Did JG 23 exists?

[Jaap Woortman]

Dear friends,

I have a problem.
According to Barry C.Rosch in Luftwaffe codes, markings & units 1939-1945 at page 204, there has been a JG 23. He says: III Gruppenstab formed from Stab I/KG 100 (5-44) [ post #31695]
III Gruppenstab later Stab II/JG 7(8-44)
7 formed (5-44)?
7 later 6/JG 7(8-44)?
With Bf 109.

But this was not mentioned in Kampfgeschwader 100"Wiking" of Ulf Balke. He has mentioned at page 190: Ende Mai wurde die I./KG 100 auf dem Flugplatz Fassberg in III./KG 1 umbenannt. And at page 315: Am 20.08.44 kam vom O.K.L. der erste Auflösungdbefehl für das KG 100 "Wiking".

According to Kannapin for FPnr. 31695:
(28.2.1941 - 29.7.1941) I./KG 4,
(8.9.1943 - 22.4.1944) 11.11.1943 I./KG 100,
(23.4.1944 - 24.11.1944) 10.6.1944 III./JG 23,
22.9.1944 II./JG 7,
(25.11.1944 - Kriegsende) 13.1.1945 IV./JG 301.

And Manfred Boehme in Jagdgeschwader 7, die Chronik eines Me 262-Geschwaders 1944/45 says at page 165: Völlig im Verzug war der Aufbau der II./JG 7. Aufgestellt auf dem Kommandoweg am 12. Januar 1945, wurde die Gruppe doch erst vier Wochen später, am 12. Februar 1945, etatisiert: "II./JG 7 (bisher IV./JG 54) ist durch den Gen. der Jagdflieger auf Me 262 umzurüsten."

And then, I am lost. Has there been a JG 23? Who can help?

Jaap

[RossGmann]

The following http://www.valorebooks.com/Search/ISBN/9780517570395 is a link to a book about JG23. I have no idea of the contents

Kind regards

Ross

[Jaap Woortman]

Ross,

I have seen that title: JG 23: Top Guns of the Luftwaffe - Donald L. Caldwell - Hardcover - 1st ed.
But I think that's a typo. IMHO it must be JG 26: Top Guns of the Luftwaffe.
I have a soft cover version with that title in house.

Jaap

[Larry deZeng]

No JG 23, but there was a JG 17.

[Jaap Woortman]

Larry,

Was that a re-numbered Italian unit?
Or was this a fancy number for hiding the whereabouts of a regular unit?

Jaap

[Larry deZeng]

Jaap - that was the planned 1944 designation for an Italian RSI Jagdgeschwader. I do not believe it was ever put in force, but the number does appear in the surviving planning documents as the Luftwaffe tried to set up the two additional Gruppen needed for a full Geschwader.

L.

[JohnnyB]

Hi Jaap,

it seems a JG23 never have existed.

Here´s a well known and great page that shows all Luftwaffe units.

http://www.asisbiz.com/Luftwaffe.html

[Matti Salonen]

I did some detective work and found the following:
- In original FP Number -Book the Change Nr. 10 covers the period in question (6.4. - 9.11.1944).
- The vertical column, which contains unit designations, has for 31695 only III/KG 1 and II/JG 7 without any reference to III/JG 23. For me this is enough to ensure, that JG 23 never existed.
But still there is a question, why JG 23 is mentioned by Kannapin. One explanation could the the following:
- In the same vertical column below III/KG 1 and II/JG 7 there is the unit designation for the next FP Number 31696 and this is 14.Kp.Jäg.Rgt. 23 (L). Maybe Kannapin's (weary?) eyes have simply combined III/KG 1 and 14.Kp.Jäg.Rgt. 23 (L) into III/JG 23. The book has no printed horizontal lines between different FP Numbers, which makes reading more difficult.

Matti

[Larry deZeng]

Here's another puzzle of sorts on the same theme. In the HW5 decrypts for August 1942, Western Europe section, there are dozens and dozens of references to KG 8 and KG 47. These are far, far too numerous to be a typo or anothing of that sort. The intercepts are everything from strength returns, aircraft maintenance and repair issues, to routine personnel matters to you name it. Luftflotte 3 is often an addressee along with Ob.d.L. in Berlin and various depots and schools in the Reich. These are Enigma decrypts, which the Wehrmacht believed to be secure, so why the use of non-existent units?

L.

[Andrew Arthy]

Hi Larry,

These kinds of signals continued in 1943 and 1944, and are usually marked as training signals.

Cheers,
Andrew A.

Air War Publications - www.airwarpublications.com