Luftflotte 5 was responsible for German air operations during the invasion of
Norway, and for the defence of the occupied territory thereafter. It was divided into various operational formations, governing air forces, and into Air Districts (
Luftgau) controlling ground forces and facilities. In 1940, for the invasion, its main air asset was
Fliegerkorps X, a formation comprising four bomber and one fighter
wings (
Geschwader) together with air support forces. With the conclusion of the Norwegian campaign Fliegerkorps X was moved to other theatres (first to the
Battle of Britain, then to the
Mediterranean Sea). On 15 August 1940 the
Luftwaffe mounted the largest number of sorties of the
Battle of Britain.
Luftflotte 5 attacked the north of England. Believing Fighter Command strength to be concentrated in the south, raiding forces from
Denmark and
Norway ran into unexpectedly strong resistance. Inadequately escorted by
Bf 110s, bombers were shot down in large numbers. North East England was attacked by 65
Heinkel He 111s escorted by 34 Messerschmitt Bf 110s, and
RAF Driffield was attacked at midday by 50 unescorted
Junkers Ju 88s. Out of 115 bombers and 35 fighters sent, 16 bombers and 7 fighters were destroyed. As a result of these casualties,
Luftflotte 5 did not appear in strength again in the campaign. After the invasion of Norway air operations came under
Fliegerführer (Ff) Nord, an ad hoc formation of assigned squadrons (
Staffel) and groups (
Gruppe). From June 1941 fighter forces in Norway came under the separate command of
Jagdfliegerführer Norwegen. Total forces amounted to three fighter groups and one bomber group, with attached night fighter and fighter bomber squadrons plus auxiliaries. On the ground Luftflotte 5's assets were administered by a single air district,
Luftgau Kommando(LgK) Norwegen, with subordinate commands operating airfields around
Oslo,
Kristiansand,
Bergen, and
Stavanger in the south,
Trondheim, in the centre, and
Narvik and
Kirkenes in the north of the country. In 1941, with the
invasion of the
Soviet Union and the entry of
Finland into the war as Germany's ally, a second air district was formed (
LgK Finnland) around
Rovaniemi, to co-ordinate German air activity on the northern front and
Operation Silberfuchs. In June 1942
Ff Nord was divided into three separate commands;
Ff Nord West ("North (West)"), organized from Trondheim;
Ff Lofoten operating from the
Lofoten Islands against Allied convoys to
Murmansk and the Soviet arctic ports; and
Ff Nord Ost ("North (East)"), supporting Army operations against Murmansk and the northern front. In the summer of 1942
Ff Lofoten was reinforced with two bomber groups formed specifically for maritime operations. In 1944 these formations were reorganized again;
Nord Ost became, briefly
Ff Eismeer before becoming
Ff 3;
Nord West became
Ff 4; and
Lofoten became
Ff 5. On the ground
LgK Norwegen became
Kommandierende General der Luftwaffe (K.G.) in Norwegen, covering ground and air formations in Norway, while
LgK Finnland became
K.G. Finnland, with a similar remit in Finland and, later, northern Norway. As the war progressed however these organizations became increasingly irrelevant as German forces were forced to retreat and their air strength diminished. By the end of World War II they existed largely on paper. ==Commanding officers==