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Two missions were flown on the 14th:

10.10–12.02 hrs.: Ltn. Zeeb, T5+AH, photo-reconnaissance of roads Metz – Nancy – Lunéville – Badonviller – Strasbourg; and of roads Metz – St. Avold – Saarunion – Pfalzburg. No visual reconnaissance.

Opposition: heavy Flak near Metz and Sélestat.

Weather: 10/10 cumulus at 500 metres.

13.35–14.57 hrs.: Ofw. Windhöfel, T5+CH, photo-reconnaissance of roads Metz – St. Vith – Metz – Biennes – Longwy.

Opposition: unsuccessful attack by three Mustangs in the Metz area, operation broken off.

That evening a preliminary report was issued on Zeeb’s results: on the aerodrome at Metz were 62 single-engined aircraft, one twin-engined and three multi-engined aircraft; at Nancy-Essey were 13 twin-engined types. Luftwaffenkommando West's daily report suggested that Windhöfel had been curtailed by technical problems.

Next day there were three sorties to the Malmédy–St. Vith–Metz area. One Arado turned back with technical problems and the other two ran into bad weather which cut short their missions. Orders for the 16th covered familiar territory, P/R strips of roads:

(a) Liège – Bastogne – Arlon – Longwy – Piennes – Metz – Nancy – Lunéville – Badonviller;

(b) Metz – Château Salins – Sarreburg – Saverne – Hagenau; and

(c) Metz – St. Avold – Saarunion – Pfalzburg – Hagenau.

On the 19th, the 1.(F)/100 sent an Ar 234 to cover roads between Drusenheim in Alsace and Düren; two days later, Obltn. Walter Carlein was in the air from 12.38–13.50 hrs. in T5+BH but his attempt to photograph Allied aerodromes in the Metz – Verdun – Laon – Vouziers area was again frustrated by bad weather and technical problems. On the 22nd one of the Staffel’s aircraft again undertook photographic cover of the front line between Drusenheim and Düren, a stretch of about 350 km.

Details exist of four sorties flown on 23 February, pursuant to orders given on the 21st and subsequently:

10.25–[?] hrs.: Hptm. Holert, T5+HH. Task as ordered, successful.

10.45–12.30 hrs.: Ltn. Beck, T5+GH. P/R of stretch Strasbourg – Sarrebourg – Nancy – Toul – Chalons – Rheims. Remainder not covered owing to cloud.

11.25–12.50 hrs.: Fw. Haider, T5+FH. Owing to fighter defence and losing the way, task only partially carried out.

1245–1435 hrs.: Stfw. Gildemeister, T5+AH. Task as specially ordered on 23 February: line of the front from Prüm to Bitsch. P/R from Hagenau to Merzig.

For the 24th only one operation is recorded:

12.32–13.55 hrs.: Ofw. Puls, T5+FH: Task as ordered on 24 February only partially carried out owing to fighter defence; no further operations owing to the weather.

The daily situation report says that the above sortie was to obtain photogrpahic coverage of the front between Prüm and Bitsch.

On the 25th, a report thought to stem from 1.(F)/100 gave a strength of 10 (4) aircraft and 11 operational pilots. Three attempts had been made to take off but had been abandoned on technical grounds and in view of the “air situation” (an expression usually denoting a local threat from Allied fighters).

An Ar 234 of 1.(F)/100 flew a photographic reconnaissance on the 2nd to locate the main enemy tank and artillery concentrations in the Ockfen–Saarburg–Taben–Niederzerf area but was not able to carry out its full assignment. Declared strength fell from 10 to 8 aircraft between 2 and 3 March although serviceability remained at 4, with 10 pilots available for operations on both days. There were no operations on the 3rd, again because of bad weather.

At 21.45 hrs. on 8 March Luftwaffenkommando West gave orders for the following day. These called for (a) a large scale photomosaic of a 5 km. radius around Remagen, Sinzig and Linz (obviously to determine the progress of the newly created American bridgehead); (b) photos of the tented camp at Sissonne; and (c) P/R of airfields in the area of Charleville – St. Quentin – Château-Thierry – Chalons-sur-Marne. In the event, only “(c)” was attempted, by Ofw. Windhöfel in T5+GH. He took off at 13.15 hrs. but the cloud cover was such that he obtained no results.

The next known operations came four days after Windhöfel’s abortive flight. According to Lw.Kdo. West’s evening report for the 13th one of the Staffel’s aircraft carried out P/R of Allied airfields in Belgium and Holland from 10.55–12.30 hrs. It seems that three more aircraft attempted reconnaissance of the same targets, well to the north of 1.(F)/100’s usual area, but one of them aborted due to a damaged undercarriage. A fifth aircraft broke off photographic cover of the front line and central Rhein thanks to a technical breakdown.

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PART THREE