Geschwader In the Luftwaffe the largest mobile and autonomous unit was the
Geschwader. A
Geschwader was the equivalent of a
Wing in the
United States Army Air Forces (USAAF). It would be used for different purposes such as bombing, interception (both single and twin engine), ground attack and reconnaissance. A
Geschwader would be named, based on its purpose. There were several
Geschwader with the same purpose. They would be named with an Arabic numeral following the word. It was also customary to give an additional title to a
Geschwader in honour of a distinguished person. For example,
Jagdgeschwader 2 was named
Jagdgeschwader 2 Richthofen in honour of
Manfred von Richthofen. Each
Geschwader was commanded by a
Geschwaderkommodore. This person usually had the rank of
Oberst (equivalent to colonel),
Oberstleutnant (lieutenant colonel) or major. He had a small staff along with an
adjutant (Staff Officer) for operational as well as for administrative purposes. There was a
Stabschwarm (Command Flight) of four aircraft in two pairs. The 1st Pair (
1. Rotte) included the
Geschwaderkommodore with the
Adjutant IIa (the Geschwader's staff officer in charge of officer personnel affairs) as his wingman. The 2nd Pair (
2. Rotte) included the
1. Generalstabsoffizier Ia (the Geschwader's Chief of Operations) with the
Major beim Stabe (the "Major at the Staff", commanding the Geschwader's Stabskompanie - the command company and for that reason also designated as
StabsKp) as his wingman. On the rare occasions when more aircraft were made available, the Stabsschwarm could have 5 or even 6 fighter aircraft instead of the standard 4 and transport, liaison or rescue aircraft could be attached to it. Typically there were three
Gruppen (groups) under each
Geschwader and sometimes a fourth or even a fifth
gruppe was added to single engine fighter
geschwader. On several occasions,
day fighter Geschwader or
Jagdgeschwader were formed with four
Gruppe strength from start. Each Gruppe had its own
Stabsschwarm, which mirrored the two pairs of the Geschwader's
Stabsschwarm. The only difference was that the command company of the Gruppe was commanded not by a major, but by a captain and his position was designated
Hauptmann beim Stabe (Captain at the Staff) correspondingly. •
Jagdgeschwader (JG) – A day fighter
Geschwader (literally "hunting
Geschwader"), typically equipped with the
Messerschmitt Bf 109 or
Fw 190 flying in the fighter or
fighter-bomber roles. •
Nachtjagdgeschwader (NJG) – A
night fighter Geschwader, typically flying
radar-equipped
heavy fighters such as the Messerschmitt Bf 110 or
Ju 88 against
Allied bombers. •
Zerstörergeschwader (ZG) –
Zerstörer (literally "destroyer", as in naval
destroyer). These units were usually equipped with twin-engined
heavy fighters such as the
Bf 110 or
Me 410 Hornisse. •
Schlachtgeschwader (
SchlG, since 1943
SG) –
Schlacht (
German: "strike") These were
ground attack or
close air support Geschwader, initially equipped with the biplane
Hs 123, later with
Hs 129, fighter-bomber variants of
Bf 109, and
ground-attack variants of Fw 190. •
Sturzkampfgeschwader (
StG;
Stuka Geschwader) –
dive bomber Geschwader equipped mainly with
Ju 87; on 18 October 1943, most of them were re-designated
Schlachtgeschwader (
SG). •
Kampfgeschwader (KG) – literally "combat
Geschwader", primarily a medium bomber unit, with typical aircraft being the
He 111 and the Junkers Ju 88. •
Lehrgeschwader (LG) – a
Geschwader created to test new equipment under operational conditions and to evaluate new tactics. Personnel from a unit of this type could fly several types of aircraft. •
Transportgeschwader (TG) – typical aircraft being the
Ju 52/3m or the
Me 323. The "TG" designation was a result of the reorganisation of the transport branch in 1943. These units were previously designated
KG zbV (
Kampfgeschwader zur besonderen Verwendung or "combat
Geschwader for special purposes"). •
Kampfschulgeschwader (KSG) – a Bomber Training School
Geschwader. •
Luftlandegeschwader (LLG) – a Glider Geschwader for the
Fallschirmjäger or Paratroops. •
Schnellkampfgeschwader (SKG) –
fast bomber Geschwader. Two units equipped with single- or twin-engine fighter bombers and used for ground-attack or hit-and-run missions over the
United Kingdom. Later absorbed by other units or re-designated as Schlachtgeschwader. As the war progressed, the various sub-units of each numbered
Geschwader operated separately and often on totally different fronts or theatres of war.
Gruppe The
Gruppe was the basic autonomous unit in the Luftwaffe, in both administration and strategic use. Each
Gruppe would have a
Stabschwarm (staff
schwarm) of three aircraft. The
Gruppe would be commanded by a
Gruppenkommandeur, that would be a
Major or
Hauptmann, who would have a small staff including administration, operations, medical and technical officers. A
Gruppe usually occupied one airfield.
Gruppen from the same
Geschwader typically occupied adjacent airfields. Each would have an air signals platoon, mechanical and administrative personnel. There was also a trained fire-fighting crew doubling as police officers and staffed by the
SS. of 2./Küstenfliegergruppe 106, being loaded with bombs, 1942. Note the condition of the
Balkenkreuz.|alt=Junkers JU 88 displaying the Balkenkreuz. As with the
Geschwader, the
Gruppe included staff officers tasked with additional administrative duties, usually an adjutant, technical, medical and operations officers. These officers were usually (though not always) experienced
aircrew or pilots appointed from the operational cadre within the unit.
Gruppen organised within a combat
geschwader were designated with
Roman numerals: I, II, III and IV. This would be combined with the abbreviated
Geschwader designation – for example, the second
Gruppe of
Jagdgeschwader 11 would be designated II./JG 11. Each
Gruppe in turn consisted of three
Staffeln. In total, each
Gruppe had 30–40 aircraft including the
Gruppenstab. A
Gruppe was often transferred from one
Geschwader to another. After a transfer they would be re-designated. For example,
Gruppe II of
Jagdgeschwader 3, II./JG 3 was transferred to
Jagdgeschwader 1 as
Gruppe I and was re-designated I./JG 1. In the case of bomber Geschwader, an
Ergänzungsgruppe (training group) might be attached to a
Geschwader as the fifth
Gruppe and designated 'V' (Roman numeral 5). Although all
Gruppen in a
Geschwader performed the same role, they were not always equipped with the same aircraft. This was more prevalent in fighter
Geschwader, but did occur in bomber units as well. Some
Gruppen of a fighter
Geschwader would be equipped with Messerschmitt Bf 109s, while others would be equipped with Focke-Wulf Fw 190s. Among the bomber
Geschwader, some
Gruppen would be equipped with
Dornier Do 17s while others would have either Heinkel He 111s or Junkers Ju 88s. There were several types of
Gruppen acting in specialised autonomous roles, many centred around either reconnaissance or maritime-involved duties. They were:
Aufklärungsgruppen (strategic/tactical reconnaissance) So-named
Aufklärungsgruppe reconnaissance units existed in two basic forms for the Luftwaffe in World War II: •
Aufklärungsgruppe (F) – a long range reconnaissance
Gruppe. It was later changed to
Fernaufklärungsgruppe (FAGr), from
Fern, the German word for "far"; •
Aufklärungsgruppe (H) were units initially attached to the army (
Heer). They provided tactical and photo reconnaissance and were later re-designated
Nahaufklärungsgruppe (NAGr), from
Nah (near). Typical aircraft were Messerschmitt Bf 109s, Bf 110s and Hs 126s, although a wide range of aircraft types were used, including the STOL-capable
Fieseler Fi 156, and the twin-engined
Focke-Wulf Fw 189. •
Fernaufklärungsgruppe (FAGr) – The later designation for
Aufklärungsgruppe (F) involved with long-range reconnaissance duties. •
Nahaufklarungsgruppe (NAGr) – The later designation for
Aufklärungsgruppen (H) or army reconnaissance group.
Maritime-duty Gruppen Maritime-involved
Gruppe-sized units of the Luftwaffe involved: •
Bordfliegergruppe (BFGr) – (literally "onboard aircraft group").
Arado Ar 196 seaplanes on battleships and cruisers. •
Küstenfliegergruppe (KuFlGr) (German: "coastal aircraft group") a coastal reconnaissance
Gruppe. These units fulfilled a similar role to
RAF Coastal Command and were usually equipped with floatplanes such as the
Heinkel He 115 and
flying boats like the
Dornier Do 18 as well as land-based bombers such as the Dornier Do 17. These units were also used to attack shipping. •
Minensuchgruppe (MSGr) – (literally "minesearch group"). Junkers Ju 52s, or rarely
Bv 138 flying boats fitted with
large electromagnetic rings that were designed to sweep oceanic minefields of magnetically triggered
sea mines. •
Seeaufklärungsgruppe (SAGr) – a
Gruppe for maritime reconnaissance. •
Trägergruppe (TrGr) – (literally "Carrier group"). They consisted of Junkers Ju 87C (Stukas) and
Bf 109 T aircraft for the planned
German aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin. It was disbanded in 1940 after the carrier project was scrapped.
Rear-area and night attack Gruppen Other types of
Gruppe-sized units of various types existed within the Luftwaffe structure as well: •
Ergänzungsgruppe (ERgGr) – Supplemental
Gruppen that were attached to a
Geschwader for replacing lost aircraft and training. •
Erprobungsgruppe (ErpGr) – a specialised
Gruppe, much like the similar
Erprobungskommando (EKdo) units, for field testing new models and on occasions captured Allied aircraft (most notably with
KG 200 and the
Zirkus Rosarius units respectively), with the ErpGr and EKdo units using a number matching the
RLM airframe number of the aircraft design they were meant to test. •
Nachtschlachtgruppe (NSGr) – a night ground attack group. Predominantly used in anti-personnel and anti-tank roles. Each
Gruppe comprised three or four
Staffeln, but by late 1944 a fourth
Staffel was usually added to fighter units, making the established strength of the unit approximately 65 to 70 aircraft, although during the war years operational strength tended to fluctuate greatly. Personnel strength varied between 35 and 150 aircrew, and 300 to 500 ground personnel. During the mid-war years a fourth
Gruppe was introduced in many
Geschwader, initially as an
operational training unit for new aircrew. However, these
Gruppen soon became additional front-line units, performing the same tasks as their sister formations, while new
Ergänzungseinheiten, or operational training units, were formed and took up their tasks.
Staffel A
Staffel had a theoretical size of nine (bombers) to 12 (fighters) aircraft. Operationally, a fighter unit was usually nine aircraft and a bomber unit one or two less than the nominal nine. The commanding officer of a
Staffel was known as a
Staffelkapitän and had the rank of
Hauptmann,
Oberleutnant or sometimes
Leutnant.
Staffeln were numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals within a
Geschwader irrespective of the
Gruppe they came under. The
Staffel designation would be similar to that of the
Gruppe except for the Arabic numerals. For example,
Staffel 6 of
Jagdgeschwader 27 would be designated 6./JG 27. The
Staffeln of
Gruppe I would be numbered 1, 2 and 3. Those of
Gruppe II would be numbered 4, 5 and 6. This was continued for the rest of the
Gruppen. When a
Staffel was transferred from one group to another or from one
Geschwader to another, it would be re-numbered accordingly. For example,
Gruppe II of
Jagdgeschwader 3, II./JG 3 was transferred to
Jagdgeschwader 1, as
Gruppe I and was re-designated I./JG 1., this caused its three
Staffeln originally named 4./JG 3, 5./JG 3, 6./JG 3 to be renumbered to 1./JG 1, 2./JG 1 and 3./JG 1. The
Staffel usually had a few vehicles allocated to it, and a mobile
Fliegerhorstkompanie (air station company) to carry out minor repairs. These were usually named after and attached to a
Geschwader. The number of ground staff varied depending on its type, with about 150 for a fighter unit and 80 in a bomber unit – a smaller number of personnel were required in the bomber units as many of the servicing functions were carried out by attached units provided by the local
Luftgau or "Air District". The service test units often known as
Erprobungskommando could also be of
Staffel or
Gruppe organisational size, as well as existing outside of any such "set" unit size as a
Gruppe or
Staffel – the
Heinkel He 177 was service-tested by a
Staffel-sized unit, known as
Erprobungsstaffel 177, frequently using the
RLM airframe type number for the number of the unit testing the aircraft bearing it. There were a few types of
Staffeln acting in specialised autonomous, or semi-autonomous roles, if integrally attached to a
Gruppe or
Geschwader for differing duties from the main unit. Some of these were: •
Jagdbomberstaffel (Jabo) – a fighter-bomber
Staffel, within a
Gruppe. Predominantly refers to a ground attack
Staffel. It was made more prominent by
Heinz Knoke with air-to-air bombing of Allied bombers. •
Luftbeobachtungstaffel, later
Wettererkundungsstaffel (
Weku or
Wekusta) – a
Staffel meant for meteorological findings. •
Zerstörerstaffel, as the northernmost-based of all Luftwaffe day fighter
geschwader,
JG 5 in northern Norway, had one attached to it
as its 13th Staffel. After the mid 1942 successes of
Operation Barbarossa, Soviet VVS nocturnal
harassment bomber units such as the
Night Witches, used obsolete
Polikarpov Po-2 biplanes against the invading Germans. The Luftwaffe began to set up their own nocturnal harassment Staffel-sized forces known as
Störkampfstaffeln. Eventually
Gruppe-sized
Nachtschlachtgruppen were used for the same general purpose as the Soviet units. The Luftwaffe's own harassment aviation units also used similarly obsolete aircraft, but of German design. The
Heinkel He 46,
Arado Ar 66,
Focke-Wulf Fw 56 and even the standard training biplane, the
Gotha Go 145, were all deployed in their efforts at attempting to emulate the success of the Soviets. A few specialised
Staffel sized units existed within the Luftwaffe for such specialised tasks as weather observation
Wettererkundungsstaffeln, (contracted to
Wekusta), specialised weaponry (a so-called
Staffel 92 was meant to be equipped with the cannon-armed
Ju 88P-series of bomber destroyer fighters) and even outside the actual Luftwaffe, such as
aircraft factory-operated defence
Staffeln, at least one of which even operated the
Me 262 late in the war.
Schwarm, Rotte and Kette File:Flugformation Rotte.jpg| A
Rotte. File:Flugformation Kettenkeil.jpg|A
Kette. A
Staffel was divided into three
Schwärme (singular:
Schwarm, "swarm"), consisting of four to six aircraft. Each bomber
Schwarm (at full strength, six aircraft) was divided into a
Kette ("chain") of three aircraft. As such, a bomber
Schwarm was equivalent to a
flight in the Western Allied air forces. A
Kette was also the term used for a
"v" formation. A fighter
Schwarm (four aircraft) was divided into two ''
(singular: Rotte
, "pack") of two aircraft, equivalent to a pair in the English-speaking world. As such a fighter Schwarm
was similar in size to a section/element in the Western Allied air forces. The term Rotte'' was also used for a formation of two aircraft: the smallest tactical unit, consisting of a leader and a wingman.
Air combat tactics During the Spanish Civil War, Luftwaffe aces
Werner Mölders and
Günther Lützow created a new formation strategy for fighter geschwader. It had two aircraft flying in a loose pair called a 'Pack' (). Two pairs constituted a . The four aircraft were flown in what was called the "Finger-four" formation. These aircraft were spread apart so that each pilot was offered maximum visibility. This arrangement was so successful that Soviet pilots in the Spanish Civil War followed the same technique. However, on returning home, they had to revert to the standard "V" formation.
Douglas Bader, the British pilot, was the first
RAF leader to adopt the "Finger four" formation in 1940. Japan also adopted the "Finger four" in World War II. However, the
Finnish Air Force claims to have used "finger-four" already in 1935. adopted the "finger four" formation by the time the Mustang saw squadron service. In this formation, where each aircraft flew in positions similar to the fingers of an open hand (hence the name), the leader () was at the front, while on his left wingtip was his partner from the
Rotte. The other
Rotte was on the right wingtip of the leader, the partner in the second
Rotte being on the right wingtip of his partner. The
Rotte fighting pair also added to its flexibility, as a
Schwarm could easily break into two
Rotte pairs without losing its fighting ability. The
Rottenführer could attack enemy aircraft, leaving his wingman to watch for the enemy. It was much more flexible than the rigid three-aircraft "Vic" formation the RAF used at the start of the war. In the
Schwarm the aircraft had plenty of space to manoevre, so they were free to scan the horizon for enemy aircraft rather than focusing on maintaining a close formation. This flexibility became apparent to the RAF during the
Battle of Britain. ==Ground combat forces==