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At 04.20 hrs. on the 16th, 2./ZG 1 began leaving Châteauroux, bound for Salzwedel, 83 km NNW of Magdeburg. Ten anti-guerilla sorties were flown by the Geschwader with 2 t of bombs dropped. An intercepted signal thought to be from its I. Gruppe (presumably the former III./Fl.ZG 2) stated that an Oberstlt. Neitzke had returned from an NSFO (National Socialist Leadership Officer) course the day before. Another message of the 16th suggested that the transfer of the IV. Gruppe and 12. Staffel to Clermont was still underway. At 09.00 hrs. in the Ardche, Lamastre was attacked again, the bombardment destroying several houses and killing seven people. As the Sunday congregations were leaving their churches, high-flying German aircraft laid down a sequence of fragmentation and incendiary bombs. As before, they then dived to rooftop height to strafe, making more than one pass and leaving burning buildings and dozens of casualties in their wake. Concluding that their presence was attracting the Luftwaffe, the FTPF fighters dispersed into surrounding villages but maintained their barricades of the roads leading into Lamastre itself. An Re. 2002 of the unit was accidentally damaged in the course of a non-operational flight. On the 17th, three Do 217 were active against the Resistance as were 16 Geschwader Bongart aircraft (with 3.2 t of bombs). Among their targets was Saint Pierreville, 40 km south west of Valence, where houses and a church were damaged in attacks which were resumed the following day. Near Saint-Pierre-Bellevue (48 km WNW Limoges) during the morning, cap. Trancard’s company clashed with elements of Kampfgruppe Jesser, apparently after being spotted by a German aircraft. 18-19 July Luftflotte 3 reported that four Bongart aircraft had made a successful attack with 0.8 t of bombs on a group of Résistants and a munitions dump at Gluiras, 35 km WSW of Valence. That afternoon an Re. 2002 in German markings put down on the landing ground at Marcilloles (48 km north east of Valence) and the pilot is reported to have telephoned his base, then immobilised his machine; subsequently German aircraft came over and destroyed it with gunfire and it is possible, in the absence of other information from the German side, that this was the machine damaged on the 16th.
According to regional historian Michel Germain, Swiss Radio announced that evening that the Luftwaffe had bombed Oyonnax, Nantua and Montréal-la-Cluse in support of their infantry. The Technical Officer of JG 1 reported that Bf 109 G-5/U2, W.Nr. 110359 was being handed over to Geschwader Bongart; the aircraft was listed as off strength by JG 1 the following afternoon. A partial intercept of a message from base command at Clermont-Ferrand listed a mixture aircraft that corresponds closely with earlier return by 12./Geschwader Bongart: One Bf 109 G-2, two Bf 109 G-4, one Bf 109 G-6, two Bf 110 C-2 one He 46 D, two Go 145, two W. 34 Hi. and a Bf 108 B. In a fragmentary intercepted message of 19 July, the Militärbefehlshaber Frankreich (Military Commander, France) reported: During numerous counter-undertakings against terrorists, 48 terrorists shot … Some nine sorties, with 1.8 t of bombs, were mounted against a Maquis HQ and weapons dump in Monestier (probably Monestier-de-Clermont as on 13 July, but Monestier is a common French place name) and billets north of Grenoble. Rresults were said to be good. The morning of 18 July saw the French strike back at German airpower when four armed men broke into the Latécoère aircraft factory in Toulouse, ordered the workers out and planted three bombs which destroyed two “two Junkers”. For its part, Fl.ZG 2 reported a Ju 88 damaged in a non-operational accident. Ground operations had begun around Guéret on the 18th and next day a Hauptsturmführer Dr. Schmidt asked whether an operation by Geschwader Bongart was planned or whether the Wehrmacht was to be told of the contents of a message of the 16th about the abduction of two Kriegsmarine officers, with a view to acting on it. On the 16th the Military Commander for Western France had told LXVI. Reserve Korps that, “According to agents naval officers are held prisoner in Cosnat, 2 km south of St. Hilaire [-le-Château]”.
Army Group G submitted an urgent request to Luftflotte 3 for support from “KG Bongart” for movement by LVIII. Reserve Panzer Korps, starting on the 20th and lasting about six days. Concurrently it was intended to engage partisans in the “main guerilla area" and so it was proposed that Bongart’s combat-worthy elements should transfer to Toulouse for the operation. Orders duly went out on the 19th from Lfl. 3 for “Luftwaffe support of the Army in the principal bandit district during the transfer of the 11. Pz.Div. from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean Coast in the period 20–26 July 1944”. 20 July The intensification of the guerilla war compels the introduction of drastic measures … try without delay to free abducted or surrounded garrisons, employing the severest measures. Court martial soldiers who have surrendered without resistance. Check again weapons and ammunition issues of all positions … 5. Jagddivision to subordinated signals regiments. Army Group G sent an urgent request to Luftflotte 3 for support from “KG Bongart” for movement by LVIII. Panzer Korps, starting on the 20th and lasting about six days (i.e. its deployment from Toulouse to the front). At the same time as this move it was intended to combat guerillas in the “main guerilla area" and so it was proposed that Bongart’s combat-worthy elements should transfer to Toulouse for the operation. According to the day’s situation report, four aircraft of the Geschwader and five from X. Fliegerkorps (almost certainly from III./KG 100) operated against guerillas. The day’s target for III./KG 100 was a camp about 25 km NW Carcassonne while Bongart’s machines dropped 0.4 t of bombs on a camp north of Grenoble. In both cases, “direct hits and destruction were ascertainable in the targets attacked”. The Geschwader’s changes of base planned for six days earlier had still not been completed, Châteauroux informing Clermont on the morning of the 20th that IV./Geschwader Bongart with the 11. and 12. Staffeln was “transferring to your end.” For its part, 2./ZG 1 was leaving Châteauroux at 02.30 hrs. that morning for Salzwedel. continued on next page …
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