(Luftwaffe Field Laboratory (motorized))
by Henry L. deZeng IV

First established during the summer of 1940, a total of 8 were eventually set up but only 5 of those were used operationally. The other three were held in reserve and never mobilized for front employment, which involved the issuing of vehicles and field equipment. Each had an allowance of 2 officers and 12 NCOs and men along with laboratory trucks and one or two other vehicles.

KStN: 5399 (L).

Sources used

Fischer, Hubert - Der deutsche Sanitätsdienst 1921-1945, 5 Bde (Osnabrück, 1982-1988), Bd. 5, pp.4559-62; BA-MA Freiburg: Signatur RL 4 II/283 list dated 5.10.44.]

Units

Feldlaboratorium (mot) d.Lw. 1
12 Jun 41: transferred from München-Schwabing to North Africa.
17 Mar 42: in Tripoli.
Mar 43: in Sfax/Tunisia under Luftgaukdo. Tunis.
1944-45: West front attached to 1. Fallschirm-Armee.
FpN: none assigned.
Kommandeur:
Dr. (med.) W. Schriek ( ?   -   ? )  1941-42
[Sources: Fischer, Hubert - Der deutsche Sanitätsdienst 1921-1945, 5 Bde (Osnabrück, 1982-1988), p.4561; NARA WashDC: RG 242 (T-971); PRO London: AIR 40 Air Ministry intelligence reports and lists based on ULTRA, “Y” Service intercepts, captured documents and PoW interrogations.]

Feldlaboratorium (mot) d.Lw. 2
1942-44: assigned to the Deutsche Luftwaffen-Mission in Rumänien until August 1944.
1944-45: Narvik in northern Norway in a strength of 1 officer and 11/ NCOs and men.
FpN: 54796.
Kommandeur:
(not known)
[Sources: Fischer, Hubert - Der deutsche Sanitätsdienst 1921-1945, 5 Bde (Osnabrück, 1982-1988), p.4561; NARA WashDC: RG 242 (T-312 roll 1074/657); Kannapin, Norbert - Die deutsche Feldpostübersicht 1939-1945.]

Feldlaboratorium (mot) d.Lw. 3
15 Jan 42: transferred from Würzburg to Meudon, a suburb of Paris, to help combat a typhus epidemic.
5 Jun 42: departed France and transferred to Kharkov and then on to Taganrog.
1944: at Focşani/E Romania and employed in combating malaria in Romania.
Jan – Apr 45: Tarvisio/NE Italy under Komm.Gen.d.dt.Lw. in Italien.
FpN: 61709.
Kommandeur:
Dr. (med.) W. Maassen ( ?   -   ? )  1942
Dr. (med.) K. Mülhens ( ?   -   ? )  1944
[Sources: Fischer, Hubert - Der deutsche Sanitätsdienst 1921-1945, 5 Bde (Osnabrück, 1982-1988), p.4561; NARA WashDC: RG 242 (T-321 roll 53/003ff); Kannapin, Norbert - Die deutsche Feldpostübersicht 1939-1945.]

Feldlaboratorium (mot) d.Lw. 4
Formed July 1941 in Würzburg then ordered to Catania/Sicily a short time later where it was employed in the constant struggle against malaria in Sicily.
1943-45: moved to Rome following the evacuation of Sicily in August 1943, and then to Florence, Bologna and finally to Bergamo.
1945-47: used by the Americans at Bad Ischl (south-east of Salzburg/Austria) until mid-1947.
FpN: none assigned.
Kommandeur:
Dr. (med.) K. Boventer (1941  -   ? )
[Sources: Fischer, Hubert - Der deutsche Sanitätsdienst 1921-1945, 5 Bde (Osnabrück, 1982-1988), p.4561.]

Feldlaboratorium (mot) d.Lw. 5
Dec 42: transferred from Germany to Arras/NE France. Believed to have remained in France until the retreat of German forces in August 1944.
14 Oct 44: in Würzburg refitting.
Dec 44 – Apr 45: attached to Lw.-Lazarett Essen-Kupferdreh.
FpN: none assigned.
Kommandeur:
Dr. (med.) H. Gärtner (1942  -   ? )
[Sources: Fischer, Hubert - Der deutsche Sanitätsdienst 1921-1945, 5 Bde (Osnabrück, 1982-1988), p.4561; NARA WashDC: RG 242 (T-971 roll 34).]

Feldlaboratorium (mot) d.Lw. 6
1942-45: Würzburg  -  supposedly one of the three held in reserve and never mobilized. However, Luftwaffenpersonalamt documents from April 1945 (NASM T-2/USSBS roll 7001/8278) states that it was stationed at Chania on Crete during 1944-45.

Feldlaboratorium (mot) d.Lw. 7
1942-45: Würzburg  -  one of the three held in reserve and never mobilized.

Feldlaboratorium (mot) d.Lw. 8
194?-45: Würzburg  -  supposedly one of the three held in reserve and never mobilized. However, it was issued a Feldpost number in June 1944 (entered 20.6.44) which was then deleted and the unit marked as disbanded sometime between then and April 1945. No information has been found regarding its employment.
FpN: L 61579.