Why was I./KG 1 selected to become III./KG 40

[Chris Goss]

Admittedly II and III./KG 1 had converted to the Ju 88 but why in March 1941 was I./KG 1 selected from being conventional bombing to being maritime attack? Just that it was the only available He 111 unit available?

[Larry deZeng]

Chris -

Nothing seen in these sources that might offer an explanation:

Sources:
Unpublished: BA-MA Freiburg RL 2 III Gen.Qu.(6.Abt.) Meldungen über Flugzeugunfälle und Verluste... (LRs — Loss Reports)
NARA WashDC RG 242 Microcopy T-312 roll 296/f.1737-57; Microcopy T-313 roll 112/f. 432,442,538,598,686
PRO London AIR 40: 1966,1979,1982
SPOHR, Wolfgang Gottfried (Hptm.) - “Kriegschronik des Kampfgeschwader 1 ‘Hindenburg’”, a 78-page manuscript c.late 1944/early 1945. Hptm. Spohr belonged to Geschw.Stab/KG 1 and used all KTBs and Anlagen. In: BA-MA Freiburg RL 10/529; NARA WashDC T-971 roll 50/f.965-1056; AFHRA Maxwell AFB Karlsruhe Collection K113.408-3.

BA-MA RL 40/41 Kart; LRs; Spohr-KG 1:34; ULTRA HP2994, BT3071, BT3505; OIC/SI 116, 204, 182; ADI(K) 38/44, 45/44, 88/44; F.Selinger letter to author 17.2.93.
Published: After the Battle-The Blitz Then and Now; Aviatik Nr.l:34-39; Balke-KG 2:
50, 387-89; Dierich; Griehl-Do217:61,214; Jet & Prop Nr.5/92:58; Kannapin; Poolman-Condor:153; Smith/Creek-Ar 234:197; Tessin.

L. deZ.

[Adriano Baumgartner]

Your question is a good one...

Maybe logistic ? There were other He 111 H units in France at that time (III/KG 26, KG 55, KGr 100, etc.).

KGr 100 for instance "had specialized" earlier in the war (39-40) on anti-ship operations over the North Sea, Norway with success, so why not being used more appropriately for maritime attack such as? It had not suffered too many losses by March. Of course, it was a specialized unit...so maybe the "Powers that be" did not to loose the well trained airmen for maritime operations, simply.

Maybe Herr JUNKER can find something at BAMA that answer your question and doubt...and ours as well!

It is amazing how so many questions, more than 80 years ago still remain unsolved or unanswered (hopefully yet!).

The Aerial Community is surely awaiting your KG 40 History volumes and wishing you all the success you deserve. By the way I do have a 8./KG 40 photo of airmen that may be useful or of relevance.

Most humbly and as interested in discovering the "truth" to your question as yourself (and most of us I guess)

A.

[Nick Beale]

From BA-MA you could try RM 6/74 which (says Invenio) includes:

»Unterredung Befehlshaber der U-Boote Vizeadmiral Karl Dönitz mit Hermann Göring über Abgabe Kampfgeschwader 40 am 7. Febr. 1941«

= Discussion between Dönitz and Göring re the handover of KG 40 on 7 Feb. 1941.

I haven’t gone into it but if anyone wants to pursue it, it is downloadable.

[Chris Goss]

Thanks for this Nick. Unfortunately the document details the disagreements about ownership of KG 40 nothing more

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by Chris Goss

Thanks for this Nick. Unfortunately the document details the disagreements about ownership of KG 40 nothing more

That’s archives for you!