Kasta 20 attack

Regulus · 2 February 2005, 11:36 AM

Hi,

Somewhere in the second half of 1916 Gotha G III bombers belonging to Kasta 20 attacked a railway bridge on the Danube at Chernavoda in Rumania and destroyed it, depriving the Romanians of desperately needed reinforcements and supplies.

Can anyone tell me when this exactly happened ?

Thanks and best from Johan

rammjaeger · 2 February 2005, 12:12 PM

Tough question because the Kampfgeschwader attacked Chernavoda and other towns and their environment nearly on a daily base between 20 September and 24 October.
I think that is the time frame for the mentioned incident.

Regulus · 2 February 2005, 12:52 PM

Thanks Rammjaeger,

One source says this happened in september, so that could be correct !

That already narrows the search area...

Best from Johan

rammjaeger · 2 February 2005, 01:12 PM

A German book about major battles and engagements in WWI reports for September 1916 attacks against "Cernavoda" on 20. and 21. September.

Then 24., 25., 26.and 27.9. against Bukarest.

On 28 September again against Alexandria and Cernavoda.

I could imagine the Germans attacked the bridge on more than one day.

VBR
Rammjaeger

Cigogne · 2 February 2005, 01:49 PM

Did they actually use Gothas there? Or, did they use Rumpler G-type, (G.I, II, or III,), Albatros G-type,, AEG G.I, II, or III type, or Friedrichshafen G.II?

I've not seen Gothas used in the Eastern theatre before. All photos that I have seen from the East show only the types that I have listed, and no Gothas. I'm not saying they weren't used... just that I haven't seen that and would like to add to my visual knowledge of who was using what types. I've only seen the license-built Gotha G.IVs by LVG that were used sparingly on the Italian Front.

I'd be interested to find out what the exact types used were.

rammjaeger · 3 February 2005, 12:35 PM

Some other questions arise as well:

I have two German sources (among them "Der Völkerkrieg") claiming this bridge was destroyed by Romanians and/or Russians during their retreat.
Did the Germans destroy the bridge?
Did the Romanians/Russians destroy the bridge?
Or did the German aircraft hit/destroy/partly damage the bridge and retreating Romanian/Russian troops did finish off the leftover?

Johan, you wrote Kasta 20 attacked or destroyed the bridge of Cernavoda but Kastner wrote in "Unsere Luftstreitkräfte 1914-1918" the Kampfgeschwader included Staffel 1, 2, 5 and 24. I did not see 20 mentioned.
Was Kastner wrong and wrote 24 instead of 20?

Kastner wrote 3 Staffeln had G-Flugzeuge from AEG and 1 Staffel Gotha-G-Flugzeuge. He underlines the Geschwader included only G-aircraft.
Which Staffel did use Gothas?

Soderbaum · 3 February 2005, 01:37 PM

Hello Rammjäger

Kastner made a typo when writing Kasta 24, it should be Kasta 20....The reason that this unit was included was that they "recently" had been completely equipped with new G-a/c....I might have notes of which type of a/c....but you knew, I am no "aircraft" man...

Gunnar

Regulus · 4 February 2005, 06:59 AM

Hi Gunnar and Rammjaeger,

Kasta 20 it should be indeed. They actually did attack the bridge and at least partially destroyed it in September 1916.

However, the part on the Gotha's comes from the... Roden factory !
I've tried to ask that what source they had for this, but didn't get an answer yet...
As to the part of the eastern front with the Kagohls and Kasta's my knowledge is very limited but concerning planes, I was really surprised that there were any Gotha's.

AEG, Rumpler, Fdh, even Siemens Schuckert R types with the RFA, but never had heard anything of the kind either, which makes me very very curious of course ...

For the moment most of my research has been concerning the attacks on England, in which cases I have both sides of the story in many cases.

I hope to find more at Siemens archive and at Bayern archives...

Does anyone know what they have in Freiburg on the Kagohl's/Bogohl's ?

Thanks and best from Johan

BTW Roden states it were Gotha's G II

Regulus · 6 February 2005, 10:38 AM

Hi again,

According to Alex Imrie, a small production batch of Gotha's GII partially equipped Kasta 20 of Kagohl 4 in 1916, which as mentioned served at the Eastern Front and became a part of Kagohl I (Kasta 20 became Kasta 1 in April 1917). Gotha GII 207/16 flown by Frommherz-Lohr-Reese for example seems to have participated in many operations in the east such as attacks on railway yards in Bucharest, the Cernavoda railway bridge over the Danube, while they were based at Razgrad, Bulgaria. Later also the Vertekop railway station and camps and dumps in Saloniki when they were operating from Hudowa, Macedonia.
There also seems to have been a few Gotha GIII's in action with Kasta 20.
Concerning the eastern front most of the other bomberplanes clearly seem to have been AEG GIII's (end of February 1917, 22 at the eastern front, most of them in Macedonia). In April 1917 in Macedonia, Kagohl I seems to have been equipped wit a total of 20 AEG G type and Gotha G type planes.

Best from Johan