SKG 54

[Ludovico Slongo]

I've a question for the forum members,
I've come across an image of a Bf 110 of that is described as a plane of SKG 54. In my (few ) books about Luftwaffe I was not able to find anything regarding this unit. Is there anyone able to give me some quick information on this unit?
Thanks in advance

Ludovico Slongo

[Ludovico Slongo]

Sorry, I've noticed now that I post in the wrong section of the forum.
Hope someone could rectify this.
Ludovico

[Larry deZeng]

The photo caption is wrong. There was a JG 54, a KG 54, a SKG 10 and a SKG 210, but no SKG 54. SKG 210 was the only one of these that was predominately equipped with the Bf 110.

L.

[Ludovico Slongo]

Thank you very much Larry.
Do you think is it possible that KG 54 was ever equipped with at least some Bf 110?
Regards

Ludovico

[Larry deZeng]

Originally Posted by Ludovico Slongo

Thank you very much Larry.
Do you think is it possible that KG 54 was ever equipped with at least some Bf 110?
Regards
Ludovico

"Some" - probably not. "One or two" at some point in time, and then only for a few weeks or months - maybe. A Geschwader Stabsstaffel, Stabsschwarm or Stabskette often had a few odd, off-the-books aircraft that were used as courier planes, especially prior to 1942. Anything is possible.

[Nokose]

I found this in a footnote of one of Mark Solonin's books for the attacks on the 22Jun41 on the Russian airfields in the western Ukraine. "In service with the staff of KG 55 were several Bf 110, and they were actively used in combat in the early days of the fighting." KG54 operated in the same area and it is possible that they had some Bf 110 in their composition. It mentioned in a VVS report for the 1Jul41 on the Zubov airfield of the 28 IAP a raid by 9 Me 110's.

[Larry deZeng]

KG 54
13.8.40: no Bf 110s on strength.
(http://www.ww2.dk/misc/ob13840.htm - scroll down to V. Fliegerkorps section)

21.6.41: no Bf 110s on strength. The Geschwader was at Lublin-Swidnik and the Stabskette had 3 x Ju 88s on strength, I. Gruppe 36 x Ju 88s and II. Gruppe 35 x Ju 88s. The III. Gruppe had not yet been re-established and IV.(Erg.)/KG 54 was back in Germany at Lagerlechfeld. The aircraft loss list for KG 54 shows no Bf 110s. An occasional old He 111D unit transport or Go 145 courier plane shows up, these being the off-the-books unit hacks that I mention earlier in this thread, but no Bf 110s.
(Radtke, Siegfried. Kampfgeschwader 54: von der Ju 52 zur Me 262 – Eine Chronik nach Kriegstagebüchern, Dokumenten und Berichten 1935-1945. München: Schild-Verlag, 1990. Pages 70-79, 347-52).

L.

[Ludovico Slongo]

Thank you very much to both, for your time and for the knowledge, you shared.
As I possibly failed to mention, I'm not at all an expert of Luftwaffe units.
The plane described as part of SKG 54, had the code letters : 2F GA.
Is it perhaps possible to identify its unit from these letters?
Ciao

Ludovico

[Larry deZeng]

"2F" was assigned to II./KG 28 until 15 January 1940 when it was redesignated II./KG 54. II./KG 54 continued to use "2F" until March 1940.

Meanwhile, assets from Stab/KG 28 were used to form Stabsstaffel/St.G. 3 in July 1940. There are a number of photos of Bf 110s coded "2F" belonging to Stabsstaffel/St.G. 3 that were taken in North Africa in 1941.

It appears that any Bf 110s that might have belonged to KG 28 during 1939-40 were passed directly to Stabsstaffel/St.G. 3. There is no evidence that I have found that KG 54 ever had any Bf 110s.

L.

[Ludovico Slongo]

Dear Larry,
now I think that St.G.3 is the most likely candidate. Following your hint, I've found a colour profile of a Ju 87 of Stab St.G.3 in summer 1941, that carries the same badge that is depicted on this Bf 110 and has serial letters: 2F CA.
Ciao thanks again.

Ludovico