Appendix 13
Secret Instruction to the Commander of the Second Luftflotte
found in a German Aeroplane on January 10th, 1940

THE following documents were in possession of a Staff Major of the 7th Air Division (parachutist and transport of troops by air--Headquarters at Berlin) who made as forced landing in Belgium on January 10th, 1940. The Major had been attached to Unit 220 of Troop Transport by Air (Fl.F.220), and, when captured, was flying to Cologne to discuss the scheme at the 22nd Infantry headquarters. Our Intelligence had ascertained the 22nd Division as specially trained for landing from the air in enemy territory.

Document 1

Air Force Command Instructions, 2............................
File of 17./11/39 to be destroyed (?)............................

pp. the Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force
                    The Chief of Staff
                          by order

(Signature undecipherable)
Lieutenant-Colonel, General Staff.

TO:-- Copy
No.
IV Aviation Corps 1
VIII Aviation Corps 2
7 Aviation Division 3
Commander of Air Carrier No. 220 and to 22nd Infantry Division 4
II Anti-Aircraft Defence Corps 5
Headquarters of VI Air Region 6
Headquarters of XI Air Region 7
Reconnaissance Group No. 122 8
For the information of:  
    G.H.Q. of Air Force 9
    B Group of Armies 10
    Also to the Air Command 11
    Liaison Officers at B Group of Armies 12
    Army Headquarters, No. 6 13

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    Air Force Command 14
    Staff:  
    Staff-Commander 15
    Chief of Staff 16
    Deputy Chief of Staff 17
    Intelligence Section 18
    Operations Section, No. 2 19
    A.Q. 20
    Officer in Charge of Signals 21
    Operations Section, No. 1 22
    Reserve 23&24

British Army here (?)............................................................. between Douai and Calais. Behind the whole of this zone important operative reserves are held deep in Northern France.

The Belgian Army covers the Lièege-Antwerp line with its main force, lighter forces are in position in front on the Meuse-Scheldt Canal and on the frontier.

Only light forces of the Dutch Army are in position south of the Waal.

For weather conditions and information about the enemy: see I c 1 No. 7212/39 Chief of General Staff of 3/11/39.

3. The German Western Army directs its attack between the North Sea and the Moselle, with the strongest possible air-force support, through the Belgo-Luxemburg region, with the object of ................................................................... the largest possible groups of the French Army and of its .......

The fortress of Liège and ..................................... surrounded (?) ........................................................

Further, it is intended, with the help of part of the force (10 Army Corps reinforced by 1 Cavalry Division), to seize Dutch territory, with the exception of Festung Holland.

5. Composition of Army Group B: see Appendix 2.

6. Cooperating Forces:

(a) The 3rd Luftflotte attacks, with all the weight of its aircraft, the French Air Force on the ground, and prevents it from taking part in land operations.

Later, it prevents the advance of the French Armies moving north-east from their concentration areas.

The 3rd Luftflotte co-operates also with its Northern Wing (1st Aviation Corps) with Army Group B.

(b) The X Aviation Corps, directly under orders from Air Force Headquarters, operates in close co-operation with the

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naval forces and the F.D., Luft against the enemy naval forces and, in particular, against the British naval forces.

its reserves and ...................................................

With regard to home defence against air attack, the chief object is to protect the ground and war industries organizations.

8. Forces.--Disposition of the troops and points to be attacked--see Appendix 1.

9. Reconnaissance.

(a) Air General Headquarters: reconnaissance to the west of the line Le Havre-Orléans-Bourges-Lyon-Geneva.

(b) 2nd Luftflottes: reconnaissance by Reconnaissance Group 122 to the north-west and west of the line Western Frisian Isles-Amsterdam-Antwerp-Brussels-Nivelles (islands and town included).

Task

(a) Find out the disposition of the enemy Air Force in Northern France and Belgium.

(b) Watch the areas where the British Army is concentrated, detect as quickly as possible any movements from that area towards Belgium in the direction of Brussels-Ghent.

Left boundary .............................................................
Liège-Charleroi-Valenciennes-Amiens-Dieppe. (these towns included)

(f) Crossing of the frontier by reconnaissance planes first on the day A at H plus 5 minutes.

10. Task of the VIII Aviation Corps:

On the first of the attack, the VIII Aviation Corps supports with part of its forces a landing operation of the VII Aviation Division (see special order).

Closely co-operating with the 6th Army (main action to the west of Maastricht), it supports the advance of the land forces attacking the fortified line and the streams of the basin of the Meuse and destroys the Belgian Army to the west of that region. Attack against towns and villages during the course of these operations are only permitted if it is absolutely certain that they are occupied by troops.

Its fighter squadrons have to obtain command of the air over the area of attack of the 6th Army.

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Document 2

APPRECIATION OF THE SITUATION

1. Terrain.

On either side of the Meuse a high plateau with heights rising to ..... m. Very uneven, in places great differences in height, ravines.

Clayey ground, medium heavy to heavy. Only sparsely (?) populated. The operational area of the Division is on the whole thickly wooded.

The Meuse itself constitutes a marked cleft, deeply cut out. Width of river 100 m. Banks rising steeply and mainly wooded. Observation very difficult.

Parachute troops can be dropped everywhere is ... the bridges.

Air-borne troops can only be landed at points 15 km. west of the Meuse on the line Vitrival, M. ... Posée.

The country is similar in many respects to that of Freuden ... and troop movements ... not very mobile will be hindered. On the other hand, it lends itself to defence by groups ... widely separated.

2. Landing Grounds.

Five landing grounds have been reconnoitred. Of these, three are suitable in mild weather (I, III, V), two are suitable only under certain conditions (II, IV). In frosty weather all are suitable. On the whole some ...... 30 per cent, bad landing conditions as for "Enterprise"(?)

The whole of the landing troops of the division can be engaged.

Time required: Parachuting and landing of the 1st(?) Division. ...... A slight frost gives most favourable conditions ...... reducing as much as possible the jump ...... troops.

3. At the cutting of the Meuse, the Divisions should ...... (objective) ...... and keep open ......

Road-bridge of Annevoie.

Road bridge Yvoir (here point of main action).

Bridge Dinant-Namur (north-west ......)

4. If the country between the Meuse and the French frontier up to ...... should not be occupied by enemy troops, the landing would at first be unopposed. The landing grounds to the north can, it is true, be shelled by the heavy guns at Namur (15 km) if they should be discovered.

However, enemy attacks from the fortress of Namur must be expected very soon, and also perhaps from Charleroi, Philppeville, and Givet.

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The chief threat to the division is the arrival of mobile French troops from the line Maubeuge-Hirson-Fumay (40 km.), whose advance units can be on the spot in a very short time.

5. This is why it is essential that, from the beginning of the landing operation, large forces of our own bomber aircraft should be engaged:

--against enemy concentrations on the line Maubeuge-Hirson ...... Fumay;

--against troops and transport moving from that line:

  1. on the road Mons-Charleroi (especially important);
  2. on the road Maubeuge-Beaumont-Philippeville (specially important);
  3. road Philippeville-Givet;
  4. road Fourmies-Chimay-Couvin-Givet;
  5. road Rocroi-Mariembourg-Philippeville-Forennes;
  6. road Rocroi-Fumay-Givet-towards ...... Dinant (specially important);
  7. railway Mons-Charleroi ...... (important);
  8. railway Maubeuge ......;
  9. railway Charleroi ...... (specially important);
  10. railway PQ ......;
  11. railway ...... Hastière ......;
  12. Then, for the protection of the Division ...... road Marche-Leignon-Ach......;
  13. road Ciney-Evrehailles.

The area where bombing by our own aircraft is forbidden is bounded by:

road Rivière-Florette--to a line 4 km. south of the Sambre railway (?) Chatelet through Gerpinnes, Floronnes, up to road Philippeville-Dinant (this railway line is outside the forbidden zone) straight (?) line from the level crossing up to Hermeton (this village outside the zone)--the Meuze up to the Anseremme bridge (bridge included in the zone)--line 4 km. east of the Meuse up to Rivière.

6. Up and down movements of troops can best take place--south of Liège--at right angles to the frontier towards the Meuse, through Malmédy-Ciney, i.e. by the shortest route in enemy territory.

In the given weather conditions, any detour would only cause inconvenience.

Anti-aircraft defence is insignificant here. On the other hand, very strong opposition from enemy fighters must be expected (chiefly French fighters).

The landing and fighting zone of the Division lies also ...... of many French aerodromes. French and British aviation

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groups also stationed more to the west fly, on their way to the front, near ......

The intervention of the Division with more than 600 tons of transport planes and at this spot where the effect will be most felt by the enemy decides the chief point of concentration of enemy aircraft.

The Division is threatened more from the air than from the ground. This is why strong heavy fighter and fighter aircraft formations are necessary:

  1. for the transport, the parachuting and finally the landing (...... very strong protection);
  2. for supplies;
  3. against enemy air attacks (continuously ...... and not only according to special orders).

In this case this protection should be incessant ...... G ......

TO satisfy this need ...... fighting area should only be 110 km. from the frontier (?) ...... and should only imply 200 km. flight over enemy territory ......

Document 3

...... Namur and the immediate vicinity ...... (212 Art.) and light forces Ard...... between Ourthe (here point of main attack) (...... point) and the Meuse ...... 2 Cavalry Divisions.

At Charleroi 3rd Regiment of Gendarmie.

French Forces ...... are concentrated on the frontier ...... ready to march (to the west of the Meuse) ...... Army and parts of the 2ndn Army with mechanized cavalry and infantry Divisions. Forward elements of the Givet wedge. To the east of the Meuse positions are in the course of construction along the railway line Namur-Assesse-Ciney-Jemelle.

2. The Meuse itself is only defended by light forces stationed at the bridges. On the Meuse between Namur and the frontier no permanent fortifications. Special preparations for demolition and blocking are not known here, but are likely.

The region between the Meuse and the French frontier to the west and to the south-west is entirely free from enemy troops.

3. It must be expected that the hostile Walloon population will

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wage guerrilla warfare (sharp-shooting from the houses and hedges).

4. The possibility of requisitioning (in order to enable the troops to move rapidly and to keep supplied) should only be considered with reservations owing to the sparsely populated nature of the region.

5. Defence against enemy aircraft in the area of operations of the 7th Air Division (Fl. Div. 7).

In the operational area Namur-Dinant--and in the neighbouring region no fighters nor anti-aircraft defence have been detected so far.

Anti-aircraft guns ...... assumed at Charleroi.

Fighters.

Puttner (?)          
Major, General Staff.

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