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Re: July 1940 - What really happened to II./KG 76 and I./StG 76 ?
I checked against our notes and this “greater part” and “lesser part” stems from Larry’s notes.
In reference to III./St.G. 77:
“Formed 9 July 1940 at either Barly/17 km WSW of Arras in NE France or at Caen in Normandy from the main elements of I./St.G. 76. Elements of II./KG 76, that had commenced conversion to the Ju 87 on 1 February 1940, are also believed to have been incorporated into the new Gruppe.“
Larry’s notes are derived primarily from original Luftwaffe documents, so we can expect the information to be reliable. Particularly interesting was the passage about elements of II./KG 76 starting to convert to Ju 87s. This is made more odd by the fact that the Gruppe had only just been formed the previous month. This aspect is not mentioned in our Bomber Units book.
The info about origins of the personnel of III./St.G. 77 who became casualties is interesting. Where did you get this? Loss reports don’t mention their prior units. I noticed that several of these show they came previously from II./KG 76, which would tend to support our position. Could it be that your info source simply missed the brief period in which I./St.G. 76 existed?
Without a way to check the archival documents Larry examined, I cannot trace this further.
I hope this helps
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