Ju52 Staffelskinpack of 3./KGrzbV 12,  Western Campaign - Netherlands May 1940
by cheruskerarmin

This is a semihistorical Ju52 squadronskinpack in the paintschemes of 3.Staffel KGrzbV 12
('Kampfgruppe zur besonderen Verwendung' 12, meaning about 'Combat/Battle Group for
special duties' 12) as they appeared in may 1940 during the 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 which was available to me, 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 common of them.      
 
KGrzbV 12 was formed in February 1940 when renaming I./KGzbV2 with retaining the codes G6-?B-H-K-L-M for the staff flight and the four staffeln (squadrons): 
Each staffel consisted of 12 a/c, the staff flight four or five a/c.  
The staffelcolours were 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 'G6+CL' was the third a/c of 3.Staffel belonging to KGrzbV 12, G6+CB belonged to the the staff flight.
The emblem used by KGrzbV 12 was the British main island depicted as a batrachian (amphibian) pierced by a sword. 

The unit (commanded by Hauptmann Hans-Eberhard Freiherr von Hornstein) was based at Strmede and served under the control of Stab/KGzbV 2 (like KGrzbV 9, 11, 17./KGzbV 5 and I./KGzbV 172 as well), which consisted in may 1940 of a staff only
(commanded by Oberst Conrad). It was brought up to full strength for it's first action in beginning of may 1940.

'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 12 was tasked 
with landings of reinforcement troops (Infantryregiment 65) at Ypenburg and Ockenburg airfields (landing places II and III in the german plans). The airfields should be under control of paratroopers, who were dropped
before by other units. Our 3rd Staffel airlifted men of Stab II./IR65 and 5./IR65 to Ockenburg. The initial droppings of paratroopers by IV./KGzbV1 went bad, the most paras of
3./FJR2 were dropped to much away from the airfield and couldn't secure this object in the ordered time. Additonally the Dutch had flooded and partly mined the airfields.
When 3.Staffel KGrzbV12 arrived to land and Ockenburg they received heavy fire from ground weapons. However the a/c managed to land somehow, som getting stuck in the soft ground. The first a/c of the second wave crashlanded at 6:45 blocking the runway conpletely. 
During the afternoon Dutch artillery appeared and pounded the airfield, where the trapped a/c of Stab and 3rd Staffel KGrzbV12 were heavily damaged and burnt out.       
   
Refering to Peter Cornwell 4 Ju52 of the Stab and all 12 of 3rd. Staffel were lost at Ockenburg. Official german reports recorded a strength of 4 serviceable out of
13 remaining for the whole KGrzbV12 on may 11th of 1940. The initial strength was 53 Ju52.  
 

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.             


The skins were made to look best in perfect mode.

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.   

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 and Karl Kssler
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... 


