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Re: Who led 7./JG52 in October-December 1944?
Hi again,
one more thing re 4./JG 52. What Niko Fast book series say about it can be seen below. It suggests that 4. Staffel did not exist in June-Sept 1944, but was then re-established in October.
Based on for example Lipfert and Barkhorn books and especially pictures (II/JG 52 top guys with Hungarian pilots in Hungary during late Nov 1944) in them, it seems clear that while Barkhorn was leading II Gruppe in that time, Hartmann, Lipfert and Sturm were the Staffelkapitäns. BUT, if II/JG 52 was in the " 4 Staffel per Gruppe" organisation, the Staffel numbers should be 5-8.
What were the "official" Staffel numbers and how many Staffels there actually were in II/JG 52? Well, beats me. Original wartime JG 52 documents would be needed.
Based on many, many books I have read on Luftwaffe and Wehrmacht in general (and also on discussions with many veterans), I would say it was very common that units were moved around, names and numbers changed, etc. However, if the "Unit spirit" had been very strong and men were proud of their unit, it could take quite a long time when they were still using (at least unofficially) the old name/number, even though official change had taken place weeks or months earlier. This is of course not helping history studies 75 years later.
Br Raimo
4 Staffel
Schumann 29.8.39-31.1.40
Steinhoff 1.2.40-28.2.42
Barkhorn 1.3.42-31.5.43
Sturm 1.6.43-16.4.44
Waldmann 17.4.44-1.6.44
became 8./JG 3
Hartmann 1.10.44-31.1.45
Haas 1.2.45-9.4.45
Linxen 10.4.45-
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