III./Zerstörergeschwader 1

 

Formation (Spring 1942)

In progress...

Operation Blau (June - August 1942)

In progress...

Africa, El-Alamein (September 1942) 

In progress...

 

I./Schlachtgeschwader 2

Formation (September 1942)

Ordered formed 28 September 1942 at Comiso (Sicily) by renaming Jabo-Gruppe Afrika (also known as JaBo Gruppe Oberbefehlshaber Süd), which consisted of the Bf109-equipped 10.(JaBo)/JG 27 and 10.(JaBo)/JG 53, these forming 1. and 2. Staffeln, and by also incorporating elements of the Bf109-equipped III./ZG 1 as 3.Staffel. 

The various components of the Gruppe were engaged in North Africa at the time orders were issued for formation and were not assembled at Comiso until two weeks later.

Sicily, Egypt and Lybia (September 1942 - January 1943)

29 September: Bf109F-4 landing and take-off accidents at Bir el Abd on the El-Alamein front.

1 October: Gruppe reported 32 Bf109E-7 on strength.

2 October: Bf109F-4 landing and take-off accidents at Bir el Abd.

10 October: Bf109F-4 Top shot down by AA fire at El Ruweisat along the front south of El-Alamein, pilot safe.

11-12 October: 1 Bf109F-4 Trop accident at Bir el Abd and two more at Bari in south Italy, 1 pilot killed.

15 October: from Comiso, began flying Bf109 fighter-bomber (JaBo) missions against targets on Malta as part of the final mass attacks against targets on Malta as part of the final mass attacks against the island bastion by II. Fliegerkorps, wich continued to at least 2 November, although the Gruppe was ordered back to western Egypt after only a week of operations. The raids on Malta cost 3.Staffel 3 Bf109's lost in combat. 

15-22 October: 4 Bf109F-4 Trop crashes at Comiso.

22 October: 2 Bf109F-4 Trop shot down south of El Alamein, probably by AA fire, both pilots MiA. 

During evening of the following day, the British 8th Army (Montgomery) launched its well-prepared offencive along El-Alamein front that over next 3 months drove the Axis forces out of Egypt and Libya.

26 October: Bf109 shot down over the front area, pilot KiA.

28 October: Ordered to pull back from Bir El Abd on El Alamein front to Qasaba (30 km south-east of Mersa Matruh).

31 October: Bf109E failed to return from operations, pilot KiA.

4 November: Bf109F shot down while attacking British tanks, pilot KiA when his parashute failed to open.

5-17 November: Gruppe reported the total loss of 21 Bf109Es and Fs at airfields Bir al Abd, Qasaba, Gambut and Martuba as it retreated west from El-Alamein front. 16 of these aircraft were intentionally destroyed by Gruppe personnel to keep them from falling into enemy hands.

24 November: at Arco Philanorum (195km south-south-west of Benghazi) Bf109F-4 collided with an Italian aircraft while landing, pilot KiA.

29 November: Bf109F crashed at Arco Philanorum, StaKa of 1.Staffel Oblt. Wolf Zipper KiA.

2 December: another Bf109F lost in action east of El Agheila.

12 December: transferred from Bir el Merduma (250km south weast from Benghazi) to Tamet (48 km west-north-west of Sorte).

30 December: 1 to 3 Bf109Fs shot down by P-40 Kittyhawks while strafing enemy troops in Bir El Zidan area.

6-7 January 1943: elemens at Bir Dufan (165 km south-east of Tripoli) flying JaBo attacks on enemy-occupied airfields in the Sirte-Manraiet area, losing 1 Bf109F-4 shot down on 6 January and several more damaged on landing and take-off accidents at Bir Dufan.

13 January: main body transferred from Zarzur to Bir Dufan to continue operations under Fliegerführer Afrika in Gruppe strength.

17 January: transferred to Tripoly - El Asabia.

Tunisia (January - April 1943)

23 January: now at Oudref landing ground near Tripoli. 

February: flew fighter-bomber missions against British 8th Army forces along the front in southern Tunisia.

3 February: Bf109F was shot down in Thelepte area by P-40's, StaFü of 1.Staffel Oblt Jürgen Waldhelm MiA.

10 February: at Medenine (68 km south-east of Gabes/ Qabis, south-east of Tunisia under Fliegerkorps Tunis).

15 February" Medenine this date and the Gruppe transferred up the coast to Gabes-West.

20 February: Bf109F-4 shot down by a fighter in the Gabes-Gafsa area in central Tunisia, pilot WiA.

24 February: Gruppe now at La Fauconnerie-South (60 km north-west of Sfax/Safaqis) with 1.Staffel detached at Gabes-West.

27 February: 2. Staffel Bf109F-4 shot down south of Medenine, probably by a fighter, pilot MiA.

March: operated mainly along the Mareth defensive line located just south of Gabes until this was breached and outflanked at the end of March and beginning of April.

1 March: Gruppe reported 21 Bf109F-4 Trop's on strength.

12 March: 2 Bf109F-4's shot down by AA fire in the Dernaia-Bir el Hofra area newa Kasserine in west-central Tunisia where U.S. forces were beginning an advance towards Gafsa (liberated 18 March), both pilots MiA.

21-23 March: 5 Bf109F's lost in operations around Gafsa, Djel-Guelia and Wadi Keddab, StaFü of 1.Staffel Lt. Wilhelm Vetter MiA.

24-28 March: 5 Bf109F damaged in force-landings and crash-landings in the Gabes-Sfax area due to being shot up in combat.

7 April: transferred from La-Fauconnerie-South to Bourdjine.

10 April: now at Ste-Marie du Zit (44 k south-south-east of Tunis in northern Tunisia).

15 April: handed over all remaining aircraft to III./SKG10 in mid-April and then departed Tunisia for Italy to re-equip with Fw190's.

26 April: Bf109F was shot down in combat near Kap Bon, StaFu of 1.Staffel Oblt Frohmut Pitschmann MiA. 

Sicily, Sardinia and Italy (May - October 1943)

7 May: all or elements at Gerbini (east Sicily).

24 May: now at Brindisi (south-east Italy) re-equipping.

7 June: ordered to transfer as soon as possible from Brindisi to Milis in west-central Sardinia. This order was subsequently rescinded or delayed.

20 June: in transfer from Brindisi to Milis.

2 July: at Milis with 37 (22) Fw190A-5's (25 of these) and F-3s (12 of these).

3 July: 3 Fw190A-5 bombed on the ground and reduced to scrap during Allied bombing attack on Milis.

12 July: transferred from Milis to Gerbini and ordered to begin cntinuous attacks on Allied forces thet began landing on Sicily on 10 July. To what extent I./Schl.G.2 flew fighter-bomber missions in Sicily is unclear as it reported no losses that can be connected to Sicily between 12 and 17 July.

17 July: withdrew from Sicily to Aquino (110 km south-east of Rome).

25 July: now back on Sardinia and most likely based at Ottana in sentral Sardinia.

1 September: Gruppe reported no aircraft on strength.

October: now at Piacenza (north Italy) ordered to Graz (Austria) to rest and refit.

18 October: redesignated I./SG 10. 

 

I./Schlachtgeschwader 10

Formation (October 1943)

Formed on 18 October 1943 at Graz/Austria with Fw190s by renaming I./Schl.G. 2. Soon after redesignation, the Gruppe apparently transferred to Holland, perhaps Venlo or Soesterberg, for brief period of training prior to being assigned to the Eastern Front.

Holland and Western Ukraine (November 1943 - June 1944)

1 November: Gruppe reported 11 Fw190F-3s and 12 Fw190G-3s on strength.

15-16 November: 2 Fw190Fs crashed on landing at Venlo in Holland and another at Munchen-Gladbach (26 km south-east of Venlo).

25 November: Fw190F crash at Soesterberg airfield in Holland.

25-28 November: departed Holland for Eastern front. The Gruppe was ordered to Ukraine to reinforce the direct air support for 4.Panzerarmee, wich had been driven back in the Fastov-Zhitomir-Korosten area when 1st Ukrainian Front's 3rd Guards Tank Army launched an attack in this sector around 7 November. By 19 November the Soviets had made significant gains and the fighting subsided. Pz.A.O.K.4 counter-attacked on 6 December but made little progress before it returned to defencive on 21 December. It was for this counter-attack that the Geschwader was brought in from the West.

28 November: elements passing through Mielec airfield in south Poland.

6 December: in western Ukraine based at Zhitomir-South.

6 December: 3.Staffel Fw190G-3 shot down by AA fire in the Novograd-Volynsky area to the north-west of Zhitomir, pilot KiA.

14 December: 2 Fw190G-3s failed to return from operations, both pilots MiA, but Oblt. Walter Seiferth later returned.

20 December: 3.Staffel Fw190G-3 failed to return from operations over Korosten area to the north of Zhitomir, StaFü Lt. Max Lange MiA.

27 December: still at Zhitomir-South, Gruppe had orders to transfer to Krakow in south Poland, but for what reason is not known. If this order was in fact carried out, it was not at Krakow for probably more than a week or two, if that.

31 December: Gruppenkomandeur, Major Wilhelm Hobein, failed to return from combat mission over Koskow.

January 1944: transferred to Nikolayev during the latter part of January and operated from there as well as from Belaya Tserkov (75 km south-west from Kiev). Over the next four months the Gruppe is said to have suffered extremly heavy losses while recieving almost no replacements.

1 February: supporting German efforts to relieve troops cut off in the Korsun Shevchenkovskiy area in what the Germans later called Cherkassy pocket.

19 March: transferred to Raukovka (75 km north-west of Odessa).

2 April: withdrew to Tiraspol (Moldavia) to the north-west of Odessa.

11 April: pulled back to Constanta-Mamaia on the Romanian coast.

20 April: at Constanta-Mamaia.

28 April - 5 May: fought over Iasi where Soviets had established a dangerous bridgehead on the west bank of the river Prut.

7 May: transferred from Constanta-Mamaia to Bacau-Margineni (240 km north-north-east of Bucharest).

30-31 May: support of a counter-attack by Armeegruppe Gen.Wöhler (A.O.K.8) to eliminate the Soviet bridgehead on the west bank of Prut.

23 June: departed the southern sector of the front and ordered north to Bobruisk (138 km south-east of Minsk) on the central sector of Eastern front for reassignment to 1.Fliegerdivision/Luftflotte 6. The Soviet summer offensive in Belorussia (Operation Bagration) that began on 22 June resulted in large-scale redeploymewnt of Luftwaffe assets to reinforce Luftflotte 6.

Lithuania, Poland and East Prussia ( June - September 1944)

27 June: moved north-west to Vilnus(Lithuania) and reassigned to 4.Fliegerdivision.

1 July: Gruppe reported 29 Fw190F-8s and 4 Fw190F-3s on strength.

7 - 10 July: withdrew from Vilnus to Kaunas in south Lithuania via Karmelovka.

21 July: pulled back to Sudauen/Suwalki (113 km north of Bialystok) in north-east Poland.

August: moved to nearby Insterburg in east Prussia and reassigned to 1.Fliegerdivision/Luftflotte 6.

29 September: departed Insterburg on or around this date and transferred south to Földes (33 km south-south-west of Debrecen) in eastern Hungary to help stem the Soviet advance through the Carpathians and Transilvania. 

Hungary and Czechoslovakia (October 1944 - May 1945)

October: shortly after arriving at Fördes, moved to Sárospatak (88 km north of Debrecen). During October, 1.Staffel was detached to be outfitted with Panzerschreck armament (anti-tank rocket projectiles fired from under-the-wing rail mountings).

28 October: transferred to Haniska/Enyiczke (11 km south of Kassa/Kosice) in eastern Slovakia, I.Fliegerkorps.

5 November: moved to Öcseny (48 km north of Pécs in south-west Hungary), II.Fliegerkorps. From there, flew attacks on bridges near Szeged in south Hungary near the border with Romania to try to slow down the Soviet advance towards Budapest.

29 November: now at Magyarmecske (25 km south-west of Pécs) with 23 (15) Fw190F-8s on strength. The 1.Staffel was noted as still undergoing Panzerschreck training on this date.

4 December: transferred to Tótvázsony (13 km south-west of Veszprém near lake Balaton).

Late December: heavy fighting west of Budapest, wich the Soviet 3rd Ukrainian Front successfully encircled on 26th, isolating the sity's population and garrison.

4 February: 4 Fw190F-8s failed to return from operations, 4 pilots MiA, another Fw190F-8 returned shot up and crashlanded.

10 February: Fw190F-8 failed to return from combat mission, StaKa Oblt. Hans Schulz PoW.

17-18 February: 3 Fw190F-8/9 shot down by fighters, 1 pilot KiA, 1 MiA and 1 WiA.

February: moved north from Tot to Pieštany (72 km north-east of Bratislava) in Slovakia.

March-April: base locations uncertain - left Pieštany probably in the last few days of March or early April and withdrew westward into south-weastern Czechoslonakia or north-eastern Austria.

21 April to 3 May: at Budweis/Ceske Budejovice (120 km south of Prague) in Czechoslovakia, 18.Fliegerdivision.

The Gruppe was disbanded at Budweis on 8 May and the personnel presumably fled West, perhaps to Zaltweg in Austria, to surrender to the Amerikans, or at least tried to do so.

 

BRGDS, I./ZG1_Panzerbar