operation Weserbung', the invasion of Denmark and Norway from april 9th 1940 onwards. The unit was tasked on april 9th with transports of light flak from Neumnster to Stavanger/Norway.
Next missions were on april 18th (4./Res.FlakAbt 111 and 6./IR 355 troop transports) and april 20th (rest of Res.FlakAbt 111 with fuel/lubricants) to Stavanger and on
the 21st (III./IR 334 troops) to Oslo. A week later KGrzbV9 flew (5./Res.FlakAbt 325 troops) via Oslo to Trondheim. after this some occasional transports of fuel and spare parts to Norway were made until the end of the month.
There are no losses known during these sporadic missions.         

'Fall Gelb' (case yellow) - the invasion of the Netherlands started in the early morning of friday, 10th of may 1940. The dutch were alarmed by the norway invasion of april 1940 - and prepared. It should prove a black friday for the german transport units. 

Refering to the best and most detailed amongst differing available sources 'The Battle of France - then and now' by Peter D. Cornwell, KGrzbV 9 was tasked 
with landings of reinforcement troops at ypenburg airfield (landing place III in the german plans). The airfield should have been under german control at this time
but this failed. The about 40 transport planes of IV./KGzbV 1 were mauled heavily by AA fire, causing the ju 52 completely missing the drop zone and the
paratroopers of 1st Bn FJ2 were scattered all over the countryside (5:48 am). No time left to secure the airfield when the first wave of transports with
reinforcements arrived as planned at 6:10 am. The 36 Ju 52 of KGrzbV 12 were greeted unexpected by heavy ground fire, most likely by two platoons of armoured cars based in the area, causing a complete chaos amongst the
landing transport planes. Many planes were going down in flames, others landed in the surrounding areas, including beaches and highways, and abandoned leaving KGrzbV 12 with just
two servicable a/c.
The second wave of reinforcement troops landings were made of 40 Ju52 belonging to KGrzbV 9, arriving at ypenburg airfield around 7:10 am. Confronted with total 
disaster on the ground some tried to land as planned, meeting the same fate as KGrzbV 12 as the airfield was still covered by dutch ground fire. Others (mainly 1./KGrzbV 9) diverted to Ockenburg airfield, were they met nearly the same miserable circumstances:
The muddy ground and sticking/crash landed a/c blocking the runway completely prevented landings, forcing the arriving Ju52 to land were they could. The initial paratrooper drops were badly made and during the afternoon dutch artillery
pounded the a/c on the airfied. In the evening dutch troops were recapturing the airfield taking 130 prisoners.   

Our 2.Staffel mainly carried troops of 2./Nachrichten Abteilung 22 (signals). some were  and many a/c landed in surrounding areas of the ypenburg airfield, mainly on/near roads, not being able to make a return take off. Refering to Cornwell
8 a/c of 2.Staffel were lost/abandoned, four of them were hit and set alight by ground fire during landing or taxiing at ypenburg airfield. 
A Ju52 of 3. Staffel was shot down by AA and crashed on a main road in the centre of Den Haag (The Hague). All 4 of the crew and 13 members of the staff of 22th infantry division were killed, important attack documents and detailled plans for capturing the dutch royal
family were recovered from the wreck. Another a/c of 3. Staffel was attacked by five Fokkers DXXI of the Royal Dutch AF and shot down by 2nd Lt. Plesman of 2nd Java after luckily managing a return take off from terheyde beach during heavy ground fire(and inspite of a damaged tail wheel). It crashed with the wounded aboard near
stolwijk.

At the end of the day KGrzbV 9 had lost 39 a/c out of 50 but the rest continued to provide support for the advancing germans.

The german transport units lost nearly 200 (varying numbers in differing sources) of about 430 transport planes on may 10th 1940. KGrzbV 11 and 12 were disbanded due to losses.             

In early june of 1940 the unit switched it's code to '9G+....' until september 1940, then continueing with '4V+....'

By early july 1940 the losses of KGrzbV9 had been replaced and the group flew routine supply missions from Germany to to the Luftwaffe's forward airfields (mainly Holland and France) in support of the planned offensive against Great Britain.


THX a very lot to foo'bar and Imme, whose excellent templates were the base to work from.
As well as to FBS, whoose weathering brushes i used for making these skins.

The skins were made to look best in perfect mode.   

These skins are free for non-commercial use. Reupload only with my
permission. 
Enjoy  - and i would be very pleased to get a feedback from you!

cheruskerarmin@freenet.de

Sources:

Jet & Prop aviation magazine Rudolf Hecke
Luftwaffe im Focus series
Luftarchiv.de forums
Luftwaffe-experten.org forums
Various Web sources about war in holland
The Battle of France - now and then (Peter D. Cornwell)
German airborne divisions - blitzkrieg (osprey)
Squadron Signal publications Ju52 in action
Transporter- wer kennt sie schon (Karl Kssler)
Transport units Volumes I and II (classic publications) 
Flugzeug Profile 24 (Alfred Krger)
Ju52 an allen Fronten im Einsatz (Manfred Griehl)       
Ju52 weltweit im Einsatz (Manfred Griehl)
Die Ju52 im Zweiten Weltkrieg (Motorbuch Jan P.)
Waffen Arsenal - Ju52
Luftwaffe at War-the Junkers Ju52 (Morten Jessen)
AirDoc - The Junkers Ju52
Junkers Ju52 (Heinz J. Nowarra)
and more... 


