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Date: Thursday, 25 May 1944
Place: Near Drvar, south-west Banja-Luka, Yugoslavia
Photographer: Unknown
On 25 May 1944, “Unternehmen Rösselsprung” was started. The target of this operation was Josif Broz Tito’s communist Partisans. During this operation some 850 men of the reinforced SS-Fallschirmjäger-Bataillon 500 were dropped from 40 Junkers Ju 52 of II./TG 4, or landed with 33 DFS 230 gliders near the Bosnian town of Drvar, south-west of Banja-Luka to attack the headquarters of the Partisans. The DFS 230 gliders belonged to II. and III./LLG 2 and 1. and 2.(DFS)/Schlepgruppe 1. The German paratroopers suffered heavy casualties and during the initial 24 hours of the operation were even threatened to be annihilated! Only the support of ground-attack aircraft and further reinforcements brought relief. On the picture you see DFS 230 “H4+3-6” of II. or III./LLG 1. This aircraft was lost on the morning of May 25th when it crash-landed near Drvar. DFS 230 gliders had basically no Swastika on the rudder.
Source;
Luftwaffe im Focus - Edition No.1 2002
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