Kampfgeschwader 26
Kampfgeschwader 26 | |
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Italian Campaign Battle of Normandy | |
Insignia | |
Identification symbol | Geschwaderkennung of 1H |
Kampfgeschwader 26 (KG 26) "Löwengeschwader" (in English Bomber
History
Kampfgeschwader 26 was formed on 1 May 1939 at Lüneburg with Stab./KG 26 and I. Gruppe (Group).[1] II. Gruppe was formed near Lübeck Blankensee.[2] III Gruppe was not formed until 1 November 1939 near Jesau (Kaliningrad Oblast). It was disbanded as redesignated K.Gr. 126. The Gruppe second formation took place on 20 February 1940 at Lübeck.[3]
War time service
Poland
During the
North Sea operations
Stab./KG 26 began operations from the Lübeck base under the command of 10. Fliegerdivision on 12 September.[4] I./KG 26 had played no part in the Polish Campaign. It had been ordered to Lübeck with 36 He 111s, 32 serviceable, under the command of 4. Fliegerdivision Luftflotte 2 for anti-shipping operations. On 1 September the unit conducted a reconnaissance over the Thames Estuary. 1.Staffel attacked the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal on 26 September. 3. Staffel conducted anti-shipping missions against Britain's east coast with some success. [6]
On 28 October 1939, a Heinkel He 111H bomber from KG 26, bearing the Geschwaderkennung of 1H+JA (the "A" denoting the Geschwaderstab or command flight), officially became the first German aircraft to be shot down on British soil by the Royal Air Force. As it returned from a reconnaissance over the Firth of Clyde, Supermarine Spitfire fighters of 602 and 603 Squadron intercepted the bomber over Inchkeith. It crash landed near the small hamlet of Humbie, near the town of Dalkeith in East Lothian, Scotland,[4][7] and is often referred to as the 'Humbie Heinkel'. Archie McKellar was credited with the victory.[8]
On 22 February 1940, a Heinkel He 111 bomber from KG 26 bombed and sank the Z1 Leberecht Maass, who lost 280 of her crew and was survived by 60.[9][11] During operations to save the crew, the Z3 Max Schultz also sank when it hit a mine, losing all hands. A post-war investigation determined that she had drifted into a newly laid British minefield.[12] Hitler ordered a court of inquiry to be convened to investigate the cause of the losses and it concluded that both ships that been sunk by bombs from the He 111. The Kriegsmarine had failed to notify its destroyers that the Luftwaffe was making anti-shipping patrols at that time and had also failed to inform the Luftwaffe that its destroyers would be at sea.[9]
3. Staffel sank five small vessels near the Firth of Forth on 7 December 1939. On 16 March 1940 3.Staffel attacked Scapa Flow and hit HMS Norfolk and one other ship, though the latter was not significantly damaged.[6]
Denmark and Norway
The unit did participate in
I./KG 26 was based atBattle of Britain
Stab./KG 26 began operations with six He 111s, all operational. I./KG had 30 and 29.[6] II./KG 26 began operations on 1 September 1940 with 27 He 111s and only seven operational.[5] III./KG 26 had 26 He 111s, all operational early in the Battle. It participated in all operations until the Spring, 1941. It suffered heavy losses on 15 August 1940, when the Gruppe was intercepted out to sea when attempting to raid Dishforth losing seven aircraft.[3] In December 1940 it made use of the SC 2500 bomb on raids against London.
Anti-shipping operations
KG 26 participated in the
II./KG 26 relocated to Sicily in January 1941 as part of Fliegerkorps X. After arriving, it lost six He 111s to an enemy air raid on 8 January 1941. On the night of 17/18 January 1941 12 He 111s were sent to bomb the Suez Canal. The range proved too great and I. Gruppe lost seven machines to fuel starvation. In the following weeks unsuccessful attacks were made on British warships in the Mediterranean. On 31 January it sank the freighter Sollum and minesweeper Huntley. The unit also took part in missions over Malta, losing its first aircraft on 8 February 1941. During the
III./KG 26 suffered a number of redesignations and was reformed four times. The first formation was ended on 20 February 1940, after being formed for the first time on 1 November 1939. I./KG 26 was renamed K.Gr. 26 on 20 February 1940. I./KG 26 was reformed on 20 February was a fresh formation for the second time. On 15 December 1941, the unit was renamed II./KG 100. That same day the third formation of III./KG 26 was made, with fresh personnel. In June 1942 the units was once again renamed, and its fourth formation was to continue until the disbanding of Kampfgeschwader 26 at the end of the war.[17] III./KG 26 largely undertook Army support missions units 1942 when it operated various staffel as anti-shipping units in France and Norway.
I./KG 26 left
II./KG 26 operated in the Crimea and Mediterranean over the same period. In April – September 1942 it undertook missions over the Kerch area. Among the ships attacked and sunk, the most notable success was a Soviet Submarine chaser, sunk on 6 July. A number of attacks were reported against Soviet Destroyers and Cruisers in August. The unit at this time was fragmented. 6 staffel (or 6.II./KG 26) operated under II. Fliegerkorps, Luftflotte 2 in the Crimea, while 5 staffel (5.II./KG 26) fought under Luftflotte 5.[16] In August 1942 6.II./KG 26 moved to Grosseto, Sicily. On 10 August 1942 it sank two freighters from the convoy Pedestal. 6 staffel continued operations off North Africa until May 1944. Other units, such as 4 staffel remained based in the Crimea and attacked Soviet shipping during the German evacuation of the Crimea. Both 4 and 6 staffeln relocated to Germany to retrain on the FuG 200 anti-shipping radar in April 1944.[16] In June 1944 4, 5 and 6.II./KG 26 were located to France. These units were constantly moved, participating in attacks against the Allied landings in Southern France under
III./KG 26 operated in the Mediterranean, France and Norway during July 1942 – August 1944. Its most notable action was attacking Convoy PQ 18 in September 1942, whilst operating from Banak, Norway. III. Gruppe lost 8 He 111s on that mission. Missions continued against the Torch, Anzio and Normandy landings. By June 1944 III./KG 26 had suffered 50% losses and reduced missions to 3 or 4 per week of a few aircraft. In August 1944 it was withdrawn to Germany to rearm with the Ju 88A-3 in September – October 1944. In December the unit was relocated to
I./KG 26 was sent to Norway again after refitting in Denmark. It attacked several Allied convoys without result. On 10 January 1945 it was ordered to disband. Some pilots were sent to fighter units to retrain for
Commanding officers
The following commanders commander the Geschwader:[1]
Oberst Robert Fuchs (29 September 1939 – June 1940)
Oberstleutnant Karl Freiherr von Wechmar (July 1940 – 19 November 1940) Killed in action
Oberst Robert Fuchs (November 1940 – acting)
Oberstlt Benno Kosch (25 November 1940 – 11 February 1941)
Oberst Alexander Holle (December 1940 – June 1941)
General-Major Ernst-August Roth (15 December 1941 – 2 February 1942)
Oberst Karl Stockmann (November 1942 – 31 January 1943)
Oberstlt Werner Klümper (1 February 1943 – November 1944)
Oberstlt Wilhelm Stemmler (November 1944 – January 1945)
Oberstlt Georg Teske (February 1945 – 9 May 1945)
References
- ^ a b de Zeng et al Vol. 1 2007, p. 74.
- ^ a b de Zeng et al Vol. 1 2007, p. 80.
- ^ a b c de Zeng et al Vol. 1 2007, p. 87.
- ^ a b c d de Zeng et al Vol. 1 2007, p. 73.
- ^ a b c d e f de Zeng et al Vol. 1 2007, p. 81.
- ^ a b c d e de Zeng et al Vol. 1 2007, p. 75.
- ^ "Welcome to the RAF Drem Website". Welcome to the RAF Drem Website. 22 October 1939. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
- ^ "602 Squadron Museum Association". 602 Squadron Museum Association. 17 July 1944. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
- ^ a b Whitley 1991, pp. 93–94.
- ^ Koop & Schmolke 2003, p. 78.
- ^ Koop and Schmolke give a figure of 282 men lost.[10]
- ^ Rohwer, p. 15
- ^ Larson.
- ^ a b c d e f g h de Zeng et al Vol. 1 2007, p. 77.
- ^ de Zeng et al Vol. 1 2007, p. 85.
- ^ a b c d e de Zeng et al Vol. 1 2007, p. 86.
- ^ de Zeng et al Vol. 1 2007, pp. 87–88.
- ^ "Cameronia". Uboat. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
- ^ a b de Zeng et al Vol. 1 2007, p. 91.
- ISBN 9781557788016.
Bibliography
- Steenbeck, Alexander (2012): Die Spur des Löwen. Der Weg des Löwengeschwaders durch Europa. Lübeck ISBN 978-3-00-038734-0.
- Bergstrom, Christer (2007). Barbarossa – The Air Battle: July–December 1941. London: Chevron/Ian Allan. ISBN 978-1-85780-270-2.
- Bergström, Christer, (2007), Stalingrad – The Air Battle: 1942 through January 1943, Chevron Publishing Limited ISBN 978-1-85780-276-4
- Bergström, Christer (2007). Kursk – The Air Battle: July 1943. Chevron/Ian Allan. ISBN 978-1-903223-88-8.
- Bergstrom, Christer. (2008). Bagration to Berlin – The Final Air Battles in the East: 1944 – 1945, Ian Allan. ISBN 978-1-903223-91-8
- de Zeng, H.L; Stanket, D.G; Creek, E.J. Bomber Units of the Luftwaffe 1933–1945; A Reference Source, Volume 1. Ian Allan Publishing, 2007. ISBN 978-1-85780-279-5
- Koop, Gerhard & Schmolke, Klaus-Peter (2003). German Destroyers of World War II. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-307-9.
- Larson, Knut Nordic Aviation during WW2, Part 7, Bombers KG26.
- Rohwer, Jürgen (2005). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two (Third Revised ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-119-2.
- Whitley, M. J. (1991). German Destroyers of World War Two. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-302-8.