Jabogruppe Afrika
 

Hi colleagues,
does anyone have any information (commanders, dislocations, history...) about Jagdbombergruppe Afrika (Jabogruppe Afrika)? Probably 08/1942 - 11/1942...
I found via web only:

• ? -> Stab/Jabogruppe Afrika -> Stab I./Sch.G.2
• 10.(Jabo)/JG 53 -> 1./Jabogruppe Afrika -> 1./Sch.G.2
• 10.(Jabo)/JG 27 -> 2./Jabogruppe Afrika -> 3./Sch.G.2

and http://www.ww2.dk/oob/bestand/jagd/bjgafrika.html

Thanks for help!

Re: Jabogruppe Afrika
 

Unit history was more complicated.

I was able to put together some info, when was making III./ZG1 unit history. Look here.
http://www.schwaan.info/ZG1/index.ph...cal-background

For Commanding officers, look here:
http://www.schwaan.info/ZG1/index.ph...zg1-komandeure

For Bf109E-7/B equipped 10.(JaBo)/JG27, StaKa was Oblt. Richard Echhardt (KIA 25.10.42)
For Bf109F-4/B equipped 10.(JaBo)/JG53, StaKa was Oblt. Hermann Langemann

Re: Jabogruppe Afrika
 

Go to the website of the UK National Archives, then to "search the catalogue". Choose "advanced search". Under search terms enter "Cairo", for "file series" put DEFE3 and for dates put 1942-43. This should get you the files of deciphered German Army and Luftwaffe signals, which you can view free online. There are a large number of signals from Africa and this Gruppe is mentioned frequently.

Re: Jabogruppe Afrika
 

Hi,

what I have is the strength returns of the unit - but the reorganization from Jabo 27 and Jabo 53 (the designations used by the Generalquartiermeister) is not specifically mentioned in the Vortrag.

This happened as mentioned by gruppe.drei during the first ten days of August 1942.

The unit was as far as I can see attached to JG 27 - and certainly at this point did not have a separate Stab - it consisted of a strengthened Staffel with an strength of 13 aircraft (Bf 109F4/Trop) and 15 pilots on August 10th.

The first time the name JaboGruppe Afrika is mentioned is in the strength return of September 20th, with the names Jabo 27 and Jabo 53 in parenthesis underneath - the usual nomenclature used to show heritage. At this time they have an established strength of 13 Bf 109F-4/Trop - but only 4 are listed as operational!

This number increase during the next ten days period to 22 aircraft of which 12 were operational. In contrast they list 30 pilots assigned to the unit.

The restructuring into I./Schl.G.2 is mentioned on the strength return of September 30th 1942, with the following sentence:

Aus III./Z.G.1 ist I./S.G.2 mit 4 Staffeln augestellt. Verstärkt durch Jabo-Staffeln J.G.27 u. J.G.53 und 4./(Pz.S.G.2) Hs 129 Pz. Jagdstaffel.

And that is as far as I can see the end of Jabogruppe Afrika - and the start of Schlachtgeschwader 2.

Regards,
Andreas B

Jabogruppe Afrika - its aircraft strength from German documents
 

I have been working on a project concerning the role of events in the Mediterranean in the collapse of the Luftwaffe in late 1942, so I have looked at a large volume of primary sources concerning the Luftwaffe order of battle in recent weeks. I took a moment to follow up the query by forum member gruppe.drei concerning Jabogruppe Afrika. For the original question and some replies by other members, see the thread at the following link - http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showthread.php?t=49033 .

The following information comes from the original Luftwaffe strength and serviceability reports at Freiburg, some of which were used by Andreas Brekken in the previous thread:

Report dated 31 July 1942:
Jabo 27 [Jagdbomberstaffel 27]
6 Bf 109F4 Tr aircraft [Bf 109 F-4/trop] x 3 aircraft serviceable x 3 crews x 2 crews operationally ready x 1 crew not ready

III./J.G. 53 Bf 109F4
einschl. Jabo - including
Jagdbomberstaffel, not counted separately

Report dated 10 August 1942:
Jabo Afrika [Jabogruppe Afrika]
13 F4/Tr. x 6 x 15 x 9 x 6 - see above for meaning of each number

Report dated 20 August 1942:
Jabo Afrika
12 F4/Tr. x 6 x 18 x 8 x 10

Report dated 31 August 1942:
Jabo Afrika
14 F4/Tr. x 7 x 27 x 11 x 16

Report dated 10 September 1942:
Jabo Afrika
15 F4/Tr. x 8 x 28 x 13 x 15

Report dated 20 September 1942:
Jabo Gr. Afrika
(Jabo 27 u. 53) [acknowledgment that
Jabogruppe Afrika was formed from these two
Jagdbomberstaffeln]
13 F4/Tr. x 4 x 29 x 18 x 0

Report dated 30 September 1942:
Jabo Gr. Afrika
(Jabo 27 und 53)
22 F4/Tr. x 12 x 30 x 14 x 0

I./Schl. G. 2
Aus III./Z.G. 1 ist I./S.G. 2 mit 4 Staffeln aufgestellt.
Verstärkt durch Jabo-Staffeln J.G. 27 u. J.G. 53 und 4./(Pz. S.G. 2) Hs 129 Pz. Jagdstaffel. [As translated by Andreas previously -
I./Schl. G. 2 reinforced with
Jagdbomberstaffeln 27 and 53, as well as the Panzerjagdstaffel 4./(Pz. S.G. 2) equipped with the Hs 129]

Report dated 31 October 1942:
Jabo-Gruppe O.B.S.
[Jabogruppe Oberbefehlshaber Süd - fighter-bomber group of Commander-in-Chief South]
27 F4/Tr. x 18 x 32 x 26 x 3

I./Schl. G. 2
Gruppe erhält voraussichtlich die Bf 109F4 trop von der aufgelösten Jabogruppe.
[Gruppe will receive the
Bf 109 F-4/trop aircraft of the disbanded
Jabogruppe]

I hope this is of interest to members. If others have more information about this unit, I would be grateful if they shared it. The use of a small number of fighter-bomber units by the Luftwaffe in 1942 is an interesting example of the way it attempted to respond to growing Allied aerial superiority.

Regards,

Dan

Re: Jabogruppe Afrika
 

Hello Dan
Thanks a lot for the info!
I found it very interesting.

And Nick
thanks a lot for the very interesting research tip. I had somehow missed this thread until now.

Juha

Re: Jabogruppe Afrika
 

Hello Juha,

You are very welcome! Does similar information exist for units of the Finnish air force? There is a very interesting comparison to be made between the Finnish air force and the Luftwaffe, since the Finns also sent small units into combat for extended periods of time, but appear to have suffered substantially lower losses than was the average for Luftwaffe units. I suggest that the low state of training of the Soviet air forces in Karelia may account for some of this difference.

Kind regards,

Dan

Re: Jabogruppe Afrika
 

Hello Dan
yes, there are material, e.g. the SPK (KTB/ORB) of LLv/HLeLv 32 from Sept 1, 1943 to 31 July 1944 (The Curtiss Hawk 75 A unit, the only fighter unit of Lentorykmentti 1 which defended the Syväri/Svir riverline between the Lake Ladoga and the Lake Onega) gives daily the number of combat ready planes as does the SPK of 3./HLeLv 34 of the year 1944 (Was one of the "Flights" of our premier Bf 109 G unit).

Juha

Re: Jabogruppe Afrika
 

Hello Juha,

That is interesting, thank you. I have sent you an email.

Regards,

Dan