Polish Campaign During the Polish campaign I. and III.
Gruppes of KG 77 took part in combat operations. Operating from Breslau-Schöngarten (today
Wrocław Airport), I./KG 77 committed 108 bombers to the campaign. Operating from
Breslau under
Luftflotte 4. The unit participated in the
Battle of Bzura, and carried out raids in the areas of
Galicia,
Radom,
Kielce and
Warsaw against rail, airfield and troop targets.
Denmark and Norway The unit did not participate in
Operation Weserübung but instead spent the spring training and resting in preparation for the decisive western offensive in 1940.
France and the Low Countries The Unit committed 111 bombers to the campaign. From its base at Werl it operated over Belgium and northern France, attacking French armour targets in the Reims and Amiens area. KG 77 supported the German Army during the
Battle of Dunkirk, and it supported the southern offensive,
Fall Rot until the French surrender. The unit took part in
Operation Paula, an attack on Paris airfields, 3 June 1940.
Over Britain and the Battle of the Atlantic 1940–41 In mid-July 1940 all three
gruppen returned to Germany to convert to the Junkers Ju 88. When III./KG 77 returned to France in late August (it was still based at Regensburg on 26 August) it had 35 Ju 88s operational. This
gruppe suffered losses of 9 Ju 88s on a single mission against Gravesend on 18 September, one of the highest losses of any
gruppe in a single mission. I./KG 77 in conjunction with II. and III.
gruppe supported operations during
the Blitz. On 27 September I./KG 77 lost six J 88s when raiding London, while II./KG 77 lost another six on the same night. During 1941 the
Geschwader also took part in the
Battle of the Atlantic. It attempted to support the
German battleship Bismarck during
her Atlantic operation during 26–28 May 1941. However, the unit was unable to intervene before
she sank. The Geschwader sank the
Royal Navy destroyer on 28 May 1941, as the British forces withdrew to port.
Soviet Union I and III./KG 77 were the only units committed to
Operation Barbarossa, with a total of 59 Ju 88s. The
Geschwader supported
Army Group North's drive into the
Baltic states and took part in the
Siege of Leningrad. During this period I./KG 77 helped defeat a strong
Soviet counter-attack by the
11th Army and
34th Army. also supported Operation Beowulf, the invasion of the Baltic islands of Osel, Moon and Dago. During the battle for
Estonia it inflicted severe losses on Soviet shipping, with the same dive-bombing tactics used over Norway, France and Britain. KGr 806 sank the Soviet destroyer
Karl Marx on 8 August 1941 in
Loksa Bay,
Tallinn. On 28 August the Ju 88s had more success when KG 77 and KGr 806 sank the 2,026 grt steamer
Vironia, the 2,317 grt
Lucerne, the 1,423
Atis Kronvalds and the ice breaker
Krišjānis Valdemārs (2,250 grt). The rest of the Soviet "fleet", were forced to change course. This took them through a heavily mined area. As a result, 21 Soviet warships, including five destroyers, struck mines and sank. On 29 August, the Ju 88s accounted for the transport ships
Vtoraya Pyatiletka (3,974 grt),
Kalpaks (2,190 grt) and
Leningradsovet (1,270 grt) sunk. Furthermore, the ships
Ivan Papanin,
Saule,
Kazakhstan and the
Serp i Molot were damaged. Some 5,000 Soviet soldiers were lost. KG 77 was largely withdrawn from the Soviet Union, although I./KG 77 continued to operate on the Eastern Front until July 1942, supporting German forces during
Operation Seydlitz and the
Second Battle of Kharkov.
Mediterranean and North Africa I./KG 77 was reformed as I./KG 6 on 31 August 1942, after the unit ceased operations over Great Britain. However I./KG 77 was reformed again on 10 September 1942. The
Kampfgeschwader carried out operations in the Mediterranean and North Africa until June 1943, taking part in the
Siege of Malta and the
Second Battle of El Alamein. The unit also resisted the
Allied invasion of Sicily, probably destroying the U.S.
Liberty ship on 11 July. made constant night attacks against Allied Naval forces from 10 July - 25 August 1943. After retraining naval attack methods, the unit could now operate with effective torpedo methods. I./KG 77 operated from Salon in southern France from March - July 1944, attacking American convoys off the coast of
Algeria.
Western Front 1943–44 KG 77's primary responsibility was anti-shipping in the English Channel. Committed under the command of
Luftflotte 3, KG 77 supported the German Army, operating at night to avoid Allied
air superiority forces, until 1 September 1944, when it was no longer mentioned on
Luftflotte 3's order of battle. ==Commanding officers==