Luftwaffe order of battle April 1940

Last updated

For its campaign against Norway and Denmark during World War II, the German Luftwaffe had the following order of battle on 9 April 1940. [1]

Contents

X. Fliegerkorps

Commanded by Generalleutnant Hans Geisler

Parent unitGeschwader BaseUnit (Gruppe/Staffel)Aircraft TypeCommanding Officer
Jagdgeschwader 77 HusumII. Gruppe Messerschmitt Bf 109EHauptmann Karl Hentschel
Zerstörergeschwader 26 Barth I, II. Gruppe Messerschmitt Bf 110CHauptmann Karl Kaschka/ Wilhelm Makrocki
Zerstörergeschwader 76 Westerland I. GruppeMesserschmitt Bf 110C
Zerstörergeschwader 1 WesterlandIII. GruppeMesserschmitt Bf 110C
Kampfgeschwader 4 Fassberg Stab, and II. Gruppe Heinkel He 111
Kampfgeschwader 4 Perleberg I. GruppeHeinkel He 111
Kampfgeschwader 4 Lüneburg III. GruppeHeinkel He 111
Kampfgeschwader 26 Varel Stab, and I. GruppeHeinkel He 111
Kampfgeschwader 26 Marx II. GruppeHeinkel He 111
KGr100 Nordholz Heinkel He 111
Kampfgeschwader 30 WesterlandStab, I., II., III., and Z. GruppeHeinkel He 111
Sturzkampfgeschwader 1 Kiel-HoltenaI. Gruppe Junkers Ju 87B and RMajor Paul-Werner Hozzel
1.(F)/Aufklärungs-Gruppe 122 Hamburg Fuhlsbüttel I. GruppeHeinkel He 111
WetterketteHamburg-FuhlsbüttelHeinkel He 111
KorpstransportstaffelHamburg-Fuhlsbüttel Junkers Ju 52
1.(F)/Aufklärungs-Gruppe 120 Lübeck/Kiel Dornier Do 17 and Heinkel He 111

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Luftwaffe</i> Aerial warfare branch of the German military forces during World War II

The Luftwaffe was the aerial warfare branch of the Wehrmacht during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the Luftstreitkräfte of the Imperial Army and the Marine-Fliegerabteilung of the Imperial Navy, had been disbanded in May 1920 in accordance with the terms of the Treaty of Versailles which stated that Germany was forbidden to have any air force.

The Blitz German bombing of Britain during WWII

The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term Blitzkrieg, the German word for 'lightning war'.

Heinkel He 51 Fighter aircraft family

The Heinkel He 51 was a German single-seat biplane which was produced in a number of different versions. It was initially developed as a fighter; a seaplane variant and a ground-attack version were also developed. It was a development of the earlier He 49.

Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen German military officer and aviator

Wolfram Karl Ludwig Moritz Hermann Freiherr von Richthofen was a German World War I flying ace who rose to the rank of Generalfeldmarschall in the Luftwaffe during World War II.

Hugo Sperrle German military aviator and general

Hugo Sperrle was a German military aviator in World War I and a Generalfeldmarschall in the Luftwaffe during World War II.

Jagdgeschwader 2 Military unit

Jagdgeschwader 2 (JG 2) "Richthofen" was a German fighter wing during World War II. JG 2 operated the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Focke-Wulf Fw 190 single-seat, single-engine Interceptor aircraft.

Hans Jeschonnek

Hans Jeschonnek was a German military aviator in the Luftstreitkräfte during World War I, a general staff officer in the Reichswehr in the inter–war period and Generaloberst (Colonel-General) and a Chief of the General Staff in the Luftwaffe, the aerial warfare branch of the Wehrmacht during World War II.

<i>Kampfgeschwader</i> 4 Military unit

Kampfgeschwader 4 "General Wever" was a Luftwaffe bomber wing during World War II. The unit was formed in May 1939. The unit operated the Dornier Do 17, Junkers Ju 88 and Heinkel He 111 medium bombers, with later service on the Heinkel He 177 heavy bomber. The wing was named after General Walther Wever, the prime pre-war proponent for a strategic bombing capability for the Luftwaffe, who was killed in an aircraft accident in 1936.

Battle for The Hague

The Battle for The Hague was a battle fought on 10 May 1940 during the German invasion of the Netherlands. German Fallschirmjäger units were dropped in and around The Hague in order to capture Dutch airfields and the city itself.

Paul-Werner Hozzel was a ground attack pilot in the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Following the war, Hozzel joined the Bundeswehr of West Germany and retired as Brigadegeneral.

Alfred Keller German general

Alfred Keller was a general in the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany during the Second World War who commanded the Luftflotte 1. His career in the Imperial German Armed Forces began in 1897; he served as a bomber pilot in World War I.

During the Second World War the German Luftwaffe was the main support weapon of the German Army (Heer). It fought and supported the Wehrmacht's war effort throughout the six years of conflict and contributed to much of Nazi Germany's early successes in 1939–1942. After the turn in Germany's fortunes, it continued to support the German ground forces until the German surrender in May 1945.

Zerstörergeschwader 76 was a Zerstörergeschwader (wing) of the German Luftwaffe during World War II. The wing operated the Messerschmitt Bf 109 in the early phases of World War II, then the Messerschmitt Bf 110 for the duration of the war.

Operation Paula 1940 offensive during the Battle of France

Unternehmen Paula is the German codename given for the Second World War Luftwaffe offensive operation to destroy the remaining units of the Armée de l'Air (ALA), or French Air Force during the Battle of France in 1940. On 10 May the German armed forces (Wehrmacht) began their invasion of Western Europe. By 3 June, the British Army had withdrawn from Dunkirk and the continent in Operation Dynamo, the Netherlands and Belgium had surrendered and most of the formations of the French Army were disbanded or destroyed. To complete the defeat of France, the Germans undertook a second phase operation, Fall Rot, to conquer the remaining regions. In order to do this, air supremacy was required. The Luftwaffe was ordered to destroy the French Air Forces, while still providing support to the German Army.

Hellmuth Felmy

Hellmuth Felmy was a German general and war criminal during World War II, commanding forces in occupied Greece and Yugoslavia. A high-ranking Luftwaffe officer, Felmy was tried and convicted in the 1948 Hostages Trial.

<i>Kampfgeschwader</i> 30 Military unit of Nazi Germany

Kampfgeschwader 30 was a Luftwaffe bomber wing during World War II.

<i>Zerstörergeschwader</i> 1 Heavy/destroyer Fighter Aircraft-wing of World War II

Zerstörergeschwader 1 was a Luftwaffe heavy/destroyer Fighter Aircraft-wing of World War II.

Walter Enneccerus was an officer in the Luftwaffe during World War II and a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.

<i>Schlachtgeschwader</i> 3 Military unit

Schlachtgeschwader 3 was a Luftwaffe close air support Geschwader during World War II. It was formed on 18 October 1943 in Eleusis from the Stab/Sturzkampfgeschwader 3. A special detachment was formed 13 June 1944 to 13 August 1944 referred to as Detachment Kuhlmey. The detachment was built around elements of I./SG 3, I./SG 5, II./JG 54 and NaGr.1

Zerstörergeschwader 2 was a Luftwaffe heavy/destroyer Fighter Aircraft-wing of World War II.

References

  1. Hooton 2007, p. 32.

Bibliography