From 1940 the air defence of Protektorat Böhmen und Mähren was secured by FLAK Gruppe Böhmen. This unit was divided into:
FLAK Untergruppe Pilsen (Plzeň and West Bohemia),
FLAK Untergruppe Elbe (sectors Kralupy, Kladno, Praha, Kolín, Domašín, Pardubice),
FLAK Untergruppe Mähren (sectors Brno a Moravská Ostrava).
Flakabteilung was basic unit of German air defence. It included 4-6 batteries. There were various kinds of Flakabteilungs. Kind of Flakabteilung depended on kind of batteries which it included.
heavy flak battery (German guns calibre 88, 105 a 128mm, ex-service Czech guns calibre 75mm)
combined flak battery (combined from heavy and light flak batteries)
searchlight battery (searchlights with diameters 150 and 200 cm, sound detecting systems- Horchgeräte)
balloon battery (this kind of Flakabteilung wasn’t deployed at Protektorat during WW2)
training battery
Flakregiment was a superior unit to Flakabteilung. Flakregiment consisted of stab unit and four Flakabteilungs. The first and the second Flakabteilungs were equipped with anti-aircraft guns, the third was equipped with searchlights and the fourth was training unit. Flakabteilungs equipped with AA guns were equipped with minor searchlights (diameter 60cm) too. The warning duty – Luftnachtrichtenabteilung – belonged to Flakregiment too.
During the war, Flak-Ersatz-Abteilung 99 was barracked in Pardubice.
It was formed in 1939 in Oggau near Eisenstadt (Luftgau XVII). In 1941 it was renamed as leichte Flak-Ersatz-Abteilung 99, after that unit left Oggau and moved to Pardubice.
On July the 7th of 1942 the unit was divided into leichte Flak-Ausbildungs-Abteilung 99 and leichte Flak-Ersatz-Abteilung 99. Shortly afterwards leichte Flak-Ausbildungs-Abteilung 99 was renamed as leichte Flak-Abteilung 691 moved to Antwerpen. Leichte Flak-Ersatz-Abteilung 99 continued at Pardubice. It was subordinated to Flak-Ersatz-Regiment 6/Luftgau XVII.
As a result of many founded ID Tags, we can assume that many Italians served in this unit before the end of war. It was the time, when ID tags were most frequently throwed away.
